Lamassu from the Citadel of Sargon IIDur Sharrukin (modern Khorsabad), Iraq, ca.
Lamassu from the Citadel of Sargon IIDur Sharrukin (modern Khorsabad), Iraq, ca. 720–705 bceDuring the first half of the first millennium BCE, the fearsome Assyrians vanquished the various warfaring peoples that succeeded the Babylonians and Hittites, including the Elamites, whose capital of Susa they sacked in 641 BCE. The royal citadel of Sargon II at Dur Sharrukin reveals in its ambitious layout the confidence of the Assyrian kings in their all-conquering might. Guarding the gate to Sargon’s palace were colossal limestone monsters, which the Assyrians probably called lamassu. These winged, manheaded bulls served to ward off the king’s enemies. The task of moving and installing these immense stone sculptures was so daunting that several reliefs in the palace of Sargon’s successor celebrate the feat, showing scores of men dragging lamassu figures with the aid of ropes and sledges. The Assyrian lamassu sculptures are partly in the round, but the sculptor nonetheless conceived them as high reliefs on adjacent sides of a corner. (x) -- source link
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