tour 3 of 10
A Queens Tour
An Assyrian Queen
This carved stone picture hides a gory secret.
King Ashurbanipal and his Queen are enjoying a party in their
garden. Can you see the Queen sitting down facing her husband? A
harpist on the left plays music while they eat and drink. But in
the tree beside him is the severed head of King Teumann, a local
ruler who had tried to fight against Ashurbanipal. The picture was
on the wall in the royal palace, to warn any visitors not to try
the same
thing.
For
parents
Queens,
like women in general, were seldom represented in Assyrian
sculpture. However, women did sometimes hold power at the Assyrian
court, though usually behind the scenes. Documents suggest that
Ashurbanipal's grandmother, Naqia-Zakutu, was extremely
influential in promoting her son Esarhaddon and then Ashurbanipal
to the throne.