Asset number
326415001
Description
Limestone wall-panel depicting the Battle of Til-Tuba (Battle of the River Ulai) in relief: in the lower register, the Assyrians are attacking from the left. The two armies are clearly distinguished by their equipment. The Assyrian cavalry and some of the infantry have pointed helmets and wear scale-armour above the belt; most of them carry spears and shields, as do other infantrymen in crested helmets, and there are lightly armed archers with headbands. They tend to operate in pairs, with an archer protected by a spearman. The Elamites are nearly all lightly armed archers, with headbands tied at the back; their quivers are decorated with palmettes. Some of them are riding carts drawn by donkeys or mules. It is clear that, once the heavily armed Assyrians have forced their way through the Elamite lines, the Elamites cannot operate effectively at close quarters. They stumble back down the side of the mound, and their retreat turns into a rout, which ends as they are driven into the River Ulai. The growing chaos is graphically reflected in the overall arrangement, with the largely horizontal lines of figures losing coherence as they move right, and the river stopping them dead as it cuts across the scene from top to bottom. Within the battle, critical incidents are picked out, forming an internal sequence of events like a strip-cartoon operating independently of the general progress of the battle. This sequence starts near the centre of the composition, with the crash of the chariot carrying the Elamite king, Teptihubaninsushnak, known to the Assyrians as Teumman, together with his son Tammaritu. Teumman is distinguished by his royal hat and fringed robe; Tammaritu is dressed like the other Elamites. The two are thrown out of the chariot, and Teumman's hat falls off, revealing his receding hairline. The upper register is missing.
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