wall panel;
relief
- Museum number
- 119402
- Description
-
Gypsum wall-panel relief: showing the capture of a city in mountainous country. A system of fortifications has been attacked by the Assyrians, and the last resistance is being overcome. The representation is difficult to interpret. The upper part of the slab shows two independent buildings slightly different in style. That on the left has shooting apertures in the walls of the towers. That on the right has apertures only in the turrets. Against each building is shown the ramp of earth used for the successful attack; that ramps are intended, not a rock foundation, is clear from the drawing. The right-hand tower of the building on the right is lower than that on the left of the same building, and there is a slight slope in the ground, an unusual feature. As no attack is in progress and no defenders are shown, the buildings must have been taken before the action in the lower scene, and possibly stood outside the main defensive wall. Below, the Assyrians are attacking with ladders and clubbing (?) unarmed defenders, but the arrangement of the fortifications is not clear. The ladder appears to rest against the top of a continuous wall, but below this wall is not continuous and on it stands another tower. It is possible that what appears to be the top of a wall is in fact merely intended for ground; but this explanation does not account for the truncation of the figures, which are obviously on the wall. The Assyrian soldiers wear a helmet with a large round boss and a simple skirt with cross-straps, on which a small round shield can be hung when not carried; they are auxiliaries, not national troops. The attribution of this slab to Tiglath-pileser III's time is based entirely on style, as nothing is known as to its provenance.
- Production date
- 745BC-727BC
- Dimensions
-
Height: 94 centimetres
-
Thickness: 3.80 centimetres
-
Width: 54 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- This relief might represent part of the slab found by Layard near Wall n in the South-West Palace and described by him as - 'Bas-relief with several castles on a hill'.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
On long term loan to Birmingham since 13 Jun 1975-May 2007.
- Acquisition date
- 1928
- Department
- Middle East
- BM/Big number
- 119402
- Registration number
- 1928,0514.1
