Lion hunt

This is an Assyrian relief from the North Palace of Niniveh (Iraq), dated 645-635 BC and conserved in the British Museum. Originally, lion hunting was part of a formal Assyrian ritual, where some lions were released from cages to fight into an arena. The Assyrian king Ashurbanipal had to show everyone his power killing all the lions. The king is on a chariot pulled by horses, among other Assyrian fighters who use various weapons, like swords, spears and arrows to fight against the wild lions. Questo modello descrive un rilievo assiro del Palazzo Nord di Ninive (Iraq), datato attorno al 645-635 a.C. e conservato al British Museum. In origine, la caccia ai leoni era parte di un formale rituale assiro, dove alcuni leoni venivano rilasciati dalle gabbie per combattere in un’arena. Il re assiro Assurbanipal si trova su un carro trainato da cavalli, insieme ad altri soldati assiri che asano diverse armi, come le spade, le lance e le frecce per combattere contro i leoni selvaggi.