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Relief with Horses and Groom

721 BC - 705 BC
Stone
Khorsabad
253.5 cm x 276 cm x 20 cm
A7358

Oriental Institute Museum

Artifact Description

Relief with Horses and Groom

This large rectangular relief formed part of a wall of the courtyard of the throne room of King Sargon II's palace at Dur-Sharrukin (modern-day Khorsabad). It depicts a groom standing between a pair of horses with plumed headdresses, decorated bridles, tasseled neck ornaments, and fancily braided tails. The horses would have been presented as a gift to the king by a foreign ruler.

Collected by

Assyrian Expedition
Excavated by The Oriental Institute 1928-1929

Multimedia

The Ancient City of Khorsabad
Dr. Gil Stein, Director of the Oriental Institute, discusses the importance of the ancient capital city of Khorsabad in this video.

How Do We Care for Ancient Artifacts?
How do artifacts survive over time? Oriental Institute Museum conservator Laura D'Alessandro tells us how they are cared for in this video.

What is Conservation?
Ever wonder what a conservator does? Oriental Institute Museum conservator Laura Laura D'Alessandro tells you all about her job in this video.

Suggested Readings

Parpola, Simo. Letters from Assyria and the West: The Correspondence of Sargon II, Part I. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press, 1987.

Reade, Julian. Assyrian Sculpture. London: The British Museum, 1983.

Roaf, Michael. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. New York: Facts on File, 1990.

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