Relief with Assyrian Archers

Relief with Assyrian Archers

These three stones, known as orthostats, may have lined the entrance to the acropolis at Tell Tayinat, a city in the Amuq Valley of southernmost Turkey that was made a provincial capital of the Assyrian Empire in 738 BC. They were reused to pave a street, perhaps around 650 BC. Together, the three stones depict four Assyrian archers who carry the severed heads of their enemies, whose bodies can be seen littering the ground below. The relief was carved in a local style, probably by artisans who were forced to depict the Assyrian victory over their own people.

Collected by

Syrian Expedition
Excavated by The Oriental Institute 1936

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