Reliefs of a Hunt, Banquet, and Temple

721 BC - 705 BC
Stone
Khorsabad
280 cm (restored), 280 cm (restored) x 260 cm, 240 cm x 25 cm, 25 cm
A11255

Oriental Institute Museum

Artifact Description

Reliefs of a Hunt, Banquet, and Temple

These two stone reliefs once lined the walls of King Sargon II's palace at Dur Sharrukin (modern-day Khorsabad). The first relief depicts two figures standing near a temple, positioned at the foot of a wooded mountain and a stream. The roof of the temple is supported by columns with Ionic-style capitals. The upper register of the second relief shows part of a banqueting scene. The lower register depicts the king riding through the forest on his chariot, most likely in the process of hunting a wild animal.

Collected by

Henri Frankfort, Field Director of the Iraq Expedition
Excavated by The Oriental Institute 1930

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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