Lamassu
Stone
Khorsabad
495.3 cm x 491.4 cm x 102.5 cm
A7369
Oriental Institute Museum
Lamassu
This colossal sculpture (weighing approximately 40 tons) was one of a pair that guarded the entrance to the throne room of King Sargon II's palace at Dur-Sharrukin (modern-day Khorsabad). A protective spirit known as a lamassu, it is shown as a composite being with the head of a human, the body and ears of a bull, and the wings of a bird. When viewed from the side, the creature appears to be walking; when viewed from the front, to be standing still. Thus it is actually represented with five, rather than four, legs.
Collected by
Assyrian Expedition
Excavated by The Oriental Institute 1928-1929
Multimedia
The Lamassu
Learn more about the human-headed winged bull sculpture that weighs forty tons!
The Discovery of the Lamassu
Dr. Gil Stein, Director of the Oriental Institute, talks about how archaeologists discovered the lamassu in this video.
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.
Web Links
Highlights from the collection of the Oriental Institute Museum; Lamassu
Images from the photographic archives of the Oriental Institute Museum; Lamassu
Suggested Readings
Black, Jeremy and Anthony Green. Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1992.
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.