Window into the Bible
Assyrian Images of Warfare
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Archers and Shield Bearer
Date: ca 728 BC. Place: Central Palace of Tiglath Pileser III, Nimrud, Assyria.
Photographed at the British Museum, London, England.
Tiglath Pilesar II or Pul makes an appearance in 2 Kings 15 & 16, 1 Chronicles 5 and 2 Chronicles 28. He was responsible for invading Israel during the reign of King Pekah. he also helped rescue King Ahaz of Judah from the armies of Aram.
Shieldbearers also feature in the Bible. The most familiar was the shieldbearer of Goliath who accompanied him on his battle with David (1 Samuel 17: 41). |
Assyrian Battering Ram & Siege Ramp
Date: ca 728 BC.
Place: Central Palace of Tiglath Pileser III, Nimrud, Assyria [Iraq]
Photographed at the British Museum, London, England.
Tiglath Pilesar II or Pul makes an appearance in 2 Kings 15 & 16, 1 Chronicles 5 and 2 Chronicles 28. He was responsible for invading Israel during the reign of King Pekah. He also helped rescue King Ahaz of Judah from the armies of Aram.
City Under Siege by Assyrians
Date: ca 728 BC.
Place: Central Palace of Tiglath Pileser III, Nimrud, Assyria [Iraq].
Photographed at the British Museum, London, England.
See previous image for information about Tiglath Pileser III.
This photograph shows the attack of a city, possibly in ancient Syria.
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Assyrian Horsemen - From Scene of Royal Hunt
Date: 721 – 705 BC Place: Palace of Sargon II, Khorsabad, Assyria [Iraq]
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Photographed at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
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Carved in alabaster. |
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Assyrian King in his Chariot - From Scene of Royal Hunt
Date: 721 – 705 BC Place: Palace of Sargon II, Khorsabad, Assyria [Iraq]
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Photographed at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
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Carved in alabaster |
Sargon II is only mentioned once in the Bible in Isaiah 20:1.
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Alabaster Relief Showing Naked Men Pulling a Boat
Date: 721 – 705 BC Place: Palace of Sargon II, Khorsabad
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Photographed at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
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Sargon’s artists were the first to use swirls to show the water. The boat appears to be loaded with logs, possibly being used to build his palace.
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Porters Carrying a Chariot
Date: 721 – 705 BC. Place: Palace of Sargon II, Khorsabad, Assyria [Iraq]
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Photographed at the Louvre Museum, Paris, France.
Assyrian Slingers
Date: ca. 700 - 692 BC.
Place: Southwest Palace of King Sennacherib, Nineveh, Assyria [Iraq].
Photographed at the British Museum, London, England
Sennacherib features prominantly in the Bible. See the section on the 'Siege of Lachish' and 'Hezekiah and Jerusalem' for further images and details.
Archers and Armourbearer
Date: ca. 700 - 692 BC.
Place: Southwest Palace of king Sennacherib Room XIV, Nineveh, Assyria [Iraq].
Photographed at the British Museum, London, England
The scene on this relief is part of a scene showing the attack on a town called ...alammu. Sennacherib features prominantly in the Bible. See the section on the 'Siege of Lachish' and 'Hezekiah and Jerusalem' for further images and details.
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Carrying Heads of Defeated Enemies
Date: ca. 700 - 692 BC.
Place: Southwest Palace of king Sennacherib, Nineveh, Assyria [Iraq].
Photographed at the British Museum, London, England
Sennacherib features prominantly in the Bible. See the section on the 'Siege of Lachish' and 'Hezekiah and Jerusalem' for further images and details.
Victory Stele of Esarhaddon
Date: 681-669 BC.
Place: Assyria.
Photographed at the Pergamum Museum, Berlin, Germany.
Shows Esarhaddon with two vassal kings (one the king of Egypt) with hooks in their nose/mouth and attached to ropes. Essarhadon was the son of Sennacherib and is mentioned in 2 Kings 19:37, Ezra 4:2 and Isaiah 37:38. The practice of defeated kings being lead away with a hook in their nose is also found in the Bible eg. 2 Chronicles 33:11.
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Assyrian Bronze Gate Post Reliefs
Date: 656 – 624 BC.
Place: Balawat, Assyria [Iraq]
Gates of Shalmaneser III
Photographed at the British Museum, London, England.
Stringing the Bows
Date: 645 - 635 BC.
Place: North Palace of King Ashurbanipal, Room c, Nineveh, Assyria [Iraq].
This photograph was take at the British Museum, London, England.
The Assyrian king Ashurbanipal is mentioned in the Bible in Ezra 4:10. He was responsible for the deporting and resettling of people in the region of Samaria.
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Preparing the King's Bows and Arrows
Date: 645 - 635 BC.
Place: North Palace of King Ashurbanipal, Room c, Nineveh, Assyria.
This photograph was take at the British Museum, London, England.
Assyrian Boats on Campaign
Date: 640 – 620 BC.
Place: Court XIX, Southwest Palace, Nineveh [Iraq]
Photographed at the British Museum, London, England.
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Copper Gate Relief
Date: 1st century BC.
Place: Assyria [Iraq]
Photographed at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum, Istanbul, Turkey.