Relief - Pleasure Garden

The Assyrian kings liked to plant gardens that evoked a paradise on Earth. They filled their gardens, orchards and game parks with plants and animals collected from across the empire. In creating this artificial paradises, the Assyrian kings demonstrated their ability to bring abundance and harmony to the world. Some of the walls of Ashurbapinal's North Palace at Nineveh were decorated with images of idyllic garden settings. On this panel, a lion walks peacefully alongside who musicians. One musician wearing a feathered headdress plays a lyre, while the other plays a harp. They stand in front of a tree covered with grape vines. Behind the lion is a date palm bearing fruit. Scanned at the 'I Am Ashurbapinal' Exhibition at The British Museum, 2019.