The palace decoration of Ashurbanipal

Summary

The script explores Ashurbanipal's reign as the Assyrian king in the 7th century BCE, highlighting his palaces in Nineveh as symbols of his power. The city's vastness and the palace's intricate decorations, including reliefs of lion hunts and military victories, showcased the king's might and divine representation. The script also delves into the palace's protective supernatural figures and the king's gardens, symbolizing abundance and control over chaos, emphasizing Ashurbanipal's role as a god's representative and empire's protector.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ Ashurbanipal's palaces in Nineveh were a symbol of his kingship, representing the vastness and power of the Assyrian Empire.
• 👑 Ashurbanipal ruled the empire in the 7th century BC from his capital, Nineveh, which was one of the largest cities in the world at the time.
• 🛕 The transformation of Nineveh into a metropolis began with Ashurbanipal's grandfather, Sennacherib, who built massive walls and the 'palace without rival'.
• 🕌 Ashurbanipal spent much of his life in the southwest palace before rebuilding another, known as the north palace or Ashurbanipal's palace.
• 🎨 Reliefs in the north palace depict what is believed to be Nineveh, showcasing the city's defenses and palace architecture.
• 🦁 Lion hunts depicted in the palace reliefs symbolized the king's role as a protector and representative of the gods, fighting against chaos.
• 🏰 Military campaigns were also a key theme in the reliefs, emphasizing the Assyrian army's superiority and the king's might.
• 🗡️ The Battle of Til Tuba, a significant Assyrian victory, is highlighted in the reliefs by another speaker, Gareth Brereton.
• 👼 Reliefs featuring gods and genies, such as lahmu, ugallu, and house gods, were placed for protection, reflecting the king's divine support and the palace's sanctity.
• 🌳 Assyrian kings cultivated gardens with rare plants and animals, symbolizing abundance and the king's ability to create paradise on earth.
• 🎶 The gardens were also depicted in idealized scenes with musicians and peacefully resting lions, showcasing the king's control over nature and his realm.

Q & A

Who is the curator of the BP exhibition on Ashurbanipal?

Carine Harmand is the project curator for the BP exhibition on Ashurbanipal.

In what century did Ashurbanipal rule the Assyrian Empire?

Ashurbanipal ruled the Assyrian Empire in the seventh century before Christ.

What was the significance of Nineveh during Ashurbanipal's reign?

Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire and was likely the largest city in the world at that time, symbolizing the vastness and power of the empire and its king.

Who transformed Nineveh into a vast metropolis and what was his contribution to the city?

Ashurbanipal's grandfather, Sennacherib, transformed Nineveh into a vast metropolis by building two massive walls around the city and constructing his royal residence, known as the southwest palace.

What is the significance of the southwest palace in Ashurbanipal's life?

Ashurbanipal spent most of his life in the southwest palace before rebuilding another palace, known as the north palace or Ashurbanipal's palace.

What is depicted in the relief from Ashurbanipal's north palace?

The relief from Ashurbanipal's north palace depicts a city, believed to be an Assyrian city, possibly Nineveh, with a moat, three successive walls, and a palace featuring lion-shaped column bases and sculptures of lamassus.

What do the stone reliefs in the palaces represent?

The stone reliefs in the palaces represent the strength of the king and are themed around lion hunts, military campaigns, and protective supernatural figures, showcasing the king's might and power.

Why were lion hunts depicted in the palace reliefs?

Lion hunts were depicted to show the king as a protector of his people and a representative of the gods, as the lion was seen as the embodiment of chaos and a threat to the divine order.

What is the significance of the lahmu, ugallu, and the god depicted in the reliefs?

The lahmu, or 'the hairy one,' is depicted as a tranquil guardian of the good within the palace. The ugallu, or 'Great Lion,' is shown as an aggressive protector, while the god, identifiable by his tiara with three pairs of horns, is also in an aggressive stance, symbolizing divine protection.

How did the Assyrian kings use gardens alongside their palaces?

Assyrian kings used gardens to collect rare plants and animals from across the empire, creating a miniature representation of the empire and symbolizing the king's ability to bring abundance and create paradise on earth.

What does the depiction of musicians and animals in the garden scenes of Ashurbanipal's palace signify?

The depiction of musicians and animals in the garden scenes signifies the king's ability to subdue his opponents, represent the gods, protect his people, tame chaos, and create a harmonious and abundant environment.

Outlines

00:00

🏰 Ashurbanipal's Palaces: Symbols of Imperial Power

Carine Harmand, the project curator, introduces the exhibition on Ashurbanipal, the king of Assyria, and his representation of kingship through his palaces in Nineveh. Ashurbanipal, who ruled in the 7th century BCE, had his capital in the expansive city of Nineveh, which was one of the world's largest cities at the time. The city and its palaces symbolized the vastness of the empire and the king's power. The transformation of Nineveh into a metropolis began with Ashurbanipal's grandfather, Sennacherib, who built massive walls and the 'palace without rival.' Ashurbanipal spent much of his life in this southwest palace before constructing another, known as the north palace. The palaces were adorned with reliefs depicting the king's strength, including lion hunts symbolizing the king as a protector and representative of the gods, military campaigns showcasing Assyrian victories, and protective supernatural figures like lamassus and genies guarding the palace and the king. The reliefs' locations were carefully chosen for optimal protection. Additionally, Assyrian kings cultivated gardens with rare flora and fauna, symbolizing abundance and paradise on earth, further emphasizing the king's ability to bring prosperity to his empire.

05:01

🦁 The King's Mastery Over Nature and Chaos

This paragraph delves into Ashurbanipal's ability to embody the dual roles of a king—protector of his people and tamer of chaos. It highlights how the king was portrayed as a powerful figure capable of killing lions, symbolizing the defeat of chaos, and also able to domesticate them within his gardens, showcasing his control over nature. The gardens, filled with a variety of animals and plants collected from across the empire, served as a microcosm of the empire itself, reflecting the king's ability to bring abundance and maintain order. The peaceful coexistence of predators and musicians in these gardens, as depicted in the reliefs, further emphasizes the king's absolute authority and divine protection.

Keywords

💡Ashurbanipal

Ashurbanipal was the last great king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, ruling in the 7th century BCE. He is a central figure in the video's narrative, as his reign and the construction of his palaces in Nineveh are discussed extensively. The term 'Ashurbanipal' is used to represent the embodiment of kingship and the might of the Assyrian Empire, with his palaces serving as a physical manifestation of his power and authority.

💡Nineveh

Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire and the location of Ashurbanipal's palaces. It is described as the largest city in the world at the time, symbolizing the vastness of the empire. The city's transformation by Sennacherib and the subsequent construction of palaces by Ashurbanipal are key elements in illustrating the grandeur and dominance of the Assyrian kingship.

💡Sennacherib

Sennacherib was the grandfather of Ashurbanipal and the one who transformed Nineveh into a metropolis. His contributions to the city's infrastructure, including the construction of massive walls and his 'palace without rival,' are highlighted in the script as foundational to the grandeur of Nineveh and the display of royal power.

💡Palace without rival

The 'palace without rival' is another name for the southwest palace, built by Sennacherib and later inhabited by Ashurbanipal. This palace is a symbol of the unrivaled power and majesty of the Assyrian kings, showcasing the architectural and artistic achievements of the empire.

💡Lion hunts

Lion hunts depicted in the palace reliefs are a recurring theme in the script, symbolizing the king's strength and his role as a protector of his people. The act of killing a lion, which represents chaos, demonstrates the king's ability to maintain order and uphold the divine will.

💡Military campaigns

The script mentions military campaigns as a significant theme in the palace reliefs, always showing Assyrian victories. These depictions serve to emphasize the superiority and ferocity of the Assyrian army, reinforcing the king's role as a victorious military leader.

💡Lamassus

Lamassus are depicted as human-headed, winged bulls in the script, symbolizing protection and power. They are part of the palace's decorative elements, showcasing the artistic and cultural richness of the Assyrian civilization and their belief in divine and supernatural protection.

💡Genies

Genies, as described in the script, are supernatural protective figures in Assyrian mythology, positioned in the palace reliefs to guard the king and the palace. They are depicted as aggressive and protective, ensuring the safety and sanctity of the royal domain.

💡Lahmu

The Lahmu, referred to as 'the hairy one' in the script, is a genie figure with a tranquil demeanor, tasked with keeping good within the palace. It represents the protective aspect of the supernatural beings in Assyrian art and mythology.

💡Ugallu

The Ugallu, or 'Great Lion,' is another genie figure mentioned in the script, depicted as aggressive and protective. It is positioned to ward off any bad influences or malevolent intentions from entering the palace, reinforcing the theme of protection and security in royal spaces.

💡Gardens

Gardens alongside the palaces are mentioned as a way for the Assyrian kings to showcase abundance and control over nature. They collected rare plants and animals, creating a paradise-like setting that symbolized the king's ability to bring prosperity and order to his realm.

Highlights

Ashurbanipal's palaces in Nineveh represented kingship and the vastness of the Assyrian Empire.

Nineveh was likely the largest city in the world during Ashurbanipal's reign in the 7th century BC.

Ashurbanipal's grandfather Sennacherib transformed Nineveh into a metropolis with massive walls and the 'palace without rival'.

Ashurbanipal spent most of his life in the southwest palace before rebuilding the north palace.

Reliefs from Ashurbanipal's north palace depict a city, possibly Nineveh, with moats, walls, palaces, and lamassus.

Palaces displayed the might and power of the king through architectural features like lion-shaped column bases and lamassus sculptures.

Palace reliefs depicted three main themes: lion hunts, military campaigns, and gods and genies protecting the king.

Lion hunts symbolized the king as a protector of people and representative of gods, fighting chaos.

Military campaign reliefs showed Assyrian victories, highlighting the army's superiority and ferocity.

Gareth Brereton will discuss impressive reliefs depicting the Battle of Til Tuba and the Assyrian victory over the Elamites.

Reliefs featured gods and genies like lahmu, ugallu, and house gods, providing protection to the palace and king.

Lahmu represented 'the hairy one', guarding the palace's good, while ugallu and house gods kept bad influences out.

The placement of protective reliefs was carefully studied to ensure optimal protection for each palace.

Assyrian kings planted gardens with rare plants and animals, symbolizing abundance and a paradise on earth.

Garden scenes in Ashurbanipal's palace depicted peaceful coexistence of animals and humans, showcasing the king's ability to bring prosperity.

The palace reliefs demonstrated Ashurbanipal's indisputable power, divine representation, protection of people, and ability to tame chaos.

Transcripts

Hello I'm Carine Harmand I'm the project curator for the BP exhibition

I am Ashurbanipal: king of the world, king of Assyria.

Today we're going to talk about how Ashurbanipal's palaces in Nineveh

were a real representation of kingship.

So Ashurbanipal ruled the Assyrian Empire in the seventh century before Christ

from his capital city of Nineveh.

This city was probably the biggest city in the world at this time

and the city and the palaces in it represent the vastness of the Assyrian Empire

and the power of the king.

It all starts with Ashurbanipal's grandfather Sennacherib

who transformed the city of Nineveh into a vast metropolis.

He built two massive walls around the city

and he built his royal residence that he called

"the palace without rival"

which we now know as the southwest palace

because it's in the southwestern part of the royal citadel.

Ashurbanipal spends most of his life in the southwest palace

before rebuilding another palace which we know as the north palace

so we can call that palace Ashurbanipal's palace.

In a relief from the north palace of Ashurbanipal we see a depiction of a city

which is believed to be an Assyrian city

and is perhaps Nineveh.

So we see first a moat

and then three successive walls

and at the back so at the top of the relief

we see a palace with lion shaped column bases and sculptures of lamassus

lamassus are human-headed, winged bulls.

So these palaces were real display of kingship.

They were there to show the mightiness and the power of the king.

And the most important rooms in the palace were decorated with stone reliefs.

These reliefs depict the strength of the king through three main topics.

We first have lion hunts.

Lion hunt show the king as a protector of his people

and a representative of the gods because he is killing the lion.

Lion was the embodiment of chaos

was the embodiment of anything that could disturb the order that the gods had created.

The other topic that we see represented on the reliefs are military campaigns

always Assyrian victories.

They depict the superiority and ferocity of the Assyrian army.

In another video, my colleague Gareth Brereton will be talking about one of the most

impressive set of reliefs from the times of Ashurbanipal

which depicts the Battle of Til Tuba

the defeat of the Elamites by the Assyrian army.

So as a representative of the gods the king ought to be protected by them

and what we find in these reliefs are also gods and genies

who are there to protect the palace and to protect the king

So genies are just protective supernatural figures in general.

They're below the divine level of a god

but they're still a super natural protective figure.

So among those, two reliefs that were placed on both sides of a door represent two genies and one god.

So here what we see first is a lahmu: 'the hairy one'

He has big locks of hair and he's in a very tranquil position

he's guarding everything that is good inside the palace.

Then in the middle we see an ugallu.

This is a 'Great Lion'.

He's holding a dagger going towards the person who is entering the palace

and in front of him we have a god

because he's wearing this tiara with three pairs of horns

and this shows his divinity.

And he's there in the same aggressive position as the ugallu.

The lahmu - 'the hairy one' - he's there to keep all the good things in the palace

whereas the two other ones

the ugallu and the house god are there to keep everything bad

or any bad influences or malevolent intentions outside of the palace.

The location of these reliefs was very carefully studied

and it was decided by experts in the palace

so the best protection could be provided

and each palace had its own scheme of protective figures

and where they were placed.

We also know through the reliefs that

Assyrian kings planted gardens alongside their palaces.

They collected rare plants and animals as well from across the empire

kind of in a way to reproduce the empire at a smaller scale near their palace.

So in the gardens you would find gazelles, deers

you would find lions as well.

And the representations of these gardens always give an idea of paradise on earth

and it was showing that the king was

able to bring abundance to his palace.

We can see some ideally garden scenes in Ashurbanipal palace

a scene of a lion and a lioness calmly and peacefully resting in a garden

but we also have a relief that shows two musicians in a garden

and a lion who is just walking past them.

So seeing all of these reliefs in the palaces really showed that the king was absolutely indisputable

he could subdue all or any of his opponents

and he was a direct representative of the gods

he was protected by them

but he was also able to bring abundance to his realm

he was able to protect his people

and he was able to tame the chaos

he was able to kill the lions

he was even able to just domesticize them in his gardens.