The Mythology of Kingship in Neo-Assyrian Art

The relief slabs that decorated the palaces of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, which emphasized military conquest and royal prowess, have traditionally been understood as statements of imperial propaganda that glorified the Assyrian king. In this book, Mehmet-Ali Ata? argues that the reliefs hold a deeper meaning that was addressed primarily to an internal audience composed of court scholars and master craftsmen. Ata? focuses on representations of animals, depictions of the king as priest and warrior, and figures of mythological beings that evoke an archaic cosmos. He demonstrates that these images mask a complex philosophical rhetoric developed by court scholars in collaboration with master craftsmen who were responsible for their design and execution. Ata? argues that the layers of meaning embedded in the Neo-Assyrian palace reliefs go deeper than politics, imperial propaganda, and straightforward historical record. pt. 1. Human and animal ontology in Assyrian art Ashurnasirpal II The anatomy of death Libation and prostration River-crossing : human bodies, inflated animal skins The animal as tribute The liminality of the tributary Congenial contact with animals Tiglath-Pileser III The anatomy of battle Liminality and animal skins On camelback Of cattle and men Proximity, overlap, and analogy in the art of Tiglath-Pileser III Sargon II Hunt or sacrifice? Horse leg or human leg? Animals and gender Sennacherib Body and booty The massacres of Lachish The carnivore and the herbivore Ashurbanipal The hounds of Ashurbanipal Animal, vegetable, mineral pt. 2. Kingship and priesthood in the art of Ashurnasirpal II The king, non-king "La salle dite G" The mixta persona The king and the "sacred tree" The encounter The semantics of sages and Mischwesen in Assyrian art and thought Before the flood Fertilization and purification King the man, the King-Man "Tiamat's brood" The ancient Mesopotamian flood traditions Lord of the netherworld. "The relief slabs that decorated the palaces of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, which emphasized military conquest and royal prowess, have traditionally been understood as statements of imperial propaganda that glorified the Assyrian king. In this book, Mehmet-Ali Atac argues that the reliefs hold a deeper meaning that was addressed primarily to an internal audience composed of court scholars and master craftsmen. Atac focuses on representations of animals, depictions of the king as priest and warrior, and figures of mythological beings that evoke an archaic cosmos. He demonstrates that these images mask a complex philosophical rhetoric developed by court scholars in collaboration with master craftsmen who were responsible for their design and execution. Atac argues that the layers of meaning embedded in the Nee-Assyrian palace reliefs go deeper than politics, imperial propaganda, and straightforward historical record." --Book Jacket

The relief slabs that decorated the palaces of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, which emphasized military conquest and royal prowess, have traditionally been understood as statements of imperial propaganda that glorified the Assyrian king. In this book, Mehmet-Ali Atac argues that the reliefs hold a deeper meaning that was addressed primarily to an internal audience composed of court scholars and master craftsmen. Atac focuses on representations of animals, depictions of the king as priest and warrior, and figures of mythological beings that evoke an archaic cosmos. He demonstrates that these images mask a complex philosophical rhetoric developed by court scholars in collaboration with master craftsmen who were responsible for their design and execution. Atac argues that the layers of meaning embedded in the Nee-Assyrian palace reliefs go deeper than politics, imperial propaganda, and straightforward historical record.