ClipArt ETC
A painting titled Lion-hunt from the North-west Palace at Nimrud.

Lion Hunt

A painting titled Lion-hunt from the North-west Palace at Nimrud.

"Winged Eagle-headed figure from Nimrud." —D'Anvers, 1895

Figure from Nimrud

"Winged Eagle-headed figure from Nimrud." —D'Anvers, 1895

One peculiarity is visible in all Assyrian buildings, namely, that all the chambers are very narrow in proportion to their length. It may, however, be accepted as established that the chambers were in general lighted by windows, which were inserted in the walls either high up or immediately under the roof, and that only large halls received their light from above through openings in the roof.

Floor Plan of the Palace at Nimrud

One peculiarity is visible in all Assyrian buildings, namely, that all the chambers are very narrow…

The Sumerian word lama, which is rendered in Akkadian as lamassu, refers to a beneficient protective female deity. The corresponding male deity was called alad, in Akkadian, šêdu. In art they were depicted as hybrids, as winged bulls or lions with the head of a human male (Centauroid). There are still surviving figures of šêdu in bas-relief and some statues in museums. Notable examples of šêdu/lamassu held by museums include those at the British Museum, Musée du Louvre, National Museum of Iraq, Metropolitan Museum of Art and one extremely large example kept at the Oriental Institute, Chicago. They are generally attributed to the ancient Assyrians.

Winged Bull from Nimrud

The Sumerian word lama, which is rendered in Akkadian as lamassu, refers to a beneficient protective…