Image Gallery
Assyrian Wall Relief Depicting Musical Instruments
Alabaster bas relief depicting marching shield bearers accompanied by a group of musicians who carry different musical instruments, from Nineveh, northern Mesopotamia, Iraq, Neo-Assyrian Empire, reign of king Sennacherib, 705-681 BCE.
The Pergamon Museum, Berlin.
The male musicians are carrying rectangular drums with a string; this instrument can still be found in modern Iraq and northern Africa and is seen here for the very first time. The same applies to the cymbals, which are made of two sound boxes and handles; the second woman on the right holds a cymbal. At the end of the procession walks a richly decorated woman who holds a round drum.
The arrangement and cut of these wall reliefs suggest that the whole representation and scene was placed on the side walls of a descending ramp that leads from the Royal Palace to the Ishtar Temple. Therefore, the Assyrian king was able to go directly from his palace to the temple during cult ceremonies.
Questions & Answers
What is the oldest wall in the world?
- The oldest walls in the world are those of the temple of Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, dated to around 11,500 years ago.
What was the first walled city?
- The first walled city identified to date is Jericho, whose walls date to the 10th century BCE.
Which civilization was the first to use stone in building walls?
- Ancient Egypt was the first to use stone in building walls, though it is possible the Indus Valley Civilization was working in stone earlier.
What is the most famous wall in the world?
- The Great Wall of China is the most famous wall in the world.
