Assyrian Wall Relief Depicting Musical Instruments

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Illustration

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
by
published on 31 August 2014
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Assyrian Wall Relief Depicting Musical Instruments Download Full Size Image

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.

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About the Author

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
Associate Professor of Neurology and lover of the Cradle of Civilization, Mesopotamia. I'm very interested in Mesopotamian history and always try to take photos of archaeological sites and artifacts in museums, both in Iraq and around the world.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Amin, O. S. M. (2014, August 31). Assyrian Wall Relief Depicting Musical Instruments. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/2996/assyrian-wall-relief-depicting-musical-instruments/

Chicago Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Assyrian Wall Relief Depicting Musical Instruments." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified August 31, 2014. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/2996/assyrian-wall-relief-depicting-musical-instruments/.

MLA Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Assyrian Wall Relief Depicting Musical Instruments." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 31 Aug 2014. Web. 21 Dec 2024.

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