Neo-Assyrian wall panel
- Gallery: Room 7
- Culture: Neo-Assyrian
- Date: 865BC-860BC
- Object type: wall panel, relief
- Materials: gypsum
- Museum number: 124549
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
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About this object
Before you is a Neo-Assyrian wall panel relief dating back to around 860 BCE. This intricately carved gypsum panel comes from the North West Palace and illustrates a moment of triumph. At the center stands the king, Ashurnasirpal II, in a powerful pose, raising arrows to symbolize victory. He is accompanied by the Assyrian god Ashur, represented within a winged disc above him.
To the king’s side, a high official approaches, followed closely by a line of prisoners, a common motif in Assyrian art to display the ruler’s dominance. Below them lies a chariot, emphasizing the king’s military prowess.
Inscription in cuneiform runs along the panel’s base, adding historical depth to the scene. The relief is part of a larger series excavated by Layard in 1846 and later brought to England aboard the HMS Meeanee in 1849.
See it in person
Neo-Assyrian wall panel is on display in Room 7 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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