Dying Lion, 635 B.C., Alabaster, Iraq

Lion hunt reliefs are pivotal among Ancient Mesopotamian art works. The lion symbolizes the awesome and raw power of nature. Illustrating the lion hunt immortalizing how humanity conquers the freedom of nature and makes it subscribe to human wants and desires. Particularly, during the reign of King Ashubanipal, of the North Palace of Nineveh, this was true.






Dying Lion was carved with precise detail. The understanding of form, dimension, proportion and texture lead to an example of impressive craftmanship and rendering of the lion.






Dying Lion may be sympathetic to contemporary audiences due to its graphic depiction, but in Ancient Mesopotaomia the piece did not tug at the viewer's empathy but at the patron's pride. The piece symbolized the virte and honor of the king, and in 635 B.C. members of the North Palace were ecstatic about how their king, their nation, their culture had triumphed over the lion and all of nature.