Assyrian Palace Sculptures

Amazon.com Price: $45.00 (as of 03/05/2019 04:24 PST- Details)

Description

Between the ninth and seventh centuries BC, the small kingdom of Assyria in northern Iraq expanded to dominate the region from Egypt to Iran. The power of the Assyrian kings used to be reflected in a series of magnificent palaces during which the walls of principal rooms and courtyards were lined with huge panels of alabaster carved with images of the monarch as priest, victorious warrior, and hunter. These sculptures constitute one of the crucial most impressive witnesses of the ancient Middle East, and this book serves as a superb visual introduction to what are without a doubt one of the crucial greatest carvings from the ancient world.

The book showcases a series of specially taken photographs of the British Museum’s unrivaled choice of Assyrian sculptures. The images capture the majesty of the Assyrian king, in addition to his magnificent court and its protecting divinities. An introduction sets the sculptures in their cultural and art historical context. A brief history of Assyria and the royal palaces is followed by an overview of the subject material and meaning of the sculptures at the side of a discussion in their relationship with the artistic traditions of ancient Iraq and the wider region. There could also be an exploration of the sculptures as the earliest examples of complex narrative art that developed from summary or symbolic scenes of royal achievements into images with multilayered meanings that occupied entire rooms and captured the raw emotion and energy of animals and humans with remarkable vitality.

Home » Shop » Books » Subjects » Arts and Photography » History and Criticism » History » Ancient Civilizations » Assyria, Babylonia and Sumer » Assyrian Palace Sculptures

Recent Products