2. Gallery Index
  3. 2019 Europe Museums
  4. Germany
  5. Museum Island, Berlin
  6. Pergamon Museum

Cult relief from Ashur, limestone

Germany, Museum Island, Berlin, Pergamon Museum

Cult relief from Ashur
Limestone
Ashur (Iraq), 1st half 2nd millennium BCE Division of finds 1914, VA Ass 1358

When the city of Ashur was conquered in 614 BCE, its temples were plundered. Everything which the enemy soldiers could not take with them or was of no value, they destroyed. This was very probably the fate of this relief, which had been in the Ashur Temple for over 1000 years. The fragments were thrown into the well of the main courtyard by the victorious troops, where they were rediscovered in 1910 by Walter Andrae.

The relief depicts a bearded god, who is feeding two goats. He is accompanied by two smaller water goddesses. Both the headdress and the garment of the deity are decorated with a "mountain scale" pattern. It is difficult to interpret the relief; the deity may be a personification of the Mountains of Ebikh, on whose foothills the city of Ashur lies, or another unidentified mountain deity. The fact that the relief was found in the temple of Ashur, however, suggests that the figure may represent the highest Assyrian god, Ashur himself.

Supplementary images:

Cult relief from Ashur, Limestone, Ashur (Iraq), 1st half 2nd millennium BC, located at the Pergamon museum
Taken on  Wednesday 07th of August 2019
Device: Google
Model: Pixel 3 XL
Source:  Berlin, Germany
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