Ancient Assyrian Hunters and Kings
During the 9th century BC, the region from the border of Egypt to the Persian Gulf was controlled by the Assyrians. A primary belief of the Assyrian society is that they were duty bound to their gods to advance their religion through conquest. The first society to make use of iron weapons, they were brilliant military strategists who also mastered the art of chariot battle.
Their Army was imposing, and many regions simply surrendered to the Assyrians without resistance. Those that did not faced a well-condition military force whose rolling seige towers and battering rams made short work of their opponents.
The Assyrian art on display in museums today suggests that hunting had an important symbolic meaning to the culture. This was certainly true of Assyria where many of the works of Assyrian art depict the Royal Hunt. The acient Assyrians placed great importance on the Royal Hunt as a means of demonstrating the kings rule over brute nature and his courage. The king added to his own leged and reputation as a warrior by participating in the Royal Hunt. There is certainly exageration in the depiction of these activities, but the reliefs suggest that the kings were generally worthy rulers.
Ancient Assyrian art also offered a glimpse into the cermenonial aspect of the Royal Hunt. In many of the reliefs discovered by archaeologists, the king is shown offering up animals as a sacrifice to the sun God Nergal. Known as the god of war, this Mesopotamian deity also ruled the underworld.
Of all the animals hunted by the king and his royal party, the lion presented the greatest challenge and prestige. Armed with a spear and bow and riding in a chariot, the king would chase the lion and bring him down. Once the lion was injured the king would dismount his chariot and finish off the lion with his sword. One must consider the fact that ancient art depicting royalty was meant to please the king, so its not clear just how active a role the king may have played in the hunt.
On display at the British Museum is a relief of Assyrian king Ashurbanipal, who is shown riding a horse with a bow and arrow raised and ready to fire. He is hunt targets the wild donkey where were considered a scourge at the time. The practice of hunting wild asses and thinning the herds was considered a noble, worthwhile pursuit. Ashurbanipal was the last of the great Assyrian kings. While he ruled a time of cultural and military dominance, the empire fell into oblivion only a few decades after his death.
Many Assyrian wall reliefs have led scholars to believe that hunting lions was so popular that the local lion population was decimated. Lions were transported from other regions to provide an entertaining and challenging hunt. This is evident from a number of Assyrian wall reliefs that show lions being released from cages.