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Assyrian Palace Reliefs in the British Museum

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... 13 Aker a.g.e.: 229-263. 14 Barnett 1970. 15 Tarapowela 1980Tori 1999: 6-19;Wiesehöfer 2002: 148-151;Karaketir 2016: 36-48. ...
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zet Sumerliler'den Roma'ya Antikçağ'ın tüm gelişmiş kültürlerinde en önemli propaganda aracı heykeltraşlık olmuştur. Devletler, diğer devletler ve küçük topluluklar üzerinde hâkimiyet kurmak için bu propaganda aracını sıklıkla kullanmışlardır. Bu propaganda aracının kullanım yerleri çoğunlukla saray duvarları, steller, kaya kabartmaları, tapınaklar ve zafer anıtlarıdır. Amaç, bu yapılar üzerindeki ideolojik sahneleri gören halkı ve yabancıları etkilemektir. Böylece devletin ve kralın gücü asla unutulmayacak ve korku dolu mesajlarla düzen korunacaktır. Sahneler üzerindeki önemli diğer bir mesaj ise tam olarak kralların kişilikleri ile bağlantılıdır. Bu mesajlarda kralın dindar, cesur, adaletli ve gerektiğinde acımasız olan kişiliği vurgulanır. Zafer sahnelerinde kralların ilahiliği, adaleti ve acımasızlığı görüntülenir. Sunu ve kabul sahnelerinde, mağrur ve mülayim kralın gücü ön plandadır. Av sahnelerinde ise kral cesaretiyle öne çıkar. Mezopotamya kökenli bu heykel propaganda ilişkisi özellikle Asur kralları tarafından saraylarında çok etkileyici bir biçimde sergilenmiştir. Mezopotamyalılardan sonra bu gelenek Persler, Hellenler ve Romalılar tarafından devam ettirilmiştir. Heykeltraşlığı politik bir propaganda aracı olarak kullanmanın özellikle Romalılar tarafından Asur'daki gibi başarıyla uygulandığını söylemek
... 22 Reade 1979, 329-43;Bachelot 1991, 109-28;Ataç 2006, 69-101. Algumas publicações sobre os relevos assírios: Barnett 1970;Reade 1998e Collins 2008 British Museum, ME 124801a-c figs. 2-4. ...
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Among the most celebrated archaeological discoveries and the most debated expressions of Assyrian art is the bas-relief that stood behind the throne in Assurnasirpal II’s Northwest Palace in Nimrud. Most attempts to interpret the panel have focused on specific elements of its iconography, particularly the tree and the figure in the winged disk above it. Many scholars have sought to decipher the image by comparing it with series of panels from elsewhere in the palace. Some studies have also explored the relief’s relationship to its inscription. Despite the extensive literature on the artifact, its meaning has remained elusive. This study approaches the conundrum from a different angle. It considers the relief’s text-image iconicity through the lens of Assurnasirpal’s theology, since both express theological conceptions. It investigates the theological relationship between the image and the placement of the cuneiform signs carved on it, thereby shedding light on the meaning of the imagery.
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The art of the Achaemenid Empire flourished in Ancient Persia from the 6th to 4th centuries BCE, and featured stone-carved monumental structures adorned with recurring zoological and floral patterns. Such representations clearly had a symbolic meaning intimately connected to religious expression and the will of deities. Considering the lack of any comprehensive analysis of botanical features, we investigate the recurring plant patterns and the variety of plants depicted. An analysis of the documentation referring mainly to monuments in the two main capitals of Darius I, Persepolis and Susa, showed the presence of certain repetitive elements, such as the so-called rosettes (composed variously of Asteraceae capitula and Nymphaea flowers), palms (Phoenix dactylifera, the tree of life), pines, flowers or bunches and metamorphic elements. Some plants are described in this paper for the first time in the context of Persian iconography, such as Mandragora officinalis in offering scenes as a symbol of fertility and protection against evil spirits, Pinus brutia var. eldarica as a symbol of immortality and elevation to the gods, and the capitula of Matricaria/Leucanthemum as solar symbols. Further interesting elements include cf. Myrtus communis in some crowns and probably cf. Ephedra sp. in offering scenes. Achaemenid art was deeply influenced by the Zoroastrian religion of ancient Persia with its great attention to nature as well as by the nearby civilizations of the Mesopotamian area and Egypt. Most elements were also associated with psychotropic or medicinal attributes, which contributed to their position as symbols of power.
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