Tiglath-Pileser III Receiving Homage

745-27 B.C.; Mesopotamian, Neo-Assyrian period; Limestone. Tiglath-Pileser, a powerful king of Assyria, built a royal palace at Nimrud in northern Iraq. Its principal rooms and courtyards were decorated with large relief sculptures designed to awe visitors to his court. The king`s power and majesty were expressed in scenes of war, the hunt, and solemn court ceremonies. In this relief Tiglath-Pileser, wearing a tall headdress and holding a bow, is receiving three courtiers; a helmeted warrior prostrates himself at the king`s feet. Behind the royal figure stands a servant with a fly whisk. Horizontal lines of a cuneiform inscription describing a military campaign run just above the heads of the figures. Tiglath-Pileser`s campaigns into Syria and Israel are documented in the Bible (II Kings 15:19, 29; 16:7). Text and images courtesy The Detroit Institute of Arts.