Image Details

Proud of his deeds, Ashurbanipal (668–627 B.C.) preserved for posterity this ghastly record of how he dealt with his Elamite enemies, who lived to the southeast of Assyria. The upper register of the relief shows two naked men lying supine, fastened to the ground with ropes and stakes, while two Assyrians, bending over them with knives, flay them. To the right of this scene, an Assyrian probably uses strings to carry away a head. In the lower register, at the bottom edge, an Assyrian steadies the head of an Elamite prisoner, while another Assyrian tears out the man’s tongue. Above them, two Assyrians throw down the next victim, whose arms are tied behind his back.