Details of the Lion Hunt Reliefs from the Palace of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh, 645-635 BCE

In ancient Assyria, lion hunting was a sport reserved for kings. Lions in Ancient Assyria were a symbol for the violence of nature. Therefore the hunts are though to be symbolic of the ruling monarch’s duty to fight for his people and to protect them against both warfare and natural disasters. Additionally, the Assyrians Kings were very skilled hunters. The Assyrian Kings believed that if they were good at hunting then the gods would favor them more, which they thought would help them later in political situations and times of warfare.

Assyrian Lion hunting did not take place naturally on the plains, but in a very controlled environment within an arena. Servants would draw the lion out of their cage. Then the lion would get beaten by dogs and beaters, so that it would go to the king. The king would then kill the lion wither from a chariot with his bow and arrow or spear, or on foot with a sword. If he chose to kill the lion on foot, he would do this by holding it by the mane and then thrusting the sword into the lion’s throat.

Scenes of lion hunting were often depicted on sculptured relief in the walls of the King’s palace.  The most famous depictions of lion hunting come from palace of the Assyrian King Ashurbanipal (668-627 BCE) in Nineveh. The reliefs are considered masterpieces of Assyrian art for their dramatic tension and brutal realism. The detailed naturalism of the animals in the relief can especially be seen in the lions, which are depicted in clear agony.