Lions

Lion hunting was something that the Assyrian culture took very seriously. The subject of this piece of art would in fact also be lion hunting. There were once many animals hunted during the time period however the most popular were lions. This piece of art was most likely created between 645-640 BCE because this was during the time of the Assyrian Empire. As a tradition the king would put on for all his subjects, in this case it would be King Ashurnasirpal the second, where he is ridden around an arena in a chariot slaughtering the lions who dare challenge him. The ability to kill these lions who fought to the death showed the king?s great power and stood as a warning to anyone who thought of challenging of crossing him.