Classification(s)
- Sculpture
- Cuneiform
- Reproduction
Stela of Esarhaddon
CultureAssyrian
PeriodNeo-Assyrian
Dateca. 673 BCE
MediumLimestone
Label TextThis massive monument is a replica of the stela erected by Esarhaddon in the main citadel gate of Sam’al. The ruler proclaims in its inscription “…I am all-powerful…I am gigantic…I am the chosen one of Assur...” and this is reinforced by the carved scene, where the ruler towers over his leashed prisoners, one of whom is the Egyptian pharaoh. Esarhaddon salutes the gods, who appear as divine symbols above his head.
On the sides of the stela appear Esarhaddon’s two sons. Ashurbanipal (on the right) later spent four years in a devastating civil war with his brother Shamash-shum-ukin, eventually defeating him and claiming the kingdom. Shamash-shum-ukin (on the left) died in the siege of Babylon, the mighty city that Esarhaddon had given him to rule as viceroy.
DescriptionPainted plaster copy (Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin dolorite original VA 2708)On the sides of the stela appear Esarhaddon’s two sons. Ashurbanipal (on the right) later spent four years in a devastating civil war with his brother Shamash-shum-ukin, eventually defeating him and claiming the kingdom. Shamash-shum-ukin (on the left) died in the siege of Babylon, the mighty city that Esarhaddon had given him to rule as viceroy.
Cleaned and repainted (Latex) by Adam Aja and Ann Waymire in 2010
Sam’al (modern Zinjirli, Turkey)
Supplemental Information
Object number1892.5.11
Collections
- Mesopotamia
- Collection Highlights
Exhibitions
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