Abstract
This paper explores the defeat of the lion by the individual standing at the head of the social order in the art of the ancient Near East, from the late fifth to the middle of the first millennium BCE. Depictions of the sovereign subjugating the Big Cat present the former performing a cultic act for the sake of the goddess Ishtar, whose primeval adversary was probably the lion. On the one hand, combat with the lion presents the king as commonly accepted, defeating his human rivals signified by the beast. On the other hand, this combat presents the king fighting the goddess’s primeval foe. The king in these visuals is, thus, elevated to a lesser divine-like member of her entourage. Since most of the visuals and relevant records showing the trope of the ruler subjugating the lion are from Upper Mesopotamia and Syria, the first-millennium Neo-Assyrian intensive and detailed compositions of the theme are considered elaborations of local North Mesopotamian and Syrian traditions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Picturing Royal Charisma |
| Subtitle of host publication | Kings and Rulers in the Near East from 3000 BCE to 1700 CE |
| Publisher | Archaeopress |
| Pages | 23-50 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781803271613 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781803271606 |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© the individual authors and Archaeopress 2023.