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Audrey Baetz
History 134
September 21, 2015
Nano-Historical Research Paper

Lions have always been a fierce sign of nobility across cultures, often depicted in
paintings, pottery, and even flags (Tiger Tribe). They are intelligent pack hunters, able to defeat
animals which are much larger than them. A lone male leads the pack, much like the cultures of
the Hittites or Assyrians, who had a single king rule the empire. Tiger Tribe states, Lion was
also a leading symbol in ancient Mesopotamia (from Sumer up to Assyrian and Babylonian
times), where it was associated with kingshipalso the biblical emblem of the tribe Judah.
However, the lions powerful symbolism made them a target for Assyrian kings wanting to prove
their prowess. Lion hunting quickly became popular and brutal display in Assyrian culture.
Hunting lions is a savage way of displaying power, perfectly representing the Assyrian
culture. Assyria is most remembered for their advances in military powers, and their torture
methods (UShistory). The king Esarhaddon, who ruled from 680-669 BCE, expanded the
Assyrian empire the most, which included conquering the supposedly impenetrable Egypt in less
than a month (UShistory). After King Esarhaddon came King Ashurbanipal who ruled the grand
empire that stretched over 1,000 miles. Ashurbanipal. Before them, King Tiglath-pileser I
conquered many surrounding empires and claimed to have killed 900 lions on a single hunt
(UShistory). King Ashurbanipal states, I built a pillar over against his gate, and I flayed all the
chief men ... and I covered the pillar with their skins ... some I impaled upon the pillar on stakes.
Many captives ... I burned with fire ... From some I cut off their hands and their fingers, and from
others I cut off their noses, their ears ... of many I put out the eyes (UShistory). Also, in the
paper Nineveh: The Wicked City the author writes, Other prisoners are being skinned alive,
stabbed, beheaded, impaled on poles, their hands or feet or tongues chopped off, and their eyes
put out. The barefoot and malnourished survivors leave the city with all they still own slung over

their shoulders. Through terror and advanced military practices, Assyria quickly expanded their
empire.
Lion hunting reliefs were a popular form of art in ancient Assyrian culture. One relief was
found in the royal palace of Ashurbanipal, named after the great king (Crabben). It shows King
Ashurbanipal stabbing a lion through the chest as it attacks him. Crabben also writes, The
kings role was to protect his people from enemiesthis was symbolized in the lion hunt.
However, Crabben also says that the king had lions caught and brought to an arena where he
hunt the lions. Ashurbanipal lived from 668-627 BCE, and was the last great king of Assyria
(Mark). He lived up to the Assyrian reputation of brutality. Mark writes, Ashurbanipal was a
popular king who ruled his citizens fairly but was marked for his cruelty toward those whom he
defeated (the best known example being a relief depicting the defeated king with a dog chain
through his jaw, being forced to live in a kennel after capture). Another relief found in Nineveh,
a main city in the empire of Assyria, is discussed by Dr. Zucker and Dr. Harris in a British
museum. The relief is thought to be from around 645-635 BCE, and is large enough to wrap
around the whole room. Dr. Harris says that the relief speaks to the power, the authority of the
king over nature. Zucker and Harris also mention that it was a law that only kings could kill
lions.
The actual lion hunt did not take place in the wild, but rather in an arena to ensure the
kings safety (Kleiner). In his book Gardners Art through the Ages: A Global History Kleiner
writes The royal hunt did not take place in the wild, however, but in a controlled environment,
ensuring the kings safety and successlions released from cages in a large enclosed area charge
the king, who, in his chariot and protected by his attendants, thrusts a spear into a savage lion.
The animal leaps at the king even though it already has two arrows in its bodyportraying

Ashurbanipals beastly foes as possessing courage and nobility as well as the power to kill made
the kings accomplishments that much grander. Dr. Zucker states that it is a completely
fabricated hunt. Even though it is not a true hunt, these kingly displays brought vast crowds,
wanting to see their great king arise victorious.
Lions are a proud and noble species, and were too easily overcome by the Assyrians and
their brutal hunts. They were better off being quickly put to death by spears and viewed in a
positive manner, however, compared to the torture methods inflicted upon Assyrians enemies and
prisoners of war. Assyrians were one of the first empires to use terror as a war practice, and it
worked perfectly for them. The great lion hunts were carved and painted onto beautiful reliefs, so
the great victories of the kings could live on forever. While placing the lions in an arena seemed
to defeat the true danger of a wild hunt, the battle still came down to two: the king of one of the
largest empires to exist versus the king of the wild.

Bibliography
Assyrians: Cavalry and Conquests. Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association. Web. 19
Sept. 2015.
Ushistory.org published an information page on the Assyrians, discussing topics ranging
from their beginnings until the very end of their empire. I used their information on torture and
list of kings, including who conquered the most land and who ruled during the peak of the
empire.
Crabben, Jan. Assyrian Lion Hunt. Ancient History Encyclopedia. 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 19 Sept.
2015.
Jan Crabben submitted a photograph of a relief depicting one of the kings of Assyria
during his lion hunt. Crabben discussed the where (in an arena), the what (a lion hunt), who
(King Ashurbanipal), and why (symbolic to protect empire).
Kleiner, Fred S. Gardners Art through the Ages: A Global History. Enhanced Instructors 13th ed.
Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.
Kleiner wrote about another relief discovered of lion hunting. He mainly discussed
where the lion hunt took place, and how violent it was.
Mark, Joshua. Ashurbanipal. Ancient History Encyclopedia. 2 Sept. 2009. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
Joshua submitted a vast amount of information about Ashurbanipal, one of the most
popular kings of Assyria. There was a timeline of the kings rule, who took over after him, what
torture methods he used, and how much land he conquered.
Nineveh: The Wicked City. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.

Nineveh was super important in discovering why the capitol of Assyria was given such a crude
nickname. It also discussed various torture methods used the kings.
Tigers and Other Wild Cats Lion in Culture Symbols and Literature Comments. Tiger Tribe.
Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
This source was useful in discovering how lions are viewed in cultures across the world,
including their name origin.
Zucker, Steven, and Beth Harris. Ashurbanipal Hunting Lions. Khan Academy. Web. 21 Sept.
2015.
This source also talked about a relief in a British history museum that displayed
Ashurbanipal hunting lions. The doctors made guesses as to what was happening in the unclear
parts, and told us what was happening in other parts. They talked about how old it was, where it
was found, and the vast amount of detail put into it.