Hand-to-Hand Combat
2022 © Maxim Tabachnik
King Strikes from ChariotAin Sakhri LoversAshurbanipal and the Dying LionessThe Rosetta StoneThe Dying LionHand-to-Hand CombatThe Holy Thorn ReliquaryRosetta Stone FragmentParthenon Metope: The Triumph of the CentaurRestored Early Bronze Age Gold CapeCentaur Abducting a GirlLion Attacks the Chariot Team

Hand-to-Hand Combat

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This Assyrian relief (c. 645 BC) depicts King Ashurbanipal in hand-to-hand combat with a lion, symbolizing royal valor and divine favor. Despite its wounds, the lion charges fiercely. The unarmored king embodies the ultimate warrior, confronting nature and asserting supremacy over chaos and fate. Such scenes reinforced his image as protector and ruler, highlighting the Assyrian empire’s power and the monarch’s divine right to rule.