Guardians of the Ishtar Gate

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Plaster Cast Pergamon Museum, Berlin Original: Alabaster, 9th cent. BCE, Kalhu/Nimrud [Iraq], British Museum (England) At the entrance to the so-called “Palace Room,” two powerful human-headed hybrid creatures stand guard, known in Akkadian as lamassu. These majestic beings were discovered in the palace of Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BCE) in Nimrud and are now displayed at the British Museum. Lamassu possess a lion or bull body, they typically have wings, and wear the distinctive horned crown that signifies their supernatural nature. One foreleg of each creature is skillfully depicted: seen from the front, it appears motionless; seen from the side, it appears to be walking steadily.