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Primary sourceSculpture

Relief of Ashurbanipal Hunting on Horseback

Unknown

A weathered stone relief fragment showing an Assyrian king on horseback drawing a bow during a hunt, identified with Ashurbanipal.

This relief is believed to depict Ashurbanipal himself, hunting on horseback as his inscriptions describe.

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Photograph of a carved stone relief fragment showing an Assyrian king on horseback hunting, drawing a bow. Horse heads and a bearded rider with a tall headdress are visible; the stone is weathered and the edges are broken.
Anonymous, relief of an Assyrian king hunting on horseback, Nineveh.

About this source

What it is

This is a carved stone relief fragment showing an Assyrian king hunting from horseback, pulling back a bow. The carving is broken and worn, with only parts of the horse, rider and headdress surviving. The maker is unknown, as is common for palace reliefs from Nineveh.

Why it matters

Royal hunting scenes were a common way for Assyrian kings, including Ashurbanipal, to show off their strength and courage. His own inscriptions describe training in riding and archery, and this relief connects to that image of a skilled warrior-king.

Look closer

  • What details tell you this is a king and not an ordinary soldier?
  • Why might a king want to be shown hunting rather than doing everyday royal tasks like judging disputes?
  • What is missing or broken on the stone, and how does that affect what we can know?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ashurbanipal on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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