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Primary sourceSculpturec. 645 BCE

The Dying Lioness

Assyrian royal sculptors · c. 645 BCE

A famous relief panel from the royal hunt cycle commissioned by Ashurbanipal, showing a lioness pierced with arrows as she collapses.

Ashurbanipal commissioned this relief as part of the royal hunt cycle celebrating his kingship.

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Photograph of Assyrian carved stone relief panels showing wounded and dying lions pierced by arrows. At upper left a lion lies on its side, at upper right a lioness collapses with arrows in her body, and below a lion and a lioness are sprawled. A horse and rider appear at the far right edge.
The Dying Lioness, relief from the lion hunt of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh, c. 645-635 BCE. British Museum.

About this source

What it is

Made by Assyrian royal sculptors around 645 BCE and now in the British Museum, this relief panel comes from the Northern Palace at Nineveh. It shows lions and a lioness dead or dying, pierced with arrows, from the cycle of reliefs depicting the royal lion hunt.

Why it matters

This panel is considered the best-known single image from the hunt reliefs commissioned under Ashurbanipal's patronage. It shows the skill of Assyrian sculptors and the symbolic importance of the royal lion hunt, which displayed the king's courage and right to rule through mastery over dangerous animals.

Look closer

  • What makes this image feel emotional even though it shows an animal, not a person?
  • Why would a king want to be shown hunting lions?
  • What does the detail in the carving tell you about the skill of the artists who made it?

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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