Collections Database

Label Text:
In a letter of 1856, Amherst President Edward Hitchcock noted that the recently-purchased “sculpted slabs” from ancient Nineveh, then on view in the College’s library, were attracting “more attention than any other specimens in our collection.” Acquired for $250 with the assistance of the Reverend Henry Lobdell, Class of 1849, a missionary stationed in Mosul, the group of ancient Assyrian reliefs included this depiction of a winged mythological creature shown in the ritual act of pollinating the sacred date palm tree using a pinecone. The cuneiform text inscribed across the figure proclaims the power of Ashurnasirpal, “the Great King, the Mighty King, King of the World, and the Kingdom of Ashur.”

EEB, 2008: 1821 Society brochure

Tags:
sculpture; architecture; ancient; mythology; deities; royalty; text

Subjects:
Mythology; Architecture; Civilization, Ancient; Gods; Sculpture; text (layout feature)

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+S.1855.2

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.