Adorning the edges of this garment are tassels that seem to suggest movement of the figure through the soft curves of each individual fringe. These tassels are strung together and attached along the border of the robe, yet it is unknown whether they were sewn on by hand or woven by skilled artisans. Details like these tassels are an important source of knowledge about Assyrian clothing and textiles, given that very few textiles survive in the archaeological record.
Typically worn in the middle of the bicep, such arm cuffs would likely have been made of solid gold, and could have weighed over two pounds each. They may have been brought to the court as trade or tribute by emissaries from across the empire. It is not likely that bands such as these would be worn daily, instead, they would have been worn as part of ceremonial dress on special occasions in the court of King Ashurnasirpal. They are found on the arms of many figures in reliefs, and the more elaborate cuffs feature animal heads, often rams, at the ends.
The king is first and most easily recognized by the distinctive crown he wears, shaped much like a fez. The gentle curvature of the crown’s body suggests that it was likely made of a stiff wool felt, and drawn tight around the head at the back with an ornamental band (most visible on the libation scene relief). This band may have been embroidered, possibly with gold thread, or bejeweled and gilded. A small cone rises from the top of the crown at the center. The royal crown is distinct from the headdresses of the winged spirits, which feature horns that signify their divinity and lack the pointed cone. While the king does not always wear the crown in the palace relief, in each of the three reliefs at Bowdoin he is depicted crowned.
The standard inscription was the cuneiform inscription recording the titles, career, and campaigns of Ashurnasirpal II that appears across the stone reliefs of the palace as well as on other objects from the site. Among other highlights of the career of Ashurnasirpal II, the standard inscription documents the founding of the city and expands on the extensive building campaign the king undertook: “The ancient city of Kalhu… had become dilapidated; it lay dormant and had turned into ruined hills. I rebuilt this city. I took people that I had conquered… [and] I settled them therein. I dug a canal… I planted orchards in its environs… I cleared away the old ruin hill and dug down to water level; I sank the foundations to a depth of 120 layers of brick. I built its walls anew.”
This object is one of several ritual implements commonly held by the winged spirits (Apkallu) that populate the reliefs from the Northwest Palace. Its precise function and identification is unknown and much debated; suggestions include the male spathe of a date palm, a pinecone, and a citron. In all cases it is held aloft in the right hand of the spirit, who gestures with it towards a stylized, sacred tree, towards an image of the king, or towards a palace doorway. These applications indicate that the cone and its ritual use likely served protective or apotropaic functions
This small, single-handled pail was one of several ritual objects commonly held by the winged spirits (Apkallu) that populate the reliefs from the Northwest Palace. In most instances, the bucket is held in the left hand, and accompanied by a cone held in the raised right hand. Occasionally however, the bucket appears on its own with the right hand raised in a gesture of blessing. Though it was clearly an important ritual object, the precise function of the bucket is unknown and debated. When paired with the ritual cone, the bucket may have held oil or water for to be sprinkled, incense or other fragrance to be wafted through the palace, or it may have served as a holding vessel for the ritual cone itself. Possible examples of ceramic bandudu have been uncovered in excavations at the site of Nimrud.
This ghostly silhouette was roughly and hastily executed, adhering to a similar scale and height of the figures’ heads, to directly face King Ashurnasirpal II. This notion of confrontation could perhaps signify the Babylonians and Medes marking their triumph over the Assyrian Empire as they pillaged the city of Nimrud in 612 BCE