Exclusive to the British Museum, a pack of ten postcards featuring Assyrian reliefs with scenes of king Ashurbanipal hunting lions.
During the early first millenium BC, the Assyrian empire, centred on the river Tigris in northern Iraq, ultimately stretched from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean and dominated the Middle East.
King Ashurbanipal (668-c.631 BC), resided for most of his reign in the Southwest Palace at Nineveh, but later ordered the construction of a new palace on the citadel at Nineveh - the North Palace. Many of the rooms were lined with reliefs depicting warfare. However, the finest sculptures from the North Palace are the scenes of Ashurbanipal hunting and killing lions.
The theme of the royal hunt was closely associated with the notion of Assyrian kingship and the image of the king stabbing a rampant lion was carved on seals that had been used by palace administrations for centuries.
The discovery and display of these splendid reliefs at the British Museum in the mid-19th century had a profound effect on the public as they illustrated aspects of life in the ancient Near East that had previously only been hinted at from the Bible. They continue to be among the most popular exhibits at the Museum.