“Their men, young and old, I took as prisoners. Of some I cut off the feet and hands; of other
“Their men, young and old, I took as prisoners. Of some I cut off the feet and hands; of others I cut off the noses, ears, and lips; of the young men’s ears I made a heap; of the old men’s heads I built a minaret [tower]“ Assyrian battle scenes from Nineveh. In the first scene we can observe Assyrian soldiers conducting captives across the water, this relief dates to ca. 668–627 B.C. The remaining scenes date to ca. 704–681 B.C. The siege of a city by Assyrian troops is shown in the second relief, and the procession of captives in the third. The final scene shows Assyrian soldiers storming a citadel. Courtesy of & currently located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, via their online collections, 32.143.5, 32.143.15, 32.143.17 & 55.121.4a, b. The quote at the top of the post is from an inscription of the Assyrian king Asshurizirpal (ca. 883 B.C.), cited in 'The Five Great Monarchies of the Ancient World’, John Murray. -- source link
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