Relief with Arab tent set alight
Relief with Arab tent set alight
This fragment of a relief was part of a more extensive sculptural illustration celebrating the victories of King Ashurbanipal (680-636 B.C.) against the nomads of the Syro-Arabic desert and, in particular, against the first Arab tribes known in the region. A dromedary on the right carries a mortally wounded Arab on its back, and the bodies of killed Arabs can be seen inside a tent at the lower left, which is about to be set alight by an Assyrian soldier with a torch in his hand, depicted in the centre.
This fragment of decoration originates from the “Arab Room” of the North Palace of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh, and joins, at the right side, with a relief held in the British Museum.