258

NIMROUD.-STANDARD-BEARERS IN BATTLE.

arrows and throwing stones, under cover of wicker shields. The last figure-as far as the fracture allows us to see-is that of a person endeavouring to obtain a parley. He holds his slackened bow in his left hand; and his right is upraised in the act of bespeaking attention.

The next subject (fig. 110) that engages our attention, is a continuation of the last. It represents the standard-bearers of the king, with their respective charioteers. Each chariot has attached a distinct banner-the foremost being a bull, and the second two bulls. The chariots and trappings of the horses are exactly like those already described. There are three horses to each chariot, but only six legs are shown. The officers are bare-headed; though in other respects their

Fig. 110.-STANDARD-BEARERS-CONTINUATION OF FIG. 107. Size, 3 ft. by 7 ft. 1 in.

dresses are the same as before detailed. The victorious army is pursuing the enemy through a wood, indicated by bushes and trees; while the eagle and the outstretched headless bodies are sufficiently suggestive of the defeat and destruction of the enemy. A wounded leader of the adverse party is imploring for quarter. The officers of his chariot are represented as falling and struggling; and their action is in good opposition to the cool, steady array of the king's body-guard.

The third subject represents the king proceeding victoriously from the battle field. (Fig. 111.)

The king, who is in his war-chariot just described, is attended by warriors on horseback and on foot. In front, lead

ing the horses of the chariot, is the king's groom, clothed in a short tunic, bordered and fringed; belt round his waist, sword suspended from the shoulders, sandals upon his feet, and his uncovered hair elaborately curled. In advance is a sceptre

Fig. 111.-KING IN PROCESSION AFTER VICTORIES. Size, 2 ft. 11 in. by 7 ft. 1 in.

bearer, armed, and wearing a pointed helmet. Within the chariot is the charioteer, holding the reins, and with a whip in his right hand.

His dress is a tunic, with a sash and belt

Fig. 112-STANDARD-BEARERS OF THE KING IN PROCESSION AFTER VICTORY. Size, 2 ft. 11 in. by 6 ft. 11 in.

round his waist, and sword by his side; but he wears no covering on his head, nor armlets. The king is in his usual costume; and behind him stands a eunuch holding

260

NIMROUD.-CUP-BEARER RECEIVING PRISONERS.

a parasol above his head. Immediatelly following the king is a mounted warrior leading a richly caparisoned horse. Still farther behind, but in the upper part of the slab, are two warriors carrying sceptres in their elevated right hands, while the dead and dying are scattered above and around. Preceding the king is the emblem of the Divinity, with his right hand pointing onward, his left hanging down holding the bow.

The fourth scene is a continuation of the last, and shows us the "Standard-bearers of the king in procession after victory." (Fig. 112.)

In this frieze a war-chariot, drawn by three horses, conveys a standardbearer, his charioteer, and an attendant, who seems holding on by a contrivance for the purpose, fixed in front of the car. The standard-bearer has his right hand extended, while his left sustains a standard with two bulls. In advance is another chariot, also drawn by three horses, in processional pace, and guided by a charioteer. It conveys a standard-bearer, whose standard is a Divinity drawing his bow, and standing

Fig. 113.-CUP-BEARER RECEIVING PRISONERS.

upon a bull: wherever this standard is seen, it invariably precedes that which contains two bulls, from which

we infer that it is indicative of superior rank. All these figures are without any head-dress, and have their hair elaborately curled. Hovering over the foremost horse is a bird of prey, a trained falcon, carrying in his claw a human head from the field of battle. The fore part of the frieze is divided into two sections: the upper portion shows three musicians, the two elder of whom are each striking a nine-stringed instrument with a long plectrum, while the third, a beardless youth, is playing with his fingers upon a cylindrical drum, like the Indian tom tom, which is suspended round his neck. Advancing towards the musicians are two unarmed soldiers, bearing human heads in their hands, the foremost holding one forward, as if in evidence of his prowess in the field. The lower division represents the two grooms belonging to the chariots, in advance of the horses, and before them are some of the king's soldiers in conical caps, their hands upraised, as if eagerly relating the occurrences of the day; between the figures human heads are strewn, indicating that this is a part of the field of battle. The last group on the frieze consists of two unarmed soldiers, one of whom holds human heads in his hands, while the other is addressing him with hands upraised, as in the preceding group.

The fifth frieze upon this upper portion of the wall is apparently divided into four compartments, each of which is in itself so curious and

interesting that we present the detached sections on a larger scale than the accompanying illustrations. The first compartment that we shall describe (fig. 113) represents a soldier fully armed and holding a sceptre, introducing four captives of distinction, all clothed in long robes, and with their

arms bound together by the rope which is held by their captor. The king's cup-bearer, of gigantic stature, receives the pri

soners at the entrance of a pavilion, a mark of respect that leads to the conclusion that they are captives of note about to be led into the presence of the king. The entrance of the pavilion is formed of pillars ornamented up their entire shafts, and further enriched by highly decorated capitals, which are surmounted by goats very characteristically represented. A sort of tympanum to this temple-like pavilion is decorated

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Fig. 115. TAMBOURA. Fig. 116.-SIDE VIEW.

similarly to the pillars, and the cornice beneath consists of suspended ornaments like pine-cones, alternating with tassels. The capital of the last column of the pavilion is ornamented with the heads of animals, but the fracture prevents our learning whether the top was likewise surmounted by an animal.

Immediately above the prisoners is the second compartment (fig. 114), containing two mummers clothed in lion skins, the heads forming masks. They are dancing a grotesque dance to the music of a man who accompanies them on a sort of cithern, played with a plectrum: the instrument is like the guitar with the long finger-board, still in use in Persia and Turkey, and played in the same way with a plectrum (figs. 115 and 116). This instrument, called tamboura,

is 3 ft. 9 in. long, and its elegantly shaped sounding-board is 6 inches wide; it has ten strings of small wire, 47 stops,