Ancient Assyrian History Etched in Stone

In Mesopotamia hunting had an important symbolic value. This was especially true in Assyria, evidence by the dozens of artistic depictions of the Royal Hunt in stone relief. The Royal Hunt was an important ritual that established the Kings domain over brute nature, and demonstrated his courage. By participating in the Royal Hunt, the King added to his own prestige and a heroic reputation.  Even though we might expect some exaggeration of the events, the reliefs that have been discovered would suggest a man worthy or rule if he was half as courageous as the reliefs suggest.

These Assyrian wall reliefs also shed light on the ceremonial aspects of the Royal Hunt.  In many of the reliefs discovered by archaeologists, the king is shown offering up animals as a sacrifice to the god Nergal. 
Of all the prey sought out by the King and his royal party, the most prestigious was the lion. Mounted in his chariot, the king would pursue the lion attempting to bring him down with his bow or spear. Once the lion was injured the king would dismount his chariot and finish off the lion with his sword.  It's unclear just how much assistance he might have had in dispatching his prey, given glorification of the king in this art. 

In a relief of Ashurbanipal currently on display in the British Museum, the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal is depicted riding on horseback, bow raised.  He is hunting wild donkeys which at the time were considered a nuisance.  The act of thinning the heard of asses was considered a noble and worthy pursuit for the king.  Ashurbanipal was the last of the great Assyrian kings.  He ruled at the height of the Assyrian empire, but twenty years after his death the empire had fallen.

Other reliefs suggest that the hunting of lions was such a popular sport, that the regional lion population was diminished. Lions were imported in from other regions and release for the purpose of hunting.  This conclusion can be drawn from some Assyria and reliefs that show a lion being released from the cage.