In the royal correspondence of late Assyrian kings (8th–7th century BCE), a few letters refer to the so-called “plant of life” (Akk. šammu balāṭi) being placed by the king in the mouth or nostrils of his subjects. At the same time, in the royal iconography that goes from Tiglath-pileser III onward (8th century BCE), bas-reliefs and wall paintings often show the ruler holding a plant or flower in his lowered left hand. This paper analyses the portraits of the kings—with a special focus on the reign of Sargon II— in the light of textual evidence in order to identify the meaning and function of the plant of life. A link between texts and images will be proposed, thereby suggesting that the plant was used primarily by the king to express his mercy and metaphorically indicate himself as a life-giving ruler.
Metaphorical Allusions to Life-Giving Plants in Neo-Assyrian Text and Images
Ludovico Portuese
2018-01-01
Abstract
In the royal correspondence of late Assyrian kings (8th–7th century BCE), a few letters refer to the so-called “plant of life” (Akk. šammu balāṭi) being placed by the king in the mouth or nostrils of his subjects. At the same time, in the royal iconography that goes from Tiglath-pileser III onward (8th century BCE), bas-reliefs and wall paintings often show the ruler holding a plant or flower in his lowered left hand. This paper analyses the portraits of the kings—with a special focus on the reign of Sargon II— in the light of textual evidence in order to identify the meaning and function of the plant of life. A link between texts and images will be proposed, thereby suggesting that the plant was used primarily by the king to express his mercy and metaphorically indicate himself as a life-giving ruler.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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