Alabaster bas-relief showing Ashurbanipal stabbing a wounded lion. This is one of the very vivid moments which speaks clearly on its behalf without any narration. The king, on foot, wearing his elegant custom and accessories, grips the lion’s neck firmly with his left hand while the right hand stabs a sword rapidly and deeply into the lion’s belly. The king, rigid-faced, and the lion, roaring in fear and agony, look at each other. The king’s attendant holds a bow and arrows but does not seem to do anything which protects his master; it is somewhat not credible that the king exposed himself to mauling from a slightly wounded but still vigorous and aggressive lion, in the way that this sculpture, viewed in isolation, implies. From Room S of the North Palace, Nineveh (modern-day Kouyunjik, Mosul Governorate), Mesopotamia, Iraq. Circa 645-535 BCE. The British Museum, London. Photo©Osama S.M. Amin.