The colossal bull's head (below) is from the ancient Persian capital of Persepolis - present day Iran. Carved from dark grey limestone and highly polished, the head measures over two metres high and a metre and a half wide and weighs an estimated ten tons. The head was attached to the body of a bull that still stands as one of a pair flanking the northern portico of the so-called Hundred-Columns Palace (also called the Throne Hall).
Entrances to important buildings were frequently ‘protected’ by pairs of colossal animals (some of which were mythological guardian creatures) in the ancient Near East. Sometime in the past, perhaps when the city was ransacked, both heads became detached from their bodies. They were found not far from the bodies during excavations in 1932/3 by archaeologists from the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute. Unfortunately, the ears and horns, which were not carved from the same block of stone but added separately, were not recovered.
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| Photo: Marge Ishmael |
This is an old photo of the bull's head being restored once it got to Chicago:
And below is a human-headed winged bull from what is now Iraq. It reminded me that similar artifacts have been destroyed by ISIS militants in northern Iraq this week: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/02/150227-islamic-militants-destroy-statues-mosul-iraq-video-archaeology/
"This colossal sculpture was one of a pair that guarded the entrance to the throne room of King Sargon II. A protective spirit known as a "lamassu", it is shown as a composite being with the head of a human, the body and ears of a bull, and the wings of a bird. Viewed from the side, the creature appears to be walking; but when viewed from the front, it appears to be standing still. Thus it is actually represented with five, rather than four, legs."
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| Photo: Marge Ishmael |
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