Riding mythical creatures, seven gods and goddesses face the Assyrian king Sargon II on this eighth-century B.C.E. panel from the site of Faida in Iraqi Kurdistan. Sargon also appears behind the procession—forming a kind of bracket. The seven gods and goddesses—Ashur, his wife Mullissu, the moon god Sin, the god of wisdom Nabu, the sun god Shamash, the weather god Adad, and the goddess of love and war Ishtar—were some of the major deities of the Assyrian pantheon. They are mounted on a mix of real and mythical creatures, including dragons, horned lions, horses, bulls, and lions. Italian and […]
