HISTORICAL ASSYRIAN PALACE RELIEF - ($60 US)
MARDUK & THE DRAGON
Brown ochre stone cast relief panel, 180 x 200 mm (approx 8 X 7 inches), 10 mm thick (half inch) with description.
Replica of the famous Marduk & Tiamat relief from the Palace of the Assyrian king Ashur-Nasirpal who ruled from the ancient city of Nimrud 885-860 B.C.
The carving is a classic depiction of the epic battle between the hero sun god Marduk-Shamash and the Dragon-Serpent, as recorded on the Sumerian Tablets of Creation in the British Museum where this relief can also be found in the Nimrud Gallery.
MYTHIC DESCRIPTION
Central to Mesopotamian mythology is the extremely ancient story of the Sun GodŐs heroic battle with the celestial Horned Dragon known to the Sumerians as Tiamet. The mythic War of the Gods was an epic event in the heavens which caused such universal destruction it was remembered for thousands of years after.
The Enuma Elish creation story relates how Tiamat is disturbed by the younger star gods and rose from the underworld to brightly dominate the heavens. Apsu her husband decides to destroy the misbehaving star gods before they upset the natural balance of things. Before he can act, he is killed by them.The dragoness Tiamat becomes enraged and gathers an army of elemental demons, setting them upon the world in revenge and causing a terrible cataclysm.
At first, the gods are unable to deal with Tiamat's invasion of the heavens. Eventually, the sun god Marduk is forced to fight Tiamat to regain his rightful place in the sky. The gods sanction this and Marduk gathers his weapons and procedes to act out the archetypal battle between the sun god and the celestial dragon-serpent found in so many cultures. Tiamat's army of elemental forces are defeated, she is slain and returned to the dark underworld of the stars. A resurrected Sun God restores the "tablets of destiny," restores the heavens and earth and from the blood of a defeated giant, humans are regenerated to serve the gods.
Postage:
Ground: $12 Australian dollars - Australia New Zealand
Air Mail:
Air: $17.50 USD - Asia, India, Pacific, Japan
Air: $21 USD - USA & Canada
Air: $26 USD - EEurope, Scandinavia, Britain, Germany, Italy, Greece, Spain, Mediterranean, Africa, South America & most other locations
Airmail Europe, USA & Canada 8-14 days
