Relief with Winged Genius (Apkallu) (Figure 1) is a Neo-Assyrian (1000-612 BCE) carved stone wall relief from the Northwest Palace in Kalhu (modern-day Nimrud), Iraq. It is 78 1/2 inches tall, 39 inches wide, and 6 inches deep and was carved during the reign of Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BCE). Now in the Near Eastern art collection of the Walter’s Art Museum, Baltimore, the wall relief depicts a winged genius, who was a benevolent and protective deity, holding a cone in his right hand and a bucket in his left. He wears a sacred horned crown, jewelry, and intricate garments that depict a variety of miniature scenes including multiple royal hunts and a meeting, all of which most certainly depict Ashurnasirpal II. Across the genius’ lower body and left hand is the
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The Standard Inscription, which was carved onto every relief from the Northwest Palace, is a “summary of his titles, conquests, and the building project at Kalu—engraved. as many as 650 times” (Howard 2020, 65). The Inscription was the last step in the completion of the carved relief. Given how many errors were present in the palace’s reliefs, most archaeologists agree these inscriptions were carved out by an illiterate working class of people. In addition, there appear to have been several different versions of the Standard Inscription; however, the differences in these versions are relatively minimal and can also be explained as scribal errors. The inscription on the Walter’s Genius is considered to be the more common version of the Inscription. Although the writing provides no further evidence or explanation for the genius scenes and poses, they are nevertheless important to the study of early Neo-Assyria. These inscriptions provide evidence of what battles, Assyrian accomplishments, and building projects can be attributed to Ashurnasirpal
The Standard Inscription, which was carved onto every relief from the Northwest Palace, is a “summary of his titles, conquests, and the building project at Kalu—engraved. as many as 650 times” (Howard 2020, 65). The Inscription was the last step in the completion of the carved relief. Given how many errors were present in the palace’s reliefs, most archaeologists agree these inscriptions were carved out by an illiterate working class of people. In addition, there appear to have been several different versions of the Standard Inscription; however, the differences in these versions are relatively minimal and can also be explained as scribal errors. The inscription on the Walter’s Genius is considered to be the more common version of the Inscription. Although the writing provides no further evidence or explanation for the genius scenes and poses, they are nevertheless important to the study of early Neo-Assyria. These inscriptions provide evidence of what battles, Assyrian accomplishments, and building projects can be attributed to Ashurnasirpal