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Relief of Protective Spirit, Apukallu

Collection number彫017-2320
ProvenanceNimrud, Iraq
PeriodNeo Assyrian period
Dateca. 875-860 BCE
MaterialGypsus Alabaster
DimensionH. 106 cm
CommentThis is a part of the relief that decorated inner wall of a palace at Neo-Assyrian capital Nimrud (Kalhu). The imaginative creature, that has the head and wings of an eagle, and human body is the protective spirit called "Apukallu". It is thought that a black vulture was the model of this spirit. Apukallu is holding a pail in the left hand and a pine cone in the right hand. This motif is interpreted as a pollination to “a tree of life”, or a purification ceremony.
Classificationsculpture
KeywordsGray
Cool, Bulky, Mystic
Western Asia, Iraq, Northern Iraq, Nimrud
Iron Age, Neo Assyrian Period
Stone/mineral, Limestone, Alabaster
Sculpture/Statue, Relief
Creature, Bird, Raptor, Eagle/Hawk, Sacred animal
Deity/Spirit, Deity/Spirit in Western Asia, Apukallu
資料ID2610

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