Sennacherib's Sieges and Deportations Reliefs: How to Increase Emotions

Abstract

In this article, I examine the bas-reliefs of Sennacherib dealing with war, deportation, and siege. With a focus on the location of these reliefs, as well as on the subject matter, I attempt to reconstruct the emotional responses which these reliefs would have evoked. Most notably through an examination of their locations in regard to light sources and the gestures of subjects depicted on the reliefs, I argue that the reliefs to not just serve as a show of strength. Rather, they also serve as a form of magical protection for the Assyrian Empire, with Sennacherib depicting his complete control.