BASEMENT.] 
ASSYEIAK BASOIENT EOOM. 
79 
liable to almost immediate change, tliey will liere be but 
cursorily described. The principal objects in this room are — 
A four-sided and arch-headed stele, of limestone, having in front a 
bas-relief of a king, determined bj the inscription at the back and on 
the sides as Shamasphal, the father of the Biblical Pul. It was found 
by Mr. Rassam in the South-east edifice of Nimroud. 
Some pavement slabs, of hard stone, beautifully sculptured in low 
relief, with floral and geometrical patterns, from Koujunjik. 
Several bas-reliefs, against the walls, from Nimroud and Kouyunjik ; 
amongst them, two representing human figures with lions' heads and 
eagles' legs ; they are remarkable for the red colour which remains on 
the neck, mouth, and eyes of each figure. 
Descending the staircase, and tiu^ning to the left, in a recess 
of the passage are — 
Three earthenware coffins, covered with a blue vitreous glaze, and 
having small figures in low relief. They were found by Mr. Loftus at 
Warka, in a mound, formed almost entirely of similar remains, but 
are not, perhaps, older than the time of the Parthian Empire. 
The passage to the left leads into the 
ASSYRIAN BASEMENT ROOM. 
The sculptures here temporarily deposited, with one ex- 
ception, belong to the time of Ashurbanipal, the grandson of 
Sennacherib, having been discovered in the ruins of two palaces 
at Kouyunjik, excavated, one by Mr. H. Eassam, the other by 
Mr. Loftus. Dating from the latest period of Assyrian art, 
they exhibit greater freedom of design, particularly in the 
animal forms, and greater delicacy of execution, than the bas- 
reliefs from Nimroud, or even the earlier monuments from Kou- 
}Tinjik. Among the most remarkable are — 
A series of fourteen consecutive slabs, representing scenes from a 
lion-hunt. A large arena appears to have been formed, of which the 
boundaries are guarded by spearmen, to prevent the escape of the 
animals. The lions are let loose from cages, and assailed with arrows 
by the king, and by horsemen in various directions ; one or two, in 
different groups, attack the royal chariot, and are despatched with 
knives and spears ; the fury of the wounded, and agony of the dying 
beasts are delineated with admirable spirit, though with occasional in- 
accuracy of anatomical detail ; four dogs, restrained by their keepers 
from encountering a wounded lion, are masterpieces of expression. 
Another series, of which the figures are well designed, though less 
highly finished than usual, represents huntsmen returning from the 
