ASSYRIAN CYLINDERS: BEL AND THE DRAGON. 207 
Many illustrations might be given of the beardless sphinx. One of these is 
shown in fig. 608, where the god holds his scimitar, and we have the winged disk 
of Ashur and a worshiper. Another excellent one, more than usually developed, 
is seen in fig. 609, where a bird and an ibex are seen under the wings of the sphinx, 
and the winged Ashur shows the triple heads over the worshiper. In another (fig. 
610) the god, in a short garment, more like that of a Hittite god, carries the scimitar 
of Marduk. There are also two sitting apes and a half-length worshiper. A 
peculiar case appears in fig. 611, in which the god grasps the sphinx, much as Gilga- 
mesh might a lion, while preparing to kill it with his scimitar. Under the winged 
disk is a human-headed bull, with hands lifted as if to support it, as is sometimes 
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seen in Hittite art, where two bulls are in this attitude under the winged disk. 
Besides there are a worshiper, a crescent, a star, a rhomb, and a fish. In the case 
of fig. 612 we observe the short embroidered skirt of the god and the two low plants. 
There are peculiar features in fig. 613. Here the god has his foot on a third sphinx. 
We have also the nude winged goddess, front view, but face in profile, which sug- 
gests a western or northern influence. In fig. 614 the god lifts two winged sphinxes 
by the hind leg, and above are two small animals in a recumbent position. 
Very numerous are the Assyrian cylinders in which the god attacks a winged 
bull. It is not easy to conceive of the winged bull, the good spirit which protects 
the entrances of Assyrian palaces, as a form of Tiamat, spirit of chaos and all evil. 
It is much more likely that there is here the confusion which we have observed 
between Marduk and Gilgamesh, and that we have a variation of the Gilgamesh 
