An Assyrian story of gore and glory

"The necklace, of Egyptian style, was likely a trophy from Ashurbanipal's campaigns in Egypt. The weapons were probably of the same nature — proof of the king's victories in Babylonia and Elam — the latter being an ancient country in southwestern Iran and historically renowned for its soldiers' archery skills," Zhang says.

Yet the most brutal reminder comes in the form of a severed human head hanging on a ring from the upper branches of a pine tree on the left side of the picture. Scholars believe it probably belonged to the Elamite king Teumman, who was defeated at the Battle of Til-Tuba in 653 BC. Keeping all this in mind, it wouldn't come as a surprise if the royal couple were toasting each other for the mayhem their troops had instigated against disobedient neighbors.

"In terms of storytelling, the reliefs were to the Assyrians what painted pottery was to the ancient Greeks. That's why we tried to borrow as many stone reliefs as possible from our partner, the British Museum, which the exhibits are from," says Zhang.