Timing space / Spacing time. Narrative principles in Assurbanipal hunt reliefs of Room C in the North Palace of Nineveh

The theme of the royal lion hunt occupies several rooms in the North Palace of Assurbanipal at Nineveh; if Sennacherib’s Southwest Palace can in fact be rightly considered a monument for display of military successes of the Assyrian king and his army, the palace built by Assurbanipal (the last Assyrian king to commission the construction of a new royal residence) is especially devoted to the representation of hunting, with the creation of specific rooms and corridors showing the Assyrian king in the attitude of hunter. The architecture and decoration of the rooms of the North Palace are built around the theme of the hunt, with a predominant role for the lion as the only worthy royal antagonist. The emphasis on hunt by the sculptors of Assurbanipal is then particularly evident if compared to the figurative programmes of previous kings, where the hunt acquired a completely different political meaning (Sargon II) or was totally cancelled from palace relief cycles (Sennacherib).