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Reconstruction
of an Assyrian Throne Room, 1849
From The Monuments of Nineveh by Austen
Henry Layard (plate 2)
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The
throne room of the Northwest Palace at Nimrud was reconstructed in
a drawing commissioned by the excavator Austen Henry Layard in 1849,
and has more recently been reconstructed as part of a virtual reality
model of the palace by Learning Sites, Inc.
Layard's drawing has a distinctly Victorian aesthetic in its depiction
of the ceiling and light well, use of pastel colors, and even lighting,
but it also reveals flaws in his understanding of how the structure
must have been built: (1) as drawn, the major roof beams cantilevered
from the walls to support the light well would collapse; (2) the light
well would let in too much rain, dirt, and blinding sunlight; and
(3) the reliefs are not in proportion with the people or with the
dimensions of the throne room itself. |
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This
rendering relies on updated information. The natural lighting takes
into account open doors with oil lamps. The proportions of the room,
relative to the adjacent courtyard facade, suggest a ceiling height
of ten meters. The decorated wood beams recall discoveries in the
throne room of Sargon II at Khorsabad.
For more information on Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud or these computer modelings, visit the Hazen center for Electronic Information and select the web site named for the palace.
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Reconstruction of the Throne Room of the
Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud.
3-D computer modeling and rendering by Learning Sites, Inc.
Archaeological and architectural interpretation by S. M. Paley,
R. P. Sobelewski, and Alison B. Snyder. © 1999 Learning
Sites, Inc. |
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