ibed as "the
servants of Asshur," and their enemies as "the enemies of Asshur." The
Assyrian religion is "the worship of Asshur." No similar phrases are
used with respect to any of the other gods of the Pantheon.

We can scarcely doubt that originally the god Asshur was the great
progenitor of the race, Asshur, the son of Shen, deified. It was not
long, however, before this notion was lost, and Asshur came to be viewed
simply as a celestial being--the first and highest of all the divine
agents who ruled over heaven and earth. It is indicative of the
(comparatively speaking) elevated character of Assyrian polytheism that
this exalted and awful deity continued from first to last the main
object of worship, and was not superseded in the thoughts of men by the
lower and more intelligible divinities, such as Shamas and Sin, the Sun
and Moon, Nergal the God of War, Nin the God of Hunting, or Vul the
wielder of the thunderbolt.

[Illustration: PLATE 141]

The favorite emblem under which the Assyrians appear to have represented
Asshur in their works of art was the winged circle or globe, from which
a figure in a horned cap is frequently seen to issue, sometimes simply
holding a bow (Fig. I.), sometimes shooting his arrows against the
Assyrians' enemies (Fig II.). This emblem has been variously explained;
but the most probable conjecture would seem to be that the circle
typifies eternity, while the wings express omnipresence, and the human
figure symbolizes wisdom or intelligence. The emblem appears under many
varieties. Sometimes the figure which issues from it has no bow, and is
represented as simply extending the right hand (Fig. III.); occasionally
both hands are extended, and the left holds a ring or chaplet (Fig.
IV.). [PLATE CXLI., Fig. 1.] In one instance we see a very remarkable
variation: for the complete human figure is substituted a mere pair of
hands, which seem to come from behind the winged disk, the right open
and exhibiting the palm, the left closed and holding a bow. [PLATE
CXLI., Fig. 2.] In a large number of cases all sign of a person is
dispensed with, the winged circle appearing alone, with the disk either
plain or ornamented. On the other hand, there are one or two instances
where the emblem exhibits three human heads instead of one--the central
figure having on either side of it, a head, which seems to rest upon the
feathers of the wing. [PLATE CXLI., Fig. 3.]

It is the opinion of some critics, based