序一
“英雄与世长存，纵使毁灭，也只是他存在的凭借。”过去一年，我们通过“古希腊人：运动员、战士与英雄”特展，跟随胜利女神感受克里特岛不变的竞争底色。冬去春来，我们将关注世界的目光转向亚洲，在一片新月沃土之上，亚述最后一位强大的国王正乘坐战车，携笔佩剑，穿越历史迷雾盛装而来。
在希腊作家笔下，两河流域的历史样貌各不相同。不过，亚述的灭亡始终是圣经和古希腊罗马文学中记载的标志性事件。古典史家也一度“偏爱”亚述这一主题，其中不乏文学作品将亚述王描绘成穷奢极侈和道德腐化的形象，也有与古巴比伦王国混淆的现象。直至19世纪，亚述学兴起，不断涌现的考古发现才重新审视了这一刻板印象，确立了亚述为古代世界伟大文明之一的地位。此次展览，我们以“亚述巴尼拔”为主线，全方位、多层次地呈现这个曾被历史遗忘的国度。
“亚述”这个关键词，在中文语境中可能并不耳熟能详。在两河文明几千年的历史上，亚述文明虽几经沉浮，但其作为国家或相对独立的地区一直存在。倘若横向对比，则会发现同一时期的古代中国正处于周朝（公元前1046—前256年）。两地虽无频繁的直接交流，但都经历了社会大变革时期，不约而同地在疆域拓展、城市建设、区域文化交融上取得了各自的成就。或许，踏入亚述巴尼拔的宫殿，我们就能获得启发和共鸣。
亚述巴尼拔在位时，正是亚述帝国的顶峰。这位领导“战争机器”的君主不仅使帝国达到了版图的极限，而且完成了历任国王未竟的事业—彻底征服了邻近的埃兰人。他常通过大型皇家猎狮等活动来展示自身的力量，证明自己有能力战胜混乱，带来安定。管理庞大复杂的亚述帝国靠的不仅仅是武力，亚述巴尼拔还兼具学者、外交家、图书馆馆长等多重身份。他“精通书写艺术”，致力于区域互通，帝国上下不断涌入新的语言表达、金银财宝、手工艺品和思想文化；他建立的皇家图书馆，将美索不达米亚所有的书面知识集中在同一屋檐之下。集中的文化知识与大范围的征战，无疑扩大了亚述文化的传播和影响。
本次展览的近150件文物，来自亚述巴尼拔的宫殿、花园、图书馆等场所，通过浮雕、家具、配饰等文物展示了亚述王当时的奢华生活，以及考古学和亚述学的最新研究成果。值得关注的是，展览大部分文物是首次在国际巡展中展出。美索不达米亚最著名的文学作品—《吉尔伽美什史诗》系列泥板文物也是首次出境。
草木蔓发，春山可望。暮春时节，苏州博物馆携手大英博物馆的世界文明史系列展览第三期“亚述之王：亚述巴尼拔”如约而至，我们期待观众跟随展览步入如田园诗般的亚述御花园，探寻古亚述更广阔的世界。
谢晓婷
苏州博物馆馆长
进入展厅
FOREWORD
‘The hero lives on, and even his destruction was only a pretext for his existence.’ Over the past year, we have followed the Goddess of Victory to feel the unchanging competition spirit of the Crete Island through the special exhibition Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes. As winter turns to spring, our focus now shifts to Asia. On the Mesopotamia plain, the last mighty king of Assyria in full regalia is sitting in a chariot, armed with a stylus and a sword, coming to us through the mists of history.
According to Greek writers, the history of the Mesopotamia varied significantly. However, the fall of Assyria has always been an iconic event recorded in both the Bible and the literature of ancient Greece and Rome. Classical historians also ‘favoured’ Assyria for a time, though their literary works often portrayed Assyrian kings as extravagantly wealthy and morally corrupt, sometimes even confusing Assyria with the ancient Babylonian kingdom. It was not until the 19th century, with the rise of Assyriology, that the emergence of archaeological discoveries revisited this stereotype and established Assyria as one of the great civilizations of the ancient world. In this exhibition, we centre around ‘King Ashurbanipal’, presenting a comprehensive and multi-layered view of this once-forgotten kingdom.
The key word ‘Assyria’ may not be familiar to the Chinese people. In the several millennia of the Mesopotamian civilization, although it has experienced vicissitudes, Assyrian civilization has been in existence as a state or as a relatively independent region. A horizontal comparison reveals that ancient China was in the midst of the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC) during the same period. Although there was no frequent direct communication between the two regions, they both went through a period of great social transformations. They independently achieved their own successes in the expansion of their boundaries, the construction of cities, and the integration of regional cultures. Perhaps, by stepping into the palace of Ashurbanipal, we can gain inspiration and empathy.
During the reign of Ashurbanipal, the Assyrian empire reached its peak. The king, who led the ‘war machine’, not only brought his territory to its fullest, but also accomplished what no other king had done - the complete conquest of the neighbouring Elamites. He often demonstrated his power through events such as the spectacular royal lion hunts, proving his ability to overcome chaos and bring stability. Managing the vast and complex Assyrian empire was not just a matter of force, Ashurbanipal was also a scholar, a diplomat, and a librarian. He had ‘mastered the scribal arts’ and was committed to regional intercommunication, with new languages, gold and silver treasures, handicraft works, and ideas pouring in from all over the region. He also established his royal library, which centralized all the written knowledge of Mesopotamia under one roof. The centralized knowledge, along with the extensive conquests, undoubtedly expanded the spread and influence of Assyrian culture.
Nearly 150 objects in this exhibition, from the palace, garden, library and other places of Ashurbanipal, showcase the luxurious life of the Assyrian king at that time, as well as the latest research results in archaeology and Assyriology, through reliefs, furniture and accessories. Notably, most of the objects in the exhibition are on display for the first time in an international touring exhibition. The clay tablets of The Epic of Gilgamesh, the most famous literary work in Mesopotamia, are also out of the UK for the first time.
In the pleasant colours of late spring, Suzhou Museum and the British Museum have joined hands to present the third exhibition I am Ashurbanipal: King of Assyria of the World Civilization series. We hope visitors could follow the exhibition to enter the idyllic royal garden, and explore the wider world of ancient Assyria.
Xie Xiaoting
Director of Suzhou Museum
序二
能和苏州博物馆共同向中国观众展出“亚述之王：亚述巴尼拔”特展是大英博物馆的荣幸，这是我们合作的系列展览之一。
本次展览通过亚述巴尼拔的宫殿雕饰、图书馆中的楔形文字泥板以及考古学家在两河流域发掘的大量文物来讲述他非凡的故事。新颖的展陈和新的发现将亚述巴尼拔统治时期的动荡故事、其宫殿和图书馆的辉煌、其兄长叛乱的惨败以及他对所有反抗者的无情打击娓娓道来。展览于最后一单元展望未来，为子孙后代保护该国的历史，其中包括亚述巴尼拔的故事。
亚述巴尼拔是亚述最后一位伟大的国王，亚述的中心地带位于今天的伊拉克。公元前七世纪，在他统治期间，亚述帝国达到鼎盛时期，疆域覆盖了从埃及到伊朗西部的广大地区。他的王都尼尼微（今摩苏尔境内）是当时最大的城市。装饰其宫殿墙壁的精美石刻浮雕是大英博物馆最重要的藏品之一。这些浮雕展示了亚述巴尼拔作为统治者的雄才大略，如他的军事胜利和壮观的皇家猎狮活动。
亚述巴尼拔指挥着一支令人恐惧的、如同战争机器一般的军队，并将自己塑造成一名英勇的战士，尽管与早期亚述君主不同，他并没有直接率领军队作战。军事征服之后便是攫取财富、驱逐和安置当地人口以及重建当地经济。亚述的扩张创造了一个互通的世界，一个前所未有的跨文化互动和交流的时代。货物和人员的流动将新的语言、技术、思想以及奢华艺术品带到了帝国内外。
对亚述巴尼拔来说，帝国的控制权也取决于知识，这使他有别于之前的统治者。亚述巴尼拔为自己的学识和博学感到自豪，他的腰带上经常插着一支刻写笔。他能读会写，还能与学者辩论，他在统治期间建立了一个涵盖所有知识领域的大型图书馆。
在这次展览中，140多件非凡的文物揭示了亚述最伟大的君主之一如何在世界历史上留下了不可磨灭的印记。展览展出了大英博物馆中东藏品中的明星文物，其中包括工艺精湛的象牙制品和宏伟的石刻浮雕。我们希望观众能从这次展览中得到启发，探索这个古老而真实的人类故事。
大英博物馆成立于1753年，是英国第一座国家级公共博物馆。从一开始，大英博物馆的使命就是成为“世界的博物馆，也为了世界”。这一精神一直支撑着我们今天的工作。我们很高兴能与苏州博物馆合作，通过与中国观众分享大英博物馆的藏品来实现这一重要目标。
马克·琼斯爵士
大英博物馆代理馆长
FOREWORD
The British Museum is delighted to present ‘I am Ashurbanipal: King of Assyria’, with Suzhou Museum, to audiences in China as part of our collaborative exhibition series.
The remarkable story of Ashurbanipal will be told in this exhibition through his palace sculptures, the cuneiform texts that survive from his library and the wealth of objects unearthed by archaeologists working in the region. Innovative displays and new discoveries bring to life the tumultuous story of Ashurbanipal’s reign, the splendour of his palace and library, the crushing defeat of his rebellious brother and his ruthless campaigns against all who defied him. The exhibition culminates in a look toward the future, as new collaborations with colleagues in Iraq preserve the country’s past, including the story of Ashurbanipal, for future generations.
Ashurbanipal was the last great king of Assyria, the heartland of which was located in present-day Iraq. During his reign, in the seventh century BC, the empire reached its peak, covering a vast area that extended from Egypt to western Iran. His royal capital at Nineveh, now located within modern Mosul, was the largest city in existence at the time. The exquisitely carved stone reliefs that adorned the walls of his palaces are among the most important holdings of the British Museum. They boast of Ashurbanipal’s prowess as a ruler, as depicted in his military victories and the spectacular royal lion hunts.
Ashurbanipal commanded a terrifying war machine and portrayed himself as a valiant warrior, even though, unlike earlier Assyrian monarchs, he did not directly lead his army into battle. Military conquest was followed by the extraction of wealth, the deportation and resettlement of conquered populations and the restructuring of local economies. Assyria’s expansion forged an interconnected world, an unprecedented age of cross-cultural interaction and communication. The movement of goods and people introduced new languages, technology, and ideas as well as luxury artworks across the empire and beyond.
For Ashurbanipal, control of the empire also rested on knowledge, setting him apart from his predecessors. Ashurbanipal was proud of his learning and erudition and was often depicted with a stylus tucked into his belt. He could read and write, and debate with scholars, and he assembled a great library covering all fields of knowledge during his reign.
In this exhibition, over 140 extraordinary objects reveal how one of the greatest Assyrian monarchs stamped an indelible mark on the history of the world. The exhibition presents star objects from the British Museum’s Middle Eastern collection, from delicately crafted ivory objects to grandiose stone reliefs. We hope that visitors will be inspired by this exhibition to explore this truly human story from the ancient past.
The British Museum was founded in 1753 as the first national public museum. From the outset its mission has been to be a ‘museum of the world, for the world’. This ethos continues to underpin our work today. We are delighted to work alongside the Suzhou Museum to fulfil this essential goal by sharing the Museum’s collection with audiences in China.
Interim Director of the British Museum