Assyrian - Relief of a Kneeling Soldier - Walters 216

This relief from King Ashurbanipal's palace at Nineveh shows an Assyrian soldier kneeling next to a besieged Elamite city wall. Holding his round shield over him for protection, he scrapes at the mud-brick fortification with his dagger in order to weaken the structure. During Ashurbanipal's reign in the final years of Assyria's military glory, large-scale siege scenes covered the palace walls.