The God Aššur in the Maltai Rock Reliefs: A Historical Study

Abstract

Religion occupied a central place in the lives of ancient societies and was among the principal forces shaping their institutions, collective behaviour, customs, legal traditions, and artistic production. Religious ideas provided not only a framework for ritual practice, but also a language through which political authority and social order were articulated. Within the Neo-Assyrian state, Aššur stood at the apex of the divine hierarchy and functioned simultaneously as the tutelary god of the city of Aššur, the national deity of Assyria, and the ultimate source of royal legitimacy. This study examines the religious and political significance of Aššur as represented in the Maltai rock reliefs, with particular attention to the procession of deities, the position of Sennacherib, and the use of monumental imagery as a medium of imperial communication.