Britannica Sources used in this answer

How did Assyrian artists carve the large stone relief panels called orthostats?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The Great Ziggurat of Ur in Iraq, a massive ancient brick structure with broad staircases and terraced levels, stands alone in a barren landscape. — Mesopotamian art and architecture Ziggurat at Ur (modern Tall al-Muqayyar, Iraq), constructed c. 2100 bce.

Assyrian artists created the large stone relief panels known as orthostats by carving them in situ—meaning they were placed in their final position along the bases of interior wall faces before the walls themselves were completed.1

By positioning the slabs in this manner, the sculptors were able to execute their work in full daylight. These orthostats served as a continuous frieze of architectural ornament, a practice that emerged as a distinct Assyrian innovation during the first quarter of the 9th century BCE. The process involved transforming large stone slabs into detailed narrative scenes, which often depicted the achievements of the king, such as military conquests or hunting expeditions, through carefully observed and stylistically vital imagery.1