The role of the past (and its links to the divine) in shaping Neo-Assyrian royal self-representation

亚述学家、考古学家和艺术史学家一致认为，新亚述帝国的国王们——最著名的是亚述巴尼拔（Ashurbanipal，公元前668-627年）——从事古物收藏是为了增强他们的王室权威，为他们的扩张野心服务。但是，新亚述国王和他们的学者是如何选择和访问过去的各个方面的——尤其是第三个千年后期的“神圣”国王所表达的视觉语言和概念，尤其是以撒哈顿（公元前680-669年）和他的继承人所青睐的？为什么新亚述人除了文字之外，还使用图像来唤起过去？而且，我们应该如何理解新亚述图像中过去的实现与统治者的动机有关，首先，确保顺利继承-关注的是在诸如以撒哈顿的继承条约等文本中看到的-其次，将亚述的民族之神，被认为与其他美索不达米亚神根本不同的亚述神，整合到视觉表现中？

Assyriologists, archaeologists and art historians agree that the kings of the Neo-Assyrian Empire - most notably, Ashurbanipal (668-627 BCE) - engaged in antiquarianism to enhance their royal authority in service of their expansionist ambitions. But how were aspects of the past - especially the visual language and concepts articulated by the "divine" kings of the later part of the third millennium, which were particularly favoured by Esarhaddon (680-669 BCE) and his heirs - selected and accessed by Neo-Assyrian kings and their scholars? Why did the Neo-Assyrians use imagery, in addition to writing, to evoke the past? And, how should we understand the realisation of the past in Neo-Assyrian imagery to relate to rulers' motivations to, first, ensure a smooth succession - concerns about which are otherwise witnessed in texts such as Esarhaddon's succession treaties - and, secondly, integrate Assyria's national god, Assur, considered to be fundamentally different from other Mesopotamian deities, into visual representations?