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

亚述学家、考古学家和艺术历史学家一致认为，新亚述帝国的国王--最著名的是阿什巴尼帕尔(公元前668-627年)--从事古物主义，以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使用过去的一些方面的呢？尤其是在第三个千年后期，伊萨哈顿(公元前680-669年)和他的继承人特别喜欢用视觉语言和概念来表述过去的历史。为什么新亚述人除了书写外，还要用意象来唤起过去？而且，我们应该如何理解新亚述意象中对过去的认识，以与尺子的动机相联系，第一，确保平稳继承--关于这一点的担忧在以萨哈登的继承条约等文本中得到了见证--第二，将被认为与美索不达米亚其他神根本不同的亚述民族神阿苏尔整合到视觉表现中？

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?