ABSTRACT
Despite being thoroughly sacked and then set on fire by Sargon of Akkad’s army, the Royal Palace G produced much fragmentary yet significant evidence of various forms of artistic expression in the age of the Archives and allowed a reconstruction of many central aspects of the city’s figurative culture, albeit occasionally tentative. Wall panels would seem to have been the most common type of artistic product from the Royal Palace, judging from the sheer quantity of finds. While probably considerably varied in terms of technique, they were almost always made of different materials, and each had clearly defined uses, subsumed however under the final function of commemorating royal power and the city administration. In terms of meaning and function, it is difficult to find a single theme in the figures and scenes of the wood-carving on palace furniture.
