Stela of Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 B.C.), from Nimrud. The king holds a mace, symbol of authority, in his left hand, and extends the right, with forefinger outstretched as if he has just snapped his fingers, in a gesture of respect and supplication towards the symbols of five gods. The helmet decorated with horns represents the supreme gods, here naturally Ashur; the winged disc, a symbol that probably originated in Egypt, stands for the sun god, shamash; the crescent, within a full circle, is the emblem of the moon god, Sin; the undulating line or fork is the thunderbolt of the storm god, Adad; and a star, the planet Venus, signifies Ishtar, goddess of love and war. The king wears a row of similar symbols on his chest, with a Maltese cross instead of a winged disc for the sun.

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