It isn’t hard to see why the Assyrians considered the massive and monumental Bull of Nimrud sculpture to be a guardian deity. Towering at an awe-inspiring 16 feet tall, this stone carving featured an imposing supernatural creature known as the lamassu. Bearing the face of a man, the body of a bull, and the wings of a bird, scholars argue that these features represented intelligence, strength, and freedom. This mythical being, often represented in ancient Mesopotamian reliefs, was a divine protector god, and its statue would frequently be seen standing guard outside the gates of Assyrian cities. This was the case in the city of Nimrud — an ancient city built over 3,000 years ago, which featured in the Book of Genesis. A similar human-headed winged bull (lamassu), also from Nimrud, on display at the MET. Lamassu were used to protect and support important doorways in Assyrian palaces. (Public domain) However, after surviving for three millennia, the Bull of Nimrud met its end in 2014 when Islamic State terrorists seized parts of northern Iraq and declared war on the city. Denouncing its historic sculptures as pagan, idolatrous, and worthy of destruction, ISIS militants filmed themselves defacing the site’s carvings with sledgehammers and drills before reducing the UNESCO site to rubble with explosives. Read moreSection: NewsHistory & ArchaeologyAncient PlacesAsiaHistoryAncient TraditionsPreviewRead Later