NEO-ASSYRIAN 1100 - 612 - Lot 7

NEO-ASSYRIAN 1100 - 612 Bouterolle engraving: Scene depicting a classic theme from Assyrian legend, "The Battle of Bel and the Dragon" or "Bel and the Serpent". In the field, symbols of Shamash (the sun god) and Sin (the Moon), the stars... Chalcedony cylinder seal. (22.32 x 15.25 mm) Limestone residue. Very beautiful. In chapter 14 of the Book of Daniel, Cyrus the Persian succeeds King Astyage. Daniel, a respected man, refuses to worship the Babylonian idol Bel, affirming his attachment to the one God. The idol's priests claim to prove the existence of their divinity, by showing the disappearance of offerings, supposedly consumed by the statue. Daniel exposes the deception, destroys the idol and reveals the deception of the priests who entered the temple by night through a secret passage and ate the offerings. Later, Daniel is confronted with a serpent worshipped by the Babylonians. The king, seeking to convince him to worship it, authorizes Daniel to kill the snake. Using a surprising method, Daniel feeds it a mixture that kills it. This leads to the indignation of the Babylonians, who accuse the king of converting to Judaism. The situation worsens when the Babylonians threaten the king with violence if he does not hand over Daniel. Forced to do so, the king has Daniel thrown into a lion's den, where he remains for six days. Miraculously, Daniel survives, fed by an angel sent by God and the prophet Habakkuk. The king is moved and recognizes the greatness of Daniel's God. Those who had plotted against Daniel were thrown into the lions' den and devoured.