Vultures carrying off the Limbs of the Slain (litho)

Vultures carrying off the Limbs of the Slain. The powerful city of Lagash was continually at war with the other city-states of Babylonia. The chief historical record of these campaigns is generally known as the "Stele of the Vultures," from the carving at its head representing these birds carrying off in their talons the severed limbs of the slain. The Sumerians generally left their dead enemies unburied on the field of battle, that their spirits might wander about and have no rest. Illustration for Hutchinson's History of the Nations (Hutchinson, c.1920). Note: Image has been digitally enhanced to facilitate repro.