They used it for almost every purpose to which mimetic art is applicable; to express their religious feelings and ideas, to glorify their kings, to hand down to posterity the nation's history and its deeds of prowess, to depict home scenes and domestic occupations, to represent landscape and architecture, to imitate animal and vegetable forms, even to illustrate the mechanical methods which they employed in the construction of those vast architectural works of which the reliefs were the principal ornamentation.

It is not too much to say that we know the Assyrians, not merely artistically, but historically and ethnologically, _chiefly_ through their bas reliefs, which seem to represent to us almost the entire life of the people.
The reliefs may be divided under five principal heads:--1, War scenes, including battles, sieges, devastations of an enemy's country, naval expeditions, and triumphant returns from foreign war, with the trophies and fruits of victory; 2.

Religious scenes, either mythical or real; 3.
Processions generally of tribute-bearers, bringing the produce of their several countries to the Great King; 4.

hunting and sporting scenes, including the chase of savage animals, and of animals sought for food, the spreading of nets, the shooting of birds, and the like; and 5.
Scenes of ordinary life, as those representing the transport and erection of colossal bulls, landscapes, temples, interiors, gardens, etc.
The earliest art is that of the most ancient palaces at Nimrud.

It belongs to the latter part of the tenth century before our era; the time of Asa in Judaea, of Omri and Ahab in Samaria, and of the Sheshonks in Egypt.