LAMASU is a half lion and half cow monster in Assyrian and Babylonian mythology, which protects the temples and palaces of Assyrians. They have wings, can fly, and have great power.
RAMASU has a strong body of beasts, but also has a human head and face, as well as the hair and hair of Assyrians and hats, with huge wings flapping behind him.

RAMASU is the first half lion and half bull monster in Assyrian and Babylonian mythology, which protects the temples and palaces of Assyrians. They have wings, can fly, and have great power. Corresponding to this is Shedu, a winged monster with a head and a cow, who together with RAMASU guards Assyrian temples and palaces.
Different animals, or combinations between animals and people, are common themes in ancient mythology and art, such as the "Centaur" of ancient Greece or the "Kamala" of Etrusca. "RAMASU" is no exception. It has a strong body of beasts, but it also has a human head and face, as well as the whiskers, hair and hats of Assyrians, with huge wings flapping behind it. Compared with the wildness and impulse represented by the "Centaur", RAMASU is more rational, powerful and imperial. They are the guards of palaces, the patrons of Assyrians, intelligent humans, ubiquitous birds, powerful lions and bulls, reflecting the powerful power of Assyrian kingship.

"RAMASU" is the creation of Assyrians. Its basic form is a human head, lion body and winged statue integrated with the wall. It is called "RAMASU" in Assyrian culture [1]. As a kind of architectural decoration sculpture, RAMASU is an outstanding representative, which widely exists in the palace of Assyrian kings [1]. As a kind of art rather than a work of art, "RAMASU" has a variety of locations, some of which are located at the entrance of the city gate [1].
When the foreign emissary presented himself to the Assyrian king, the moment he entered the gate, he would first be wrapped and wrapped by these two four meter high beasts. He could not help but tremble in the beast's magical eyes. This can be regarded as a psychological tactic 2700 years ago [1].
Sagon II castle is located in a castle surrounded by walls. The castle was established at about the same time, with a total length of about 1.6 kilometers. The main building material is mud bricks, but the periphery of the wall base is covered with thick stone slabs, called orthostats, which is a feature of Assyrian architecture. The unique system of Assyrian palaces appeared in the 13th century BC. Atriums everywhere and rows of rooms are not arranged in an axial manner, but in a diagonal manner. Therefore, the connection between one space and another space is not above the axis. The first large atrium is nearly 90 meters square. In its corner, there is a door leading to the corner of the second rectangular courtyard. On the longer one, there is a room for the throne. Its symmetry can be seen in the design of various units, the most prominent of which is the magnificent entrance. At the entrance, there is a sculpture in the shape of a large bull with a head and wings, called LAMASU, which is believed to be the patron saint who can drive away evil spirits.
There are not only large-scale narrative relief art on the walls of sagon II's castle, but also the RAMASU at the entrance of the palace, that is, the "beast with human face, ox body and wings", which is one of the masterpieces of Assyrian relief art. People believe that it is a patron saint who can drive away evil spirits. It guards every entrance, and all foreign envoys, princes and petitioners must pass through it before entering the room where the throne is placed. Similar RAMASU stone carvings also guard the entrance of other palaces. Although its appearance is huge and frightening, it has carefully carved details: Curly beard, feathers on eagle wings, muscles and blood vessels on legs, which can be regarded as an unforgettable example in architectural sculpture. The earliest RAMASU appeared in Nimrud, which can be traced back to the early 9th century BC. Some of its bodies were lions rather than bulls. Nevertheless, some Assyrian RAMASU have characteristics that are not found elsewhere. In other words, they stand upright from the front, but they walk slowly from the side. From a special angle, you can find that they have five feet. Obviously, they should be regarded as two reliefs linked together at some correct angle, rather than from an all-round perspective. Assyrian relief art works mostly take the military expedition of the king as the theme, and adopt a horizontal way on the slate to show a large number of images of people, horses and chariots. It was good at expressing narrative and solemn images, and spread to the Mediterranean region with the expansion of the Empire, which certainly had some influence on the later artistic style of the Mediterranean region.