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Lamassu were protective deities from the ancient Mesopotamian religion often depicted with a bull or lion's body, eagle's wings and a human head. They were placed at the entrances of houses or even cities.
They have five legs, so that from the front they appear to be standing while from the side they appear to be walking. This was intentionally done to make them seem powerful.
Casts of two Lamassu from ancient Nimrud (around 1350 BC) are standing in the Assyrian Room of the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany. The originals are located in the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad.
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