Fascinating, the second image attached to
https://twitter.com/FedeItaliano76/status/143532682797161267... is good too -- I'm not settled in that confirming the second hypothesis (surface use), as the Twitter user says, it seems to me to also give stronger weight to the first (under water use).
In this image the 'goatskin' users appear fully clothed in dresses (could they be scale armour or other weighted clothing), only one has a beard. A person without a goatskin appears "above" them (could be behind depending on perspective) and IMO appears to be getting shot with arrows. The "divers" aren't wearing onion-shaped helmets. The goatskins appear to be fixed to the belts on their waists.
One could interpret this as showing underwater swimming to avoid archers.
Perhaps it was an idea, rather than a practiced activity? Maybe the goatskin has rocks in it too, to balance buoyancy? Perhaps the carrying a rock bit was not shown for fear of letting enemies in on the idea!?!
[But yes, more probably a floatation device; fun to speculate though. Would particularly be interested to look at perspective in Assyrian bas reliefs]
Really interesting, would love to hear some Assyrian historians debate this.
In this image the 'goatskin' users appear fully clothed in dresses (could they be scale armour or other weighted clothing), only one has a beard. A person without a goatskin appears "above" them (could be behind depending on perspective) and IMO appears to be getting shot with arrows. The "divers" aren't wearing onion-shaped helmets. The goatskins appear to be fixed to the belts on their waists.
One could interpret this as showing underwater swimming to avoid archers.
Perhaps it was an idea, rather than a practiced activity? Maybe the goatskin has rocks in it too, to balance buoyancy? Perhaps the carrying a rock bit was not shown for fear of letting enemies in on the idea!?!
[But yes, more probably a floatation device; fun to speculate though. Would particularly be interested to look at perspective in Assyrian bas reliefs]
Really interesting, would love to hear some Assyrian historians debate this.