Archaeologists from Heidelberg University have made a discovery in Iraq, unearthing fragments of a monumental bas-relief dating back to the 7th century BCE in the throne room of the North Palace of King Ashurbanipal in ancient Nineveh.
Nineveh, located near the modern city of Mosul, was the capital of the Assyrian Empire and remains one of the most important archaeological sites in Mesopotamia. Under King Sennacherib, Nineveh became the empire's capital in the late eighth century BCE, solidifying its status as a center of power and culture in the ancient world.
The giant stone slab measures 5.5 meters in length, 3 meters high, and weighs approximately 12 tons.
"Among the many relief images of Assyrian palaces we know of, there are no depictions of major deities," said Professor Aaron Schmitt, the head of the excavations, according to Phys.org.
The relief shows King Ashurbanipal flanked by the god Ashur and the goddess Ishtar, the patroness of Nineveh. Following the deities are a fish genius, who grants the gods and the sovereign salvation and life, and a supporting figure with arms raised, most likely to be restored as a scorpion-man. "These figures suggest that a massive winged sun disk was originally mounted above the relief," explained Schmitt, according to Phys.org.
The relief was originally located in a niche across from the main entrance to the throne room, the most important place in the palace. The Heidelberg researchers discovered the relief fragments in an earth-filled pit behind this niche. The fragments have been preserved because they were buried in a pit during the Hellenistic period (3rd–2nd centuries BCE), allowing them to avoid the attention of previous researchers. "The fact that these fragments were buried is surely one reason why the British archaeologists never found them over a hundred years ago," Schmitt assumes, according to Phys.org.
At the end of the 19th century, British researchers first explored the North Palace of ancient Nineveh and discovered large-scale reliefs, which are now on exhibit in London's British Museum. Since 2022, Schmitt and his team have been investigating the Kuyunjik mound in the core sector of the North Palace built by King Ashurbanipal. The excavations are conducted as part of the Heidelberg Nineveh project, begun in 2018 under the direction of Professor Stefan Maul of the Department of Languages and Cultures of the Near East at Heidelberg University.
Over the coming months, based on the data collected on site, the researchers will investigate the depiction in detail as well as the find context and publish the results in a scientific journal. As agreed with the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH), the medium-term plan is to place the relief on its original site and open it to the public. The scientists plan to return the relief to its original location in the niche across from the main entrance to the throne room, allowing future visitors to appreciate it in its historical context.
The discovery offers new insights into the art and religion of the Assyrian Empire during the reign of King Ashurbanipal. Over the coming months, the team will analyze the relief and its context to gain a deeper understanding of its significance.
The discovery is reported on the official website of Heidelberg University.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.