Monumental Relief for the Discovery of the Nineveh Palace – History Blog

A large number of huge relief was found in the palace of Nineveh, the ancient capital of the Assyrian Empire near modern Mosul, Iraq. Relief dates back around 645-635 B.C., depicting the king and two main gods, accompanied by other unknown figures. The discovery is both its vast scale and depiction of the gods, both unprecedented. No other descriptions of the God of God and Ishtar were found in any Assyrian palace.

A team of archaeologists from the University of Heidelberg discovered relief fragments in the throne room of the King’s palace in the north. It is carved onto a slate of 5.5 meters (18 feet) in length, 3 meters (9.8 feet) in height and weighs 12 tons.

At the center of the newly discovered relief is a portrayal of King Ashurbanipal, the last great ruler of the Assyrian Empire. On both sides of him are two high gods: Ashur and the city goddess of Nineveh. Behind these is a fish genius who grants redemption and life to the gods and rulers, as well as supportive figures with elevated weapons. This number may be reconstructed as a Scorpion Man. “These numbers indicate that the huge winged sun disk was initially placed above the relief.” [excavation leader] Aaron Schmitt.

Archaeologists estimate that there is a jaw-dropping 10-mile wall relief in the palace of Nineveh. The northern palace was destroyed in 612 B.C., shattering all these wall reliefs into pieces. When British archaeologists excavated in the mid-19th century, they took back the massive relief that is now in the British Museum. Low relief carvings include lion hunting, fighting, banquet, diplomacy, rituals and domestic scenes with the king as the protagonist.

According to Professor Schmidt, relief was originally located at the most important position of the palace, opposite the front entrance of the throne room. Heidelberg researchers found relief fragments in a soil-filled pit behind this niche. It was probably created in the Greek period in the third century BC or the second century BC. Professor Schmidt suspected: “The fact that the burial debris were buried is undoubtedly one of the reasons why British archaeologists did not find them more than a hundred years ago.” In consultation with the State Antiquities Administration of Iraq (SBAH), there were plans to restore its original location in the medium term and allow the public to visit its original location.