Massive Assyrian stele found in Nineveh

A joint team of Iraqi and American archaeologists have unearthed a large Late Assyrian stele near the Sun Gate of Nineveh in Mosul, Iraq. It dates to the 7th century B.C. and lists building projects ordered by Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria from 668 to 627 B.C. Its monumental size and the information engraved on it makes it one of the most important records of an Assyrian monarch.

The stele is 6.6 feet tall and 5.1 wide and was carved out of a single block of Mosul marble. It has a semi-circular top and a rectangular body. The front side is engraved with a large relief of Ashurbanipal, characterized by a bronze helmet. Two smaller reliefs on the back are also believed to depict Assyrian kings. They are accompanied by a cuneiform inscription. It has not been fully deciphered yet, but preliminary translations describe buildings constructed in Nineveh and elsewhere in the Assyrian empire.

The Sun Gate, also known as the Shamash Gate or Bab Shamash, is one of gates in the city’s massive defensive walls. It is on the eastern wall and is still being used as a gate for car traffic today.

Many of Nineveh’s sites, including parts of its walls and the Mosul Museum, were damaged or destroyed by the Islamic State between 2014 and 2017.

Restoration work resumed after Mosul’s liberation, including a continuing project at the Sun Gate run with the University of Chicago’s Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures. Officials say the stele was found during that work.

Authorities have not decided where the Assyrian stele will be displayed permanently, though officials say it could remain near Iraq’s Sun Gate or move to the planned Mosul Civilization Museum.

* This article was originally published here