Archaeologists have uncovered an incredible find at Kuyunjik Hill in Mosul. They discovered this massive monumental relief of King Assurbanipal, the last great ruler of the Assyrian Empire. One of the most intriguing findings was made by researchers from Heidelberg University. They revealed a fascinating artifact from ancient history that speaks to the impact of Assyrian art and its royal legacy.
King Assurbanipal ruled from 668 to 627 BC and is portrayed in the relief accompanied by two prominent deities: Assur, the chief god of the Assyrian pantheon, and Ištar, the city goddess of Nineveh. Their most profound find has been this mesmerizing representation in the great throne room of the North Palace itself. It would probably have occupied a high place in a wall niche facing the main entrance.
The relief is sculptured out of a single stone slab that is over five metres long and three metres high. It’s pretty hefty, coming in around 12 tonnes. The elaborate layout exhibits the compelling craftsmanship that was dominant in its period. Scholars’ best guess is that it was produced at the Hellenistic period, around the third or second century BC.
Prof. Dr. Aaron Schmitt heads the investigative team responsible for this exciting development. He is a member of the Heidelberg Nineveh Project, which started in 2018 under the direction of Professor Stefan Maul. Schmitt gave background information about the relief’s artistic context and how it had previously been hidden from view.
“Among the numerous relief depictions of Assyrian palaces known to us, there is no depiction of the great deities,” – Prof. Dr. Aaron Schmitt
Today, this recent excavation has revealed an extraordinary range of Relief. It casts an eerie glow on the historic importance of the North Palace—a veritable museum, conceived and created by King Assurbanipal himself. The site is located on the left bank of the Tigris River, near a smaller tributary. Underneath contemporary Mosul, you’ll find deep roots of the ancient Assyrian civilization.
By the end of the 19th century, British archaeologists had started digging into this space. They discovered enormous reliefs of the originals, which now are prominently featured in the British Museum. Despite their efforts, though, they didn’t discover this specific relief – probably because it’s buried several layers of soil deep.
“The fact that the fragments were buried is certainly one of the reasons why the British archaeologists did not find them more than a hundred years ago,” – Aaron Schmitt
This relief depicts the reign of King Assurbanipal. It equally poses deep, fascinating questions about what its historic context was, and should be. The reconstruction shows that the relief was originally surmounted by an enormous winged sun disc. This little tidbit provides yet another deep layer of cultural significance to the piece.
“These figures suggest that a giant winged sun disc was originally placed above the relief,” – Aaron Schmitt
This remarkable find opens a unique window into the world as seen by Assyrian kings like Assurbanipal while they were in power. It shows the best ways they conversed with their gods. Prof. Schmitt recognizes that even though these portrayals are very magnificent, they might represent contradictory views of domination and divinity.
“We don’t know whether they had a negative attitude towards the Assyrian king and the Assyrian gods,” – Aaron Schmitt
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