-
MOSUL, Iraq - During the renovation process of the Mashki gate in Mosul, which was bulldozed by the Islamic State in 2016, eight marble carvings dating back to 2,700 years ago were unearthed.
This discovery was made in the east of Mosul by an Iraqi and American excavation team finishing the reconstruction work. The carvings date back to Assyrian kings ruling the ancient city of Nineveh.
In around 700 BC, the Mashki Gate, meaning the gate of God, was built by King Sennacherib as the entrance to the capital of the Assyrian empire.
Archaeologists found seven marble slabs and they say the inscriptions on them date back to 2,725 years ago.
“This artifact was found underground and it shows that these stones belong to the palace of King Sennacherib. There are carvings of inscriptions and hunting scenes on the wall, as well as the Assyrian army, trees, and scenes of nature of the Rafideen Valley,” Khairadin Ahmad, an archaeologist, told Rudaw’s Hunar Rashid on Tuesday.
According to historians, the fragments were destroyed during the reign of King Sin Shar Iskon, in order to keep his name alive after the fall of the Assyrian Empire.
The discovery of these carving pallets offers insightful pieces of information about the history of the Neo- Assyrian Empire.
This discovery was made in the east of Mosul by an Iraqi and American excavation team finishing the reconstruction work. The carvings date back to Assyrian kings ruling the ancient city of Nineveh.
In around 700 BC, the Mashki Gate, meaning the gate of God, was built by King Sennacherib as the entrance to the capital of the Assyrian empire.
Archaeologists found seven marble slabs and they say the inscriptions on them date back to 2,725 years ago.
“This artifact was found underground and it shows that these stones belong to the palace of King Sennacherib. There are carvings of inscriptions and hunting scenes on the wall, as well as the Assyrian army, trees, and scenes of nature of the Rafideen Valley,” Khairadin Ahmad, an archaeologist, told Rudaw’s Hunar Rashid on Tuesday.
According to historians, the fragments were destroyed during the reign of King Sin Shar Iskon, in order to keep his name alive after the fall of the Assyrian Empire.
The discovery of these carving pallets offers insightful pieces of information about the history of the Neo- Assyrian Empire.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment