Excavations at Nimrud, which was once the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, have revealed some intriguing new finds. This effort, part of the Penn Nimrud Project under the Iraq Heritage Stabilization Program (IHSP), seeks to preserve and restore cultural heritage damaged by the destructive actions of ISIS between 2014 and 2017. The project, led by the Penn Museum in collaboration with Iraqi archaeologists, focuses on the Temple of Ninurta and its Ziggurat, two key structures of Nimrud that were ravaged.
Nimrud, which appears in Assyrian texts as Kalhu and in the Bible as Calah, was the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the time of King Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BCE). Historically significant as one of the world’s earliest empires, Nimrud holds a central place in Iraq’s cultural identity. Its grandeur was revealed by excavations in the 19th century by Sir Austen Henry Layard and in the 20th century by Sir Max Mallowan, but many areas of the site, including the Temple of Ninurta, remained underexplored until recent years.
In 2024, during the third excavation season, researchers uncovered two imposing shrines within the Temple of Ninurta that had survived extraordinarily intact. Inside the larger shrine was a massive stone dais that bore cuneiform inscriptions of texts attributed to King Ashurnasirpal II. The smaller shrine contained a damaged dais surrounded by fragments of statues and religious artifacts, illustrating how the temple was destroyed in the fall of the Assyrian Empire — around 614–612 BCE.
The discoveries at Nimrud include a diverse array of artifacts. The most significant one is a kudurru, or stone monument, made in 797 BCE. Inscribed in cuneiform, the monument records a royal decree by King Adad-Nerari III (811–783 BCE), granting the governorship of Hindanu, a strategic region along the Euphrates River, to Nergal-Eresh of Rasappa. Dr. Michael Danti, the IHSP program director, further explained the significance of this find: “The kudurru strongly emphasizes that no one may refute Nergal-Eresh’s claim to his new territory. It includes a list of curses for those who violate the agreement, damage the stela, or remove it from the temple.”
The team also found clay tablets covered with cuneiform, a writing system that recorded economic transactions of the temple, including loans of silver and lists of goods. An Aramaic note, whose presence reflects the linguistic diversity of the late Assyrian Empire, was also found among these records. Other artifacts include a stone bowl embedded in the shrine’s floor for libations, fragments of statues, glazed pottery, carved ivories, and the sculpted head of a griffin.
The temple was dedicated to Ninurta, the god of war and agriculture, who held a central role in the Assyrian state religion. Despite being looted and burned by invaders from Babylonia and Media, the temple’s sudden collapse during its destruction preserved numerous artifacts. The team even found preserved cedarwood from Lebanon, which had been used in the construction of the temple—a detail confirmed by inscriptions from the reign of King Ashurnasirpal II.
“These discoveries offer a rare opportunity to reconstruct the religious practices of the Assyrians and understand the wealth and influence of their empire,” Dr. Danti said. The results illustrate the extensive trade networks of the Assyrian Empire, military conquests, and cultural achievements, which were pivotal in shaping early civilizations.
Nimrud is planned to be opened to tourism in the near future as a historical treasure and a symbol of resilience.
More information: Penn Museum
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