Editing Nimrud (section)

==Archaeology==
===Early writings and debate over name===
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| caption1  = 1851 sketch of Layard's expedition removing a [[Lamassu]]
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| caption2  = 1849 sketch of Layard's expedition transporting a [[Lamassu]]
| footer    = Many of Nineveh's archeological remains were transported to the major museums of the 19th century, including the [[British Museum]] and the [[Louvre]]
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====Nimrud====
The name Nimrud in connection with the site in Western writings was first used in the travelogue of [[Carsten Niebuhr]], who was in [[Mosul]] in March 1760. Niebuhr <ref name=Brill>[https://books.google.com/books?id=fWNpIGNFz0IC&pg=PA923 Brill's Encyclopedia of Islam 1913-36], p.923, "Nimrud": "At the present day the site is known only as Nimrud, which so far as I know first appears in Niebuhr (1778, p. 355, 368). When this, now the usual, name arose is unknown; I consider it to be of modern origin ... names like Nimrod, Tell Nimrod, etc. are not found in the geographical nomenclature of Mesopotamia and the Iraq in the Middle Ages, while they are several times met with at the present day."</ref>
<ref name="Niebuhr" group="note" />

In 1830, traveller [[James Silk Buckingham]] wrote of "two heaps called Nimrod-Tuppé and Shah-Tuppé... The Nimrod-Tuppé has a tradition attached to it, of a palace having been built there by Nimrod".<ref name="Buckingham1830">{{cite book|last=Buckingham|first=James Silk|author-link=James Silk Buckingham|title=Travels in Assyria, Media, and Persia, Including a Journey from Bagdad by Mount Zagros, to Hamadan, the Ancient Ecbatani, Researches in Ispahan and the Ruins of Persepolis, and Journey from Thence by Shiraz and Shapoor to the Sea-shore; Description of Bussorah, Bushire, Bahrein, Ormuz and Museat: Narrative of an Expedition Against the Pirates of the Persian Gulf, with Illustrations of the Voyage of Nearehus, and Passage by the Arabian Sea to Bombay|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T2RjAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA54|year=1830|publisher=H. Colburn|pages=54|quote=Our course now lay nearly east, over a plain, which brought us in half an hour to the two heaps called Nimrod-Tuppé and Shah-Tuppé, between which we passed, without seeing any thing remarkable in them, more than common mounds of earth; though they probably might have shown vestiges of former buildings had they been carefully examined, a task which I could not now step aside from the road to execute. The Nimrod-Tuppé has a tradition attached to it, of a palace having been built there by Nimrod; and the Shah-Tuppé is said by some to have been a pleasure-house; by others, to be the grave of an Eastern monarch, coming on a pilgrimage to Mecca from India, who, being pleased with the beauty of the situation, halted here to take up his abode, and ended his days on the spot.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bisi.ac.uk/sites/bisi.localhost/files/Curtis_et_al_New_Light_On_Nimrud.pdf |title=Julius Weber (1838–1906) and the Swiss Excavations at Nimrud in c.1860 together with Records of. Other Nineteenth-Century Antiquarian Researches at the Site |access-date=2019-02-25 |archive-date=2022-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110152233/http://www.bisi.ac.uk/sites/bisi.localhost/files/Curtis_et_al_New_Light_On_Nimrud.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

However, the name became the cause of significant debate amongst Assyriologists in the mid-nineteenth century, with much of the discussion focusing on the identification of four Biblical cities mentioned in [[Genesis 10]]: "From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, the city [[Rehoboth (Bible)|Rehoboth-Ir]], Calah and [[Resen (Bible)|Resen]]".<ref>{{Bibleverse|Genesis|10:11-10:12|KJV}}</ref>

====Larissa / Resen====
The site was described in more detail by the British traveler [[Claudius James Rich]] in 1820, shortly before his death.<ref name=Brill2/> Rich identified the site with the city of Larissa in [[Xenophon]], and noted that the locals "generally believe this to have been [[Nimrod]]'s own city; and one or two of the better informed with whom I conversed at Mousul said it was Al Athur or Ashur, from which the whole country was denominated."<ref name="Rich2" group="note">Rich (1836, p.129) described his interpretation as follows: "I was curious to inspect the ruins of Nimrod, which I take to be the Larissa of Xenophon. They were sufficiently visible from the shore to enable me to sketch the principal mount. About a quarter of a mile [400&nbsp;m] from the west face of the platform is the large village of Nimrod, sometimes called Deraweish. The Turks generally believe this to have been Nimrod's own city; and one or two of the better informed with whom I conversed at Mousul said it was Al Athur or Ashur, from which the whole country was denominated. It is curious that the villagers of Deraweish still consider Nimrod as their founder. The village story-tellers have a book they call the "Kisseh Nimrod," or Tales of Nimrod, with which they entertain the peasants on a winter night. [Footnote: In the name of this obscure place seems to be preserved that of the first settler of the country, and from this spot, perhaps, that name extended over the whole vast region. See Gen. x. 11 . "Out of that land went forth Ashur and builded Nineveh," &c.; or, as it has been rendered, "Out of that land he went forth into Ashur,"i.e. Assyria. The former translation seems the preferable one; and the position of this village is avourable to the supposition of its having received very early a name afterwards to become so celebrated.]"</ref>

The site of Nimrud was visited by [[William Francis Ainsworth]] in 1837.<ref name=Brill2/> Ainsworth, like Rich, identified the site with Larissa (Λάρισσα) of [[Xenophon]]'s ''[[Anabasis (Xenophon)|Anabasis]]'', concluding that Nimrud was the Biblical [[Resen (Bible)|Resen]] on the basis of [[Samuel Bochart|Bochart]]'s identification of Larissa with Resen on etymological grounds.<ref name=Ainsworth group="note" >[[William Francis Ainsworth]], who [https://books.google.com/books?id=_o1gAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA137 preferred the identification of Resen] with Nimrud (on the basis of [[Samuel Bochart|Bochart]]'s identification of [https://books.google.com/books?id=VrmtoGgKCScC&pg=RA1-PR27 Resen with Xenophon's Larissa]), summarised [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924026613327#page/n329/mode/2up the debate in 1855] as follows: "The learned Bochart first advanced the supposition that this Assyrian city was the same as the primeval city, called Resen in the Bible and that the Greeks having asked its name were answered, Al Resen, the article being prefixed, and from whence they made Larissa, in an easy transposition. I adopted this presumed identity as extremely probable, and Colonel Chesney (ii. 223) has done the same, not as an established fact, but as a presumed identity.&nbsp;... In 1846, Colonel Rawlinson, speaking of Nimrud, noticed it as probably the Rehoboth of Scripture, but he added in a note, 'I have no reason for identifying it with Rehoboth, beyond its evident antiquity, and the attribution of Resen and Calah to other sites.' (Journal of Roy. Asiat. Soc. vol. x. p. 26.) At this time Colonel Rawlinson identified Calah with Holwan or Sir Pul-i-Zohab, and Resen, or Dasen, with Yasin Teppeh in the plain of Sharizur in Kurdistan. In 1849 (Journ. of Roy. Asiat. Soc. vol. xi. p. 10), Colonel Rawlinson said, 'The Arabic geographers always give the title of Athur to the great ruined capital near the mouth of the Upper Zab. The ruins are now usually known by the name of Nimrud. It would seem highly probable that they represent the Calah of Genesis, for the Samaritan Pentateuch names this city Lachisa, which is evidently the same title as the Λάρισσα of Xenophon, the Persian r being very usually replaced both in Median and Babylonian by a guttural.' In 1850 (Journ. of Roy. Asiat. Soc. vol. xii.). Colonel Rawlinson added the discovery of a cuneiform inscription bearing the title Levekh, which he reads Halukh. 'Nimrud', says the distinguished palaeographist, 'the great treasure-house which has furnished us with all the most remarkable specimens of Assyrian sculpture, although very probably forming one of that group of cities, which in the time of the prophet Jonas, were known by the common name of Nineveh, has no claim, itself, I think, to that particular appellation. The title by which it is designated on the bricks and slabs that form its buildings, I read doubtfully as Levekh, and I suspect this to be the original form of the name which appears as Calah in Genesis, and Halah in Kings and Chronicles, and which indeed, as the capital of Calachene, must needs have occupied some site in the Immediate vicinity.' Lastly, in 1853 (Journ. of Roy. Asiat. Soc. vol. xv. p. vi. et seq.), Colonel Rawlinson describes the remarkable cylinder before alluded to as found at Kilah Shirgat, which establishes that site to have been the most ancient capital of the Assyrian empire, and to have been called Assur as well as Nimrud and Nineveh Proper. This Assur, we have seen, he identifies with the Tel Assur of the Targums, which is used for the Mosaic Resen; and instead, therefore, of Resen being between Nineveh and Calah, It should be Calah, which was between Nineveh and Resen. But, notwithstanding such very high authority, the conclusion thus arrived at does not appear to be perfectly satisfactory."</ref>

====Rehoboth====
The site was subsequently visited by James Phillips Fletcher in 1843. Fletcher instead identified the site with [[Rehoboth (Bible)|Rehoboth]] on the basis that the city of Birtha described by [[Ptolemy]] and [[Ammianus Marcellinus]] has the same etymological meaning as Rehoboth in Hebrew.<ref name="Fletcher" group="note">Fletcher (1850, p.75-78) described his thesis as follows: "The Tell of Nimroud and its lately discovered treasures have excited so much interest that I trust I may be pardoned if I interrupt the course of the narrative to bestow a few remarks on the identity of this site with that of the ancient city of Rehoboth, mentioned in Genesis x. 11. It is evident from the sculptures which have been discovered at Nimroud, that these mounds were in ancient days occupied by some large Assyrian city. Major Rawlinson, in his interesting paper on Assyrian Antiquities, quoted in the Athenceum of January 26, 1850, assumes that the ruins of Nimroud represent the old city of Calah, or Halah, while he places Nineveh at Nebbi Yunas. Yet it appears likely that the ancient Calah, or Halah, which was probably the capital of the district of Calachene, must have been nearer to the Kurdish Mountains. Ptolemy mentions the province of Calachene as bounded on the north by the Mountains of Armenia, and on the south by the district of Adiabene. [Ptolemy, lib. vi. cap. i.] Most writers place Ninus, or Nineveh, within the latter province. But if so, Adiabene would include also Nimroud, and, therefore, it is not probable that Halah, or Calah, could have occupied the site indicated by Major Rawlinson. St. Ephraim, himself a learned Syrian and well acquainted with the history and geography of the East, considers Calah to be the modern Hatareh, a large town inhabited chiefly by Yezidees, and situated N.N.W. of Nineveh. [Strabo, lib. 1G, mentions the plain in the vicinity of Nineveh, and seems to consider it as not belonging to the province of Adiabene. But his testimony, if taken, would also exclude that city, and the land to the southward of it, from the district of Calachene, as he enumerates that as a distinct part of Assyria immediately afterwards. In the arrangement of the dioceses recorded in Assemani, torn. iii. Athoor and Adiabene seem to be continually connected, while Calachene is spoken of as nearer the mountains.] Between Hatareh and the site of Nineveh we find a village bearing the name of Ras el Ain, which is evidently a corrupted form of the Resen of Genesis. It is worthy of remark that this theory confirms the statement made in Genesis x. 12, where Resen is represented as occupying a midway position between Calah and Nineveh. But assuming Major Rawlinson's hypothesis to be correct, it is clear that there would be no room for a large city between Nebbi Yunas and Nimroud, a distance of, at most, {{convert|25|mi|km|order=flip|sigfig=1}}. Nor is it certain that the latter may be considered as the site of the Larissa of Xenophon. A considerable interval must have taken place between the passage of the river Zab by the [[Ten Thousand (Greek mercenaries)|Ten Thousand]] and their arrival at the Tigris. It is expressly mentioned that they forded a mountain stream, which seems to have been of some width, soon after they had passed over the Zab. But no vestige of any stream of this kind appears between Nimroud and the Tigris. It is probable, therefore, that the Χαραδρα of Xenophon was the Hazir, or Bumadas, after passing which, the Ten Thousand marched in a north-westerly direction past the modern village of Kermalis to the Tigris. At a short distance from the latter they encountered a ruined city, which Xenophon terms Larissa, and which occupied probably the site of the modern Ras el Ain. The village known by this name is about {{convert|12|mi|km|order=flip}} from the Tigris, but the ancient city may have been much nearer. [Xenophon Anab. lib. iii. cap. iv.] Both Ptolemy and Ammianus Marcellinus mention a city situated at the mouth of the Zab, on precisely the same site as that occupied by the mounds of Nimroud, which they term Birtha, or Virtha. But Birtha, or Britha, in Chaldee, signifies the same as Rehoboth in Hebrew, namely, wide squares or streets, an identity in name which seems to imply also an identity in locality. It appears likely, therefore, that Nimroud is the same as Rehoboth, which it is said Asshur founded after his departure from the land of Shinar."</ref>

====Ashur====
[[Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet|Sir Henry Rawlinson]] mentioned that the Arabic geographers referred to it as [[Assur|Athur]]. British traveler [[Claudius Rich|Claudius James Rich]] mentions, "one or two of the better informed with whom I conversed at Mosul said it was Al Athur or Ashur, from which the whole country was denominated."<ref group="note" name="Rich2" />

====Nineveh====
Prior to 1850, Layard believed that the site of "Nimroud" was part of the wider region of "Nineveh" (the debate as to which excavation site represented the city of Nineveh had yet to be resolved), which also included the two mounds today identified as [[Nineveh]]-proper, and his excavation publications were thus labeled.<ref name="layard" group="note">Layard, Nineveh and its Remains, "That the ruins at Nimroud were within the precincts of Nineveh, if they do not alone mark its site, appears to be proved by Strabo, and by Ptolemy's statement that the city was on the Lycus, corroborated by the tradition preserved by the earliest Arab geographers. [[Yaqut al-Hamawi|Yakut]], and others mention the ruins of Athur, near Selamiyah, which gave the name of Assyria to the province; and [[Ibn Sa'id al-Maghribi|Ibn Said]] expressly states, that they were those of the city of the Assyrian kings who destroyed Jerusalem. They are still called, as it has been shown, both Athur and Nimroud. The evidence afforded by the examination of all the known ruins of Assyria, further identifies Nimroud with Nineveh. It would appear from existing monuments, that the city was originally founded on the site now occupied by these mounds. From its immediate vicinity to the place of junction of two large rivers, the Tigris and the Zab, no better position could have been chosen."</ref>

====Calah====
[[Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet|Henry Rawlinson]] identified the city with the Biblical Calah<ref name=Rawlinson>[[Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland|Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society]], Volume 12, page 417, quote "The title by which it is designated on the bricks and slabs that form its buildings, I read doubtfully as Levekh, and I suspect this to be the original form of the name which appears as Calah in Genesis, and Halah in Kings and Chronicles..."</ref> on the basis of a cuneiform reading of "Levekh" which he connected to the city following Ainsworth and Rich's connection of Xenophon's Larissa to the site.<ref name=Ainsworth group="note"/>

===Excavations===
[[File:Nimrud stele.jpg|thumb|right|upright|A [[stele]] ''in situ'' at Nimrud]]
Initial excavations at Nimrud were conducted by [[Austen Henry Layard]], working from 1845 to 1847 and from 1849 until 1851.<ref>Layard, 1849</ref> Following Layard's departure, the work was handed over to [[Hormuzd Rassam]] in 1853-54 and then [[William Loftus (archaeologist)|William Loftus]] in 1854–55.<ref>Hormuzd Rassam and Robert William Rogers, Asshur and the land of Nimrod, Curts & Jennings, 1897</ref><ref>The Conquest of Assyria, Mogens Trolle Larsen, 2014, Routledge, page 217, quote: "Rawlinson explained to his audience that the large Assyrian ruin mounds could now be given their proper names: Nimrud was Calah..."</ref>

After [[George Smith (assyriologist)|George Smith]] briefly worked the site in 1873 and Rassam returned there from 1877 to 1879, Nimrud was left untouched for almost 60&nbsp;years.<ref>George Smith, Assyrian Discoveries: An Account of Explorations and Discoveries on the Site of Nineveh During 1873 to 1874, Schribner, 1875</ref>

A British School of Archaeology in Iraq team led by [[Max Mallowan]] resumed digging at Nimrud in 1949; these excavations resulted in the discovery of the 244 [[Nimrud Letters]]. The work continued until 1963 with [[David Oates (archaeologist)|David Oates]] becoming director in 1958 followed by Julian Orchard in 1963.<ref>M. E. L. Mallowan, "The Excavations at Nimrud. 1949 Season", Sumer, vol. 6, no.1, pp. 101-102, 1950</ref><ref>M. E. L. Mallowan, "The Excavations at Nimrud (Kahlu), 1950", Sumer, vol. 7, no.1, pp. 49-54, 1951</ref><ref>M. E. L. Mallowan, Nimrud and its Remains, 3 vols, British School of Archaeology in Iraq, 1966</ref><ref>[[Joan Oates]] and [[David Oates (archaeologist)|David Oates]], Nimrud: An Imperial City Revealed, British School of Archaeology in Iraq, 2001, {{ISBN|0-903472-25-2}}</ref><ref>[[David Oates (archaeologist)|D. Oates]] and J. H. Reid, The Burnt Palace and the Nabu Temple; Nimrud Excavations, 1955, Iraq, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 22-39, 1956</ref>

[[File:Easarhaddon cylinder from fort Shalmaneser at Nimrud. It was found in the city of Nimrud and was housed in the Iraqi Museum, Baghdad. Erbil Civilization Museum, Iraq.jpg|thumb|Easarhaddon cylinder from fort Shalmaneser at Nimrud. It was found in the city of Nimrud and was housed in the Iraqi Museum, Baghdad. Erbil Civilization Museum, Iraq]]

Subsequent work was by the Directorate of Antiquities of the Republic of Iraq (1956, 1959–60, 1969–78 and 1982–92),<ref name=":0" /> the [[Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology|Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw]] directed by Janusz Meuszyński (1974–76),<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Nimrud|url=https://pcma.uw.edu.pl/en/2019/02/13/nimrud-2/|access-date=2020-07-08|website=pcma.uw.edu.pl}}</ref> Paolo Fiorina (1987–89) with the Centro Ricerche Archeologiche e Scavi di Torino who concentrated mainly on Fort Shalmaneser, and John Curtis (1989).<ref name=":0">Paolo Fiorina, Un braciere da Forte Salmanassar, Mesopotamia, vol. 33, pp. 167–188, 1998</ref> In 1974 to his untimely death in 1976 Janusz Meuszyński, the director of the Polish project, with the permission of the Iraqi excavation team, had the whole site documented on film—in slide film and black-and-white print film. Every relief that remained in situ, as well as the fallen, broken pieces that were distributed in the rooms across the site were photographed. Meuszyński also arranged with the architect of his project, Richard P. Sobolewski, to survey the site and record it in plan and in elevation.<ref>Janusz Meuszynski, Neo-Assyrian Reliefs from the Central Area of Nimrud Citadel, Iraq, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 37-43, 1976</ref> As a result, the entire relief compositions were reconstructed, taking into account the presumed location of the fragments that were scattered around the world.<ref name=":1" />

Excavations revealed remarkable bas-reliefs, ivories, and sculptures. A statue of Ashurnasirpal II was found in an excellent state of preservation, as were colossal winged man-headed lions weighing {{convert|10|ST}} to {{convert|30|ST}}<ref name="Mesopotamia 1995 p. 112">Time Life Lost Civilizations series: ''Mesopotamia: The Mighty Kings''. (1995) p. 112–121</ref> each guarding the palace entrance. The large number of inscriptions dealing with king Ashurnasirpal II provide more details about him and his reign than are known for any other ruler of this epoch. The palaces of [[Ashurnasirpal II]], Shalmaneser III, and [[Tiglath-Pileser III]] have been located. Portions of the site have been also been identified as temples to [[Ninurta]] and [[Enlil]], a building assigned to [[Nabu]], the god of writing and the arts, and as extensive fortifications.
[[File:Nabu Temple Calah.JPG|thumb|upright|Remains of the [[Nabu]] temple in 2008]]

In 1988, the Iraqi Department of Antiquities discovered four [[queens' tombs at Nimrud|queens' tombs]] at the site.

===Artworks===
[[File:Detail of a glazed terracotta tile from Nimrud, Iraq. The Assyrian king, below a parasol, is surrounded by guards and attendants. 875-850 BCE. The British Museum.jpg|thumb|Detail of a glazed terracotta tile from Nimrud, Iraq. The Assyrian king, below a parasol, is surrounded by guards and attendants. 875–850 BC. The British Museum]]

Nimrud has been one of the main sources of [[Assyrian sculpture]], including the famous palace reliefs. Layard discovered more than half a dozen pairs of colossal guardian figures guarding palace entrances and doorways. These are ''[[lamassu]]'', statues with a male human head, the body of a lion or bull, and wings. They have heads carved in the round, but the body at the side is in [[relief]].<ref>Frankfort, 154</ref> They weigh up to {{convert|30|ST|t|order=flip}}. In 1847 Layard brought two of the colossi weighing {{convert|10|ST|t|order=flip|0}} each including one lion and one bull to London. After 18 months and several near disasters he succeeded in bringing them to the [[British Museum]]. This involved loading them onto a wheeled cart. They were lowered with a complex system of pulleys and levers operated by dozens of men. The cart was towed by 300 men. He initially tried to hook up the cart to a team of buffalo and have them haul it. However the buffalo refused to move. Then they were loaded onto a barge which required 600 goatskins and sheepskins to keep it afloat. After arriving in London a ramp was built to haul them up the steps and into the museum on rollers.

Additional {{convert|30|ST|t|adj=on|order=flip}} colossi were transported to Paris from [[Khorsabad]] by [[Paul Emile Botta]] in 1853. In 1928 [[Edward Chiera]] also transported a {{convert|40|ST|t|adj=on|order=flip}} colossus from Khorsabad to Chicago.<ref name="Mesopotamia 1995 p. 112"/><ref>Oliphant, Margaret ''The Atlas Of The Ancient World'' (1992) p. 32</ref> The [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in New York has another pair.<ref>[http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/32.143.2 Human–headed winged lion (lamassu)], 883–859 b.c.; Neo–Assyrian period, reign of Ashurnasirpal II</ref>
[[File:Levantine - Inlay Cow Suckling a Calf - Walters 711170.jpg|thumb|left|[[Nimrud ivory]] piece showing a cow suckling a calf]]

The [[Statue of Ashurnasirpal II]], [[Stela of Shamshi-Adad V]] and [[Stela of Ashurnasirpal II]] are large sculptures with portraits of these monarchs, all secured for the British Museum by Layard and the British archaeologist [[Hormuzd Rassam]]. Also in the British Museum is the famous [[Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III]], discovered by Layard in 1846. This stands six-and-a-half-feet tall and commemorates with inscriptions and 24 relief panels the king's victorious campaigns of 859–824&nbsp;BC. It is shaped like a temple tower at the top, ending in three steps.<ref>Frankfort, 156-157, 167</ref>

Series of the distinctive Assyrian shallow [[relief]]s were removed from the palaces and sections are now found in several museums (see gallery below), in particular the [[British Museum]]. These show scenes of hunting, warfare, ritual and processions.<ref>[https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/galleries/middle_east/room_7-8_assyria_nimrud.aspx "Assyria: Nimrud (Rooms 7–8)"], British Museum, accessed 6 March 2015;Frankfort, 156-164</ref> The [[Nimrud Ivories]] are a large group of ivory carvings, probably mostly originally decorating furniture and other objects, that had been brought to Nimrud from several parts of the ancient Near East, and were in a palace storeroom and other locations. These are mainly in the British Museum and the [[National Museum of Iraq]], as well as other museums.<ref>Frankfort, 310-322</ref> Another storeroom held the Nimrud Bowls, about 120 large bronze bowls or plates, also imported.<ref>[https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/research_projects/all_current_projects/the_nimrud_bowls.aspx The Nimrud Bowls], British Museum, accessed 6 March 2015; Frankfort, 322-331</ref>

The "Treasure of Nimrud" unearthed in these excavations is a collection of 613 pieces of gold jewelry and precious stones. It has survived the confusions and [[Archaeological looting in Iraq|looting]] after the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]] in 2003 in a bank vault, where it had been put away for 12&nbsp;years and was "rediscovered" on June 5, 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0602_030602_iraqgold.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031008204754/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0602_030602_iraqgold.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 8, 2003|title=Ancient Assyrian Treasures Found Intact in Baghdad|publisher=[[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]]|access-date=6 March 2015}}</ref>

===Significant inscriptions===
One panel of the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III has an inscription which includes the name ''<sup>m</sup>Ia-ú-a mar <sup>m</sup>Hu-um-ri-i'' While [[Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet|Rawlinson]] originally translated this in 1850 as "Yahua, son of Hubiri", a year later Reverend [[Edward Hincks]], suggested that it refers to King [[Jehu]] of [[Israel]] (2 Kings 9:2 ff. While other interpretations exist, the obelisk is widely viewed by biblical archaeologists as therefore including the earliest known dedication of an Israelite. Note: all the kings of Israel were called "sons of Omri" by the Assyrians ("mar" means "son").

A number of other artifacts considered [[List of artifacts in biblical archaeology|important to Biblical history]] were excavated from the site, such as the [[Nimrud Tablet K.3751]] and the [[Nimrud Slab]]. The bilingual [[Assyrian lion weights]] were important to scholarly deduction of the history of the alphabet.