Archaeologists in Iraq have discovered a rare 2,600-year-old Assyrian stela of King Ashurbanipal at the Shamash Gate in Nineveh, nearly a decade after ISIS destroyed the ancient city.

A rare 2,600-year-old Assyrian monument has been found in the ancient city of Nineveh in Iraq. The discovery is a major success for a region where Islamic State (ISIS) fighters have been deliberately destroying ancient history for nearly a decade.The stone monument is two meters high. It celebrates the building projects of King Ashurbanipal, who ruled the Neo-Assyrian Empire at its peak between 668 BC and 627 BC. Archaeologists found the artifact at the entrance to the historic Shamash Gate. The stone features detailed cuneiform writing and images of kings carved on both sides.A team of Iraqi and American researchers found the memorial during restoration work.

They are repairing historical sites that were severely damaged during the battles to liberate the city from militant control between 2016 and 2017.The Department of Antiquities and Heritage of Nineveh confirmed that the monument had been moved to its main headquarters. Experts will now clean the stone, study it and publish their findings.

A royal record in stone

The facade of the newly discovered monument shows a large, detailed carving of King Ashurbanipal himself.

The back features two small sculptures of unnamed Assyrian kings along with long rows of cuneiform texts.Early readings show that the writing describes large building projects undertaken by Ashurbanipal. This included the expansion of Nineveh’s massive defensive walls, temples, and royal palaces. In ancient times, kings used these stone monuments to record history and spread political propaganda. The stones demonstrated the absolute authority of the king before his people and foreign visitors.Archaeologist Rawid Mowafaq spoke about the historical importance of the discovery during a press conference held in late June.Mr. Muwaffaq said: “This discovery is an important addition to the record of archaeological discoveries that shed light on the greatness of the Assyrian civilization and its urban development.”He described the monument as “one of the most important artifacts chronicling the achievements of one of the greatest kings of the Assyrian Empire.”

Ashurbanipal was famous for establishing the historic Ashurbanipal Library in Nineveh. The library originally contained about 100,000 texts. It was the largest collection of books in the world until the Library of Alexandria was built in Egypt hundreds of years later. More than 30,000 clay tablets have been recovered from the library over the years. These tablets provide modern historians with their most important information about daily life, science, and religion in ancient Mesopotamia.

Healing the scars of occupation

Finding the monument at the Shamash Gate holds great symbolic meaning for the locals. Between 2014 and 2017, Islamic State fighters occupied Mosul and the surrounding Nineveh Governorate. The group implemented a deliberate plan to erase pre-Islamic cultural history.The militants used bulldozers to destroy the nearby ancient city of Nimrud, including the palace of Ashurnasirpal II. They also blew up famous entrances along the ancient walls of Nineveh, such as the Mishki Gate and the Adad Gate.

In February 2015, the organization filmed its members smashing original Assyrian artifacts inside the Mosul Museum with sledgehammers and electric drills. The group also established illegal looting rings throughout the province to sell ancient artifacts on the international black market to fund its war operations.The Shamash Gate is considered an important eastern entrance and is where the new stone monument was found. It was severely damaged during the armed occupation and fierce fighting to liberate the city.Since the group’s expulsion in 2017, the State Council of Monuments and Heritage has worked with international universities to record damage, track down stolen items, and resume official archaeological excavations. The current team at the gate is combining active excavation with work to make the damaged structures safe. The project is funded in part by the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures at the University of Chicago.

Documenting the deep roots of Mesopotamia

The state council plans to use this discovery to support cultural recovery in the Nineveh Plains. Ali Obaid Shalqam, head of the Iraqi Antiquities and Heritage Authority, published a statement on social media in which he explained that the discovery highlights the deep historical roots of the region.Shalgam said that the discovery “reflects the nobility and cultural depth of the city of Nineveh, as it is one of the most prominent historical centers in Iraq and the region.”He added that finding the piece reflects “the continuation of archaeological work in uncovering more evidence documenting the history of the Mesopotamian civilization, highlighting its cultural depth and humanitarian contributions, and thus enhancing its presence on the global cultural and civilizational scene.”Local officials are now deciding whether to display the restored monument in its original place near the Shamash Gate or place it inside the planned Mosul Museum of Civilization.

This new museum is designed to show the continuing history of the city from the Assyrian era through the Islamic Golden Age.According to Mr. Muwaffaq, this discovery provides new evidence about how the ancient capital was built. He pointed out that the monument “enhances the archaeological evidence that indicates that many of the city’s gates and historical sites contain royal tombstones and important architectural achievements.”

Restoration of the Ziggurat of Ur

The breakthrough in Nineveh is occurring at the same time as another major conservation project in the south. In May, authorities began a major repair project on the 4,000-year-old Ziggurat of Ur, a famous amphitheater temple threatened by extreme weather and climate erosion.This project is the seventh major repair campaign for the mud-brick temple since it was first built during the Third Dynasty of Ur around 2112 BC.

The structure was originally built to honor the Mesopotamian moon god Nanna, the sacred protector of the ancient city-state. The temple partially collapsed during the Neo-Babylonian period, but was later restored by King Nabonidus before the fall of his empire.The site of Ur also has religious importance. In 1862, a researcher named Henry Rawlinson identified the area around Tell al-Muqayyar as Or Kadim, the traditional birthplace of Abraham. Current repair crews are using locally made bricks and traditional mortar recipes to rebuild the first level of the ziggurat, repair structural cracks in the second level, and install the remaining stairs using surviving historical designs.