Nimrud

Kalḫu

Iraq · Nineveh

Ancient cityIntermittent excavation
Approximate period1,400 BCE — 300 BCEEspecially Neo-Assyrian See on the map ↓

In brief

Nimrud was an Assyrian capital that flourished especially during the reign of Ashurnasirpal II. Excavations have uncovered palaces, temples, reliefs and richly furnished royal tombs.

What was found?

  • 1Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II

    A palace whose walls are covered with reliefs depicting the king, hunting, warfare, and protective figures. Its layout, divided into public and private sections, served as a model for later Assyrian palaces.

  • 2Carved ivory objects

    Objects such as furniture inlays, small vessels, and horse-harness fittings. They reflect different artistic traditions; according to researchers, some may have arrived as booty or tribute.

  • 3Gold jewelry from the royal tombs

    Jewelry found in the tombs of royal women documents the wealth and goldworking of the court. Some designs refer to artistic traditions in the western regions of the empire.

  • 4Lamassu statues

    Human-headed, winged bull and lion statues placed at important entrances. They were conceived as beings protecting the palace and the ruler.

  • 5Tablets from the Temple of Nabû

    Divination texts, rituals, supplications, and literary-historical works were found in the temple. Records stating that some tablets belonged to private individuals show the relationship between the temple and scholarly families.

What does it point to?

Nimrud's palaces, protective imagery, and precious objects reveal the kingdom's resources and beliefs. The different traditions represented in the ivories and jewelry indicate extensive cultural connections, while the tablets point to a scribal milieu connected with temples.

What did it teach us?

  1. Revealed early examples of the architectural and decorative arrangements seen in later Assyrian palaces.
  2. Showed that Syrian and Phoenician artistic traditions were strongly represented in palace objects.
  3. Documented that temple collections also included tablets belonging to private individuals.

Images

Nimrud ivory bedhead BM
Zunkir · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Lamassu Nimrud Layard 1849
Alemazzi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Nimrud 081119-F-5855M-033
Staff Sgt. JoAnn Makinano · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

An academic announcement dated 2026 reported that work in 2022–2024 had uncovered a previously unknown sacred space and a monumental passage connecting the temples.

Record

Culture
Assyrian
First modern dig
1845
Team / historical
University of Pennsylvania Penn Museum Nimrud Project and Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage
Coordinates
36.0981°, 43.3289°

Sources

  1. archeologie.culture.gouv.fr
  2. alaw.uomosul.edu.iq
  3. pts.edu
  4. en.wikipedia.org
  5. The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Nimrud
  6. Yale Üniversitesi — Cuneiform Commentaries Project

Nearby excavations


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12.000

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    Heritage Daily ↗
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    Heritage Daily ↗ · Excavation notebook
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