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2,700-Year-Old Assyrian Stele Discovered at the Sun Gate of Ancient Nineveh
A stone monument has been uncovered at Bab Shamash, the ancient Sun Gate of Nineveh, where people once passed into one of the most powerful cities of the Assyrian world. Iraq’s State Board of Antiquities and Heritage announced the discovery during ongoing excavation work in Nineveh Governorate, northern Iraq. The large stone stele has been…
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A Hidden Sand Layer Beneath Assur’s Ishtar Temple Is Changing How Scholars Understand Early Mesopotamian Religion
At the heart of the ancient Assyrian city of Assur, archaeologists have uncovered an unexpected detail that is quietly reshaping long-held assumptions about early Mesopotamian belief systems. Beneath the foundations of the city’s oldest Ishtar Temple, researchers identified a thick, deliberately placed layer of sand—an architectural choice with profound ritual meaning. The discovery suggests that…
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The Kassite Stele of Goddess Lama Sheds Light on Uruk’s Religious Landscape
A remarkable stele from the Kassite period, dating to circa 1307–1282 BCE, offers deep insight into the religious practices and artistic expression of ancient Mesopotamia. Discovered in Uruk, this sculpted monument features the image of Goddess Lama, known as a protective and interceding deity in Mesopotamian belief systems. Goddess Lama: A Divine Intercessor Between Humans…
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Massive Relief Depicting Assyrian Gods and King Ashurbanipal Unearthed in Ancient Nineveh
Archaeologists from Heidelberg University uncover a unique 12-ton royal relief in Iraq’s ancient Assyrian capital A team of archaeologists from Heidelberg University has made a remarkable discovery in the heart of ancient Mesopotamia. During excavations at Kuyunjik Hill—part of the ancient city of Nineveh near modern-day Mosul—researchers uncovered large fragments of a colossal relief depicting…