Six years ago, fighters from the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia destroyed the old Mashki gate in the Iraqi city of Mosul. American archaeologists and their Iraqi colleagues working on the reconstruction have discovered beautiful Assyrian-era marble reliefs dating back 2,700 years.
The discovery was made on the site of the Mashki Gate, one of the monumental gates of the ancient city of Nineveh in Mosul. According to the Iraqi Antiquities and Heritage Council, the eight gray marble reliefs date from the time of the Assyrian king Sennacherib (about 745 to 680 BC).
Under Sennacherib, Nineveh in northern Mesopotamia (now Iraq, nd) had become the capital of the Assyrian Empire. He endowed the city with canals, temples and palaces, of which the southern palace, located at the confluence of the Tigris and Khosr rivers, is the largest of the Assyrian buildings.
The eight detailed reliefs depict archers as well as vine leaves and palm trees. The inscriptions (image below) on the stone slabs also indicate that the images carved into the marble date from the reign of King Sennacherib.
According to the head of the Iraqi archeology team, Fadel Mohammed Khodr, the beautiful marble statues probably came from Sennacherib’s palace and were later used as building material for the Mashki Gate.
IS has destroyed many archaeological sites
During their rule over large areas in Iraq and Syria, IS has destroyed countless archaeological remains. South of Mosul, they blew up a 3,000-year-old Assyrian palace in the former royal city of Nimrud. The jihadists see such sites as places from the time of ‘infidelity’.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
