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Nimrud

The Assyrian royal city destroyed by ISIS in 2015.

Assyrian relief of attack on an enemy town during the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III 720-737 BCE from his palace at Kalhu (Nimrud), gypsum, now in the collections of the British Museum on loan to the Getty Villa
Assyrian relief of attack on an enemy town during the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III 720-737 BCE from his palace at Kalhu (Nimrud), gypsum, now in the collections of the British Museum on loan to the Getty Villa · Mary Harrsch · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nimrud remained the capital of the Assyr…Nimrud remained the capital of the Assyrian Empire during the reigns of Shamshi-Adad V (822–811 BC), Adad-nirari III (810–782 BC), Queen Semiramis (81
The city is mentioned in the Old Assyria…The city is mentioned in the Old Assyrian Empire (2025–1750 BC) and during the reign of Shamshi-Adad I (1809–1776 BC) it was listed as a center of wor
In this article
  1. 1Nimrud
  2. 2Name
  3. 3Early history and the Ishtar cult
  4. 4Ashurnasirpal II and the new capital
  5. 5Capital under later kings
  6. 6Population and eclipse by Nineveh
  7. 7Rediscovery and early exploration
  8. 8Excavations
  9. 9Modern research and destruction
  10. 10Key dates
  11. 11Frequently asked questions
  12. 12Knowledge graph

Nimrud

Calah, later called Nimrud, occupied a strategically advantageous position on a major commercial path connecting Ashur and Nineveh 1Nimrud — sec1 · Wikipedia ↗. The ruins of the city were found within one kilometre (1,100 yd) of the modern-day Assyrian village of Noomanea in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq 2Nimrud — wiki · Wikipedia ↗. It was a major Assyrian city between approximately 1350 BC and 610 BC 2.

The city is mentioned in the Old Assyrian Empire (2025–1750 BC) and during the reign of Shamshi-Adad I (1809–1776 BC) it was listed as a center of worship 3Nimrud — mosul · Reference ↗. During the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–605 BC) Nineveh grew in size and importance, particularly from the reigns of Tukulti-Ninurta II and Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BC) onward; he chose the city of Kalhu (the Biblical Calah, modern Nimrud) as his capital in place of the ancient traditional capital of Aššur (Ashur), 30 km (19 mi) from present-day Mosul 3.

When Ashurnasirpal II selected it as his new capital he cleared the accumulated ruins of its collapsed defenses and began building an entirely new city, including a royal palace designed to surpass all those of earlier Assyrian rulers 1. Various explanations have been proposed by modern scholars for the move, including that he might have gotten disenchanted with Assur since there was little room left in the ancient capital to leave a mark, the important position of Nimrud in regard to local trade networks, that Nimrud was more centrally located in the empire, or that Ashurnasirpal hoped for greater independence from the influential great families of Assur 1. To celebrate the completion of his work in Nimrud in 864 BC Ashurnasirpal hosted a grand celebration, which some scholars have described as perhaps the greatest of its kind 1.

Nimrud remained the capital of the Assyrian Empire during the reigns of Shamshi-Adad V (822–811 BC), Adad-nirari III (810–782 BC), Queen Semiramis (81 1. While Assyrian kings continued to be buried in Ashur, their queens were interred at Calah 1. By 800 BCE the city of Nimrud had expanded to a population of approximately 75,000, establishing it as the most populous urban center in the world at that time 2.

The temple of the local Assyrian god Shamash was officially called Beit ʾElāhāʾ 𐣡𐣩𐣵 𐣠𐣫𐣤𐣠‎ "House of God" in Mesopotamian Aramaic inscriptions, and the city was recorded as "Enclosure of Shamash" (ḥtrʾ d-šmš 𐣧𐣨𐣣𐣠 𐣣𐣴𐣬𐣴‎) on a coin 4Nimrud — hatra · Reference ↗. The medieval Arab geographer Yaqut Al-Hamawi recorded that the site was called Saraoun or Saraghoun, which demonstrates the original Assyrian name was not completely forgotten before the city's rediscovery 5Nimrud — sharrukin · Reference ↗.

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 6Nimrud — sec3 · Wikipedia ↗. 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" 7Nimrud — sec6 · Wikipedia ↗. The site of Nimrud was visited by William Francis Ainsworth in 1837 6. Ruins of a similarly located Assyrian city named "Larissa" were described by Xenophon in his Anabasis in the 5th century BC 8Nimrud — sec2 · Wikipedia ↗.

Initial excavations at Nimrud were conducted by Austen Henry Layard, working from 1845 to 1847 and from 1849 un 6. Many of Nineveh's archeological remains were transported to the major museums of the 19th century, including the British Museum and the Louvre 6. Artist's impressions of Assyrian palaces appeared in The Monuments of Nineveh by Sir Austen Henry Layard, 1853, and a plan of Nimrud was drawn by Felix Jones 1.

In 2013 the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council funded the "Nimrud Project", directed by Eleanor Robson, whose aims were to write the history of the city in ancient and modern times and to identify and record the dispersal history of artefacts from Nimrud, distributed amongst at least 76 museums worldwide (including 36 in the United States and 13 in the United Kingdom) 2.

After George Smith briefly worked the site in 1873 and Rassam returned there from 1877 to 1879, Nimrud was left untouched for almost 60 years 6. 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 6.

Ainsworth, like Rich, identified the site with Larissa (Λάρισσα) of Xenophon's Anabasis, concluding that Nimrud was the Biblical Resen on the basis of Bochart's identification of Larissa with Resen on etymological grounds 7. The site became widely known as "Nimrud" after 19th- and early 20th-century archaeologists mistakenly identified it with the city associated with the biblical figure Nimrod in the Book of Genesis 1. The name Nimrud was recorded as the local name by Carsten Niebuhr in the mid-18th century 2.

1. Name

The name Nimrud was recorded as the local name by Carsten Niebuhr in the mid-18th century 2. The site became widely known as “Nimrud” after 19th- and early 20th-century archaeologists mistakenly identified it with the city associated with the biblical figure Nimrod in the Book of Genesis 1.

In the mid 19th century biblical archaeologists proposed the Assyrian name Kalḫu (the Biblical Calah) based on a description of the travels of Nimrod in Genesis 10 2. Ainsworth, like Rich, identified the site with Larissa (Λάρισσα) of Xenophon's Anabasis, concluding that Nimrud was the Biblical Resen on the basis of Bochart's identification of Larissa with Resen on etymological grounds 7.

The name Nimrud entered Western writings through the travelogue of Carsten Niebuhr, who was in Mosul in March 1760 9Nimrud — sec5 · Wikipedia ↗. The identification was not wholly a modern imposition: the medieval Arab geographer Yaqut Al-Hamawi recorded that the site was called Saraoun or Saraghoun, which shows that the original Assyrian name was not completely forgotten before the city's rediscovery 5.

A competing identification attached the site to Larissa, the ruins of a similarly located Assyrian city described by Xenophon in his Anabasis in the 5th century BC 8.

The debate over the name unfolded alongside the removal of the site's monuments. Sketches of Layard's expedition record the taking away of a Lamassu in 1851 and the transport of a Lamassu in 1849 6 10Nimrud — sec4 · Wikipedia ↗. Many of Nineveh's archeological remains were transported to the major museums of the 19th century, including the British Museum and the Louvre 6.

2. Early history and the Ishtar cult

The site of Nimrud enters the written record within the horizon of the Old Assyrian Empire, which spanned 2025–1750 BC. Under the reign of Shamshi-Adad I, who ruled from 1809 to 1776 BC, the settlement is listed as a center of worship of the goddess Ishtar. That religious standing was not a passing phase: the city remained a focus of the Ishtar cult throughout the Middle Assyrian Empire, the long period extending from 1365 to 1056 BC.

The identification of the mound with the Assyrian city of Calah is comparatively recent in Western scholarship. The name Nimrud was first attached to the site in Western writings by Carsten Niebuhr, who was in Mosul in March 1760 and used it in his travelogue 6. The association became general only after 19th- and early 20th-century archaeologists mistakenly identified the site with the city linked to the biblical figure Nimrod in the Book of Genesis 1. Calah itself, as the city was known in antiquity, lay on a major commercial path connecting Ashur and Nineveh, a position of strategic advantage 2.

The dispersal of the site's material began early. Many of Nineveh's archaeological remains were transported to the major museums of the 19th century, including the British Museum and the Louvre 10. Sketches record Layard's expedition at work in these years, removing a lamassu in 1851 and transporting one in 1849 6. Felix Jones prepared a plan of Nimrud 1, and Layard's The Monuments of Nineveh, published in 1853, carried artist's impressions of Assyrian palaces and of a hall within one 1.

Awareness of the mound's origins long preceded European excavation, even though Dur-Sharrukin was abandoned in antiquity and so never drew the attention given to other ancient Assyrian sites 5. Modern efforts to trace the resulting collections were formalised in 2013, when the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council funded the "Nimrud Project" under the direction of Eleanor Robson, with the aims of writing the history of the city in ancient and modern times and of identifying and recording the dispersal history of artefacts from Nimrud, distributed among at least 76 museums worldwide, including 36 in the United States and 13 in the United Kingdom 2.

The site also figured in the heritage politics of the late 20th century. Saddam Hussein read the site's Mesopotamian history as reflecting glory on himself and sought to restore it, along with others in Ninevah, Nimrud, Ashur and Babylon, as a symbol of Arab achievement, spending more than US$80 million in the first phase of restoration of Babylon 4. In 2004 The Daily Telegraph described Hatra's finely preserved columns and statues as making it one of the most impressive of Iraq's archaeological sites 4.

3. Ashurnasirpal II and the new capital

During the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–605 BC) Nineveh grew in size and importance, particularly from the reigns of Tukulti-Ninurta II and Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BC) onward3. Ashurnasirpal II chose the city of Kalhu, the Biblical Calah and modern Nimrud, as his capital in place of the ancient traditional capital of Aššur, situated 30 km (19 mi) from present-day Mosul3. Modern scholars have proposed various explanations for the transfer, among them that the king may have grown disenchanted with Assur because little room remained in the ancient capital to leave a mark1. Other suggestions point to the important position of Nimrud in relation to local trade networks, to its more central location within the empire, or to Ashurnasirpal's hope for greater independence from the influential great families of Assur1.

To celebrate the completion of his work in Nimrud in 864 BC Ashurnasirpal hosted a grand celebration, which some scholars have described as perhaps the greatest party in world history1. The event hosted 69,574 guests, including 16,000 citizens of the new capital and 5,000 foreign dignitaries, and lasted for ten days1.

When Ashurnasirpal II selected the site as his new capital he cleared the accumulated ruins of its collapsed defenses and began building an entirely new city, including a royal palace designed to surpass all those of earlier Assyrian rulers1.

Nimrud remained the capital of the Assyrian Empire during the reigns of Shamshi-Adad V (822–811 BC), Adad-nirari III (810–782 BC), Queen Semiramis (810–806 BC), Adad-nirari III (806–782 BC), Shalmaneser IV (782–773 BC), Ashur-dan III (772–755 BC), Ashur-nirari V (754–746 BC), Tiglath-Pileser III (745–727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726–723 BC)1.

The end of the empire saw its last ruler, Ashur-uballit II, fight his way out of Nineveh and form a new Assyrian capital at Harran, now in southeastern Turkey3.

4. Capital under later kings

Nimrud remained the capital of the Assyrian Empire through a long succession of reigns. It held that status under Shamshi-Adad V (822–811 BC) and under Adad-nirari III (810–782 BC) 1. Queen Semiramis is also counted among the rulers of this period (810–806 BC) 1. The sequence continues with Shalmaneser IV (782–773 BC) and Ashur-dan III (772–755 BC) 1. Ashur-nirari V (754–746 BC) followed, and the capital remained at Nimrud under Tiglath-Pileser III (745–727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726–723 BC) 1.

Successive Assyrian emperor-monarchs continued to expand the city 3. Among them the fact base names Shalmaneser III, Adad-nirari III, Tiglath-Pileser III, Shalmaneser V and Sargon II 3.

Burial practice set the royal house apart from the city that housed it. Assyrian kings continued to be buried in Ashur 1. Their queens, by contrast, were interred at Calah 1.

Calah, as Nimrud was then called, lay on a major commercial route linking Ashur and Nineveh, a position of clear strategic advantage 1. The same corridor is described in the account of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–605 BC), during which Nineveh grew in size and importance, especially from the reigns of Tukulti-Ninurta II and Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BC) onward 3. That account records Ashurnasirpal II choosing Kalhu, the Biblical Calah and modern Nimrud, as his capital in place of the ancient traditional capital of Ashur, 30 km (19 mi) from present-day Mosul 3.

On taking the city as his seat Ashurnasirpal II cleared the accumulated ruins of its collapsed defenses and began building an entirely new city, including a royal palace intended to surpass all those of earlier Assyrian rulers 1. Modern scholars have offered various explanations for the move: disenchantment with Assur, where little room remained in the ancient capital to leave a mark; the important position of Nimrud in relation to local trade networks; a more central location within the empire; or a hope of greater independence from the influential great families of Assur 1. To celebrate the completion of his work at Nimrud in 864 BC Ashurnasirpal hosted a grand celebration, described by some scholars as perhaps the greatest party in world history, which hosted 69,574 guests, among them 16,000 citizens of the new capital and 5,000 foreign dignitaries, and lasted for ten days 1.

A planted mound at the site was set with cedars and cypresses and modelled after a foreign landscape, the Amanus mountains in north Syria, which had so amazed the Assyrian kings 5. The city was never completed and was finally abandoned a century later when the Assyrian empire fell 5. His successor, Ashur-uballit II, fought his way out of Nineveh and formed a new Assyrian capital at Harran, now in southeastern Turkey 3.

Later geographical writings preserve a further trace of the site's afterlife: ruins of a similarly located Assyrian city named "Larissa" were described by Xenophon in his Anabasis in the 5th century BC 8. In the epigraphic record of the region the earlier rulers are titled mrjʾ (māryā, "lord"), as with the Assyrian rulers of nearby Assur, while the later ones are styled mlkʾ d-ʿrb ("king of the Arabs"; malkā, "king") 4.

5. Population and eclipse by Nineveh

By 800 BCE the city of Nimrud had expanded to a population of approximately 75,000, establishing it as the most populous urban center in the world at that time 2.

During the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–605 BC) Nineveh grew in size and importance, particularly from the reigns of Tukulti-Ninurta II and Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BC) onward 3. Ashurnasirpal II chose the city of Kalhu, the Biblical Calah and modern Nimrud, as his capital in place of the ancient traditional capital of Aššur (Ashur), 30 km (19 mi) from present-day Mosul 3.

Immense building work was undertaken at Nineveh, and the city eclipsed Babylon, Kalhu and Aššur in size and importance, making it the largest city in the world 3.

Calah, as Nimrud was then called, lay on a major commercial route linking Ashur and Nineveh, a position of strategic advantage 2. The city's ruins stand within one kilometre (1,100 yd) of the modern Assyrian village of Noomanea in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq 2.

The name Nimrud entered Western writing through the travelogue of Carsten Niebuhr, who was in Mosul in March 1760 6. In the mid-nineteenth century, as European presence in northern Iraq grew more substantial, excavation at Dur-Sharrukin was neglected in favour of seemingly more promising sites such as Nineveh or Nimrud 5. Many of Nineveh's archaeological remains were carried to major museums of the 19th century, including the British Museum and the Louvre 6. Published illustrations of the Assyrian palaces, among them artist's impressions in The Monuments of Nineveh by Sir Austen Henry Layard of 1853, and a plan of Nimrud by Felix Jones, belong to this same period of documentation 1.

6. Rediscovery and early exploration

The ruins at Nimrud were long associated with a city called Larissa, a name that Xenophon applied to a similarly located Assyrian site in the Anabasis during the 5th century BC7. Claudius James Rich took up this identification and connected the mound with Xenophon's Larissa6. Rich also recorded what the inhabitants of the region believed about the place, observing that the locals generally held it to have been Nimrod's own city10. A smaller group of better-informed acquaintances at Mousul, he noted, instead called it Al Athur or Ashur, the name from which the whole country was denominated7.

The site received a further visit from William Francis Ainsworth in 18376. Ainsworth likewise identified the ruins with Larissa, following the reading that Rich had proposed10. On the basis of Bochart's etymological identification of Larissa with Resen he went on to conclude that the mound was the Biblical Resen7.

The name Nimrud entered Western writing through the travelogue of Carsten Niebuhr, who was in Mosul in March 17606. Its currency grew after 19th- and early 20th-century archaeologists mistakenly identified the site with the city associated with the biblical figure Nimrod in the Book of Genesis1.

Awareness of the mound's origins did not begin with European excavation. The medieval Arab geographer Yaqut Al-Hamawi recorded that the site was called Saraoun or Saraghoun, which shows that the original Assyrian name was not completely forgotten before the city's rediscovery5.

Once the European presence in northern Iraq became more substantial in the mid-nineteenth century, exploration of Dur-Sharrukin was neglected in favor of seemingly more promising sites such as Nineveh or Nimrud5. Many of Nineveh's archeological remains were transported to the major museums of the 19th century, including the British Museum and the Louvre6.

7. Excavations

The first systematic work at Nimrud was carried out by Austen Henry Layard, who excavated the site from 1845 to 1847 and again from 1849 until 1851 6. George Smith then briefly worked the site in 1873 6. Rassam returned there from 1877 to 1879 6. After that activity the mound was left untouched for almost 60 years 6.

Digging resumed in 1949 under a team from the British School of Archaeology in Iraq led by Max Mallowan 6. These excavations resulted in the discovery of the 244 Nimrud Letters 6.

A stele found in the city was housed in the Iraqi Museum, Baghdad 6.

Swiss excavations at Nimrud took place in c.1860 and are associated with Julius Weber 9.

The name Nimrud entered Western writing through the travelogue of Carsten Niebuhr, who was in Mosul in March 1760 6.

William Francis Ainsworth visited the site in 1837 7. Like Claudius James Rich before him, Ainsworth identified the ruins with the Larissa of Xenophon's Anabasis, and on the etymological grounds of Bochart's equation of Larissa with Resen he concluded that Nimrud was the Biblical Resen 7. Rich had likewise identified the site with Xenophon's Larissa, noting that the locals generally believed it to have been Nimrod's own city, while one or two of the better informed with whom he conversed at Mousul said it was Al Athur or Ashur, from which the whole country was denominated 7.

8. Modern research and destruction

In 2013 the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council funded the "Nimrud Project" 2. The project was directed by Eleanor Robson 2. Its aims were to write the history of the city in ancient and modern times and to identify and record the dispersal history of artefacts from Nimrud 2. Those artefacts were distributed amongst at least 76 museums worldwide, including 36 in the United States and 13 in the United Kingdom 2.

In 2015 the terrorist organization Islamic State announced its intention to destroy the site because of its "un-Islamic" Assyrian nature 2.

The ruins of the city lie within one kilometre (1,100 yd) of the modern-day Assyrian village of Noomanea in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq 2. Nimrud was a major Assyrian city between approximately 1350 BC and 610 BC 2. It is mentioned in the Old Assyrian Empire (2025–1750 BC), and during the reign of Shamshi-Adad I (1809–1776 BC) it was listed as a center of worship of the goddess Ishtar, remaining so during the Middle Assyrian Empire (1365–1056 BC) 3.

During the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–605 BC) Nineveh grew in size and importance, particularly from the reigns of Tukulti-Ninurta II and Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BC) onward; the latter chose the city of Kalhu (the Biblical Calah, modern Nimrud) as his capital in place of the ancient traditional capital of Aššur (Ashur), 30 km (19 mi) from present-day Mosul 3. Situated on a major commercial path connecting Ashur and Nineveh, Calah occupied a strategically advantageous position 1. Modern scholars have proposed various explanations for the move, among them that the king had grown disenchanted with Assur since little room was left in the ancient capital to leave a mark, the important position of Nimrud in regard to local trade networks, its more central location in the empire, or a hope of greater independence from the influential great families of Assur 1.

The temple of the local Assyrian god Shamash was officially called Beit ʾElāhāʾ 𐣡𐣩𐣵 𐣠𐣫𐣤𐣠‎ "House of God" in Mesopotamian Aramaic inscriptions, and the city was recorded as "Enclosure of Shamash" (ḥtrʾ d-šmš 𐣧𐣨𐣣𐣠 𐣣𐣴𐣬𐣴‎) on a coin 4. The city was famed for its fusion of Greek, Assyrian, Canaanite, Aramean and Arabian pantheons, known in Aramaic as Beiṯ Ĕlāhā ("House of God") 4. The demands for timber and other materials and craftsmen, who came from as far as coastal Phoenicia, are documented in contemporary Assyrian letters 5. The city was never completed and it was finally abandoned a century later when the Assyrian empire fell 5.

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 6. The site was visited by William Francis Ainsworth in 1837 7. 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" 7. Ainsworth, like Rich, identified the site with Larissa (Λάρισσα) of Xenophon's Anabasis, concluding that Nimrud was the Biblical Resen on the basis of Bochart's identification of Larissa with Resen on etymological grounds 7. Ruins of a similarly located Assyrian city named "Larissa" were described by Xenophon in his Anabasis in the 5th century BC 8. Many of Nineveh's archeological remains were transported to the major museums of the 19th century, including the British Museum and the Louvre 6.

9. Key dates

  • 1056
    The city is mentioned in the Old Assyrian Empire (2025–1750 BC) and during the…
    The city is mentioned in the Old Assyrian Empire (2025–1750 BC) and during the reign of Shamshi-Adad I (1809–1776 BC) it was listed as a center of worship of the goddess Ishtar, remaining so during the Middle Assyrian Empire (1365–1056 BC).
  • 1350
    It was a major Assyrian city between approximately 1350 BC and 610 BC.
    It was a major Assyrian city between approximately 1350 BC and 610 BC.
  • 1760
    Archaeology Early writings and debate over name 1851 sketch of Layard's expedi…
    Archaeology Early writings and debate over name 1851 sketch of Layard's expedition removing a Lamassu 1849 sketch of Layard's expedition transporting a Lamassu Many of Nineveh's archeological remains were transported to the major museums of the 19th century, including the British
  • 1837
    Rich identified the site with the city of Larissa in Xenophon , and noted that…
    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
  • 1838
    ^ "Julius Weber (1838–1906) and the Swiss Excavations at Nimrud in c.1860 toge…
    ^ "Julius Weber (1838–1906) and the Swiss Excavations at Nimrud in c.1860 together with Records of.
  • 1845
    Excavations A stele in situ at Nimrud Initial excavations at Nimrud were condu…
    Excavations 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.
  • 1853
    History Artist’s impression of Assyrian palaces from The Monuments of Nineveh…
    History Artist’s impression of Assyrian palaces from The Monuments of Nineveh by Sir Austen Henry Layard, 1853 Artist’s impression of a hall in an Assyrian palace from The Monuments of Nineveh by Sir Austen Henry Layard, 1853 Plan of Nimrud, by Felix Jones bef.
  • 1873
    After George Smith briefly worked the site in 1873 and Rassam returned there f…
    After George Smith briefly worked the site in 1873 and Rassam returned there from 1877 to 1879, Nimrud was left untouched for almost 60 years.

10. Frequently asked questions

How did the site come to be called Nimrud?

The name Nimrud was recorded as the local name by Carsten Niebuhr in the mid-18th century 2. The site became widely known as “Nimrud” after 19th- and early 20th-century archaeologists mistakenly identified it with the city associated with the biblical figure Nimrod in the Book of Genesis 1.

What was the site called before the name Nimrud took hold?

In the mid 19th century biblical archaeologists proposed the Assyrian name Kalḫu (the Biblical Calah), based on a description of the travels of Nimrod in Genesis 10 2. The medieval Arab geographer Yaqut Al-Hamawi recorded that the site was called Saraoun or Saraghoun, which demonstrates the original Assyrian name was not completely forgotten before the city's rediscovery 5.

What happened to the site after Rassam's work in the 1870s?

After George Smith briefly worked the site in 1873 and Rassam returned there from 1877 to 1879, Nimrud was left untouched for almost 60 years 6.

Who resumed digging at Nimrud in the 20th century, and what did the team find?

A British School of Archaeology in Iraq team led by Max Mallowan resumed digging at Nimrud in 1949 6. These excavations resulted in the discovery of the 244 Nimrud Letters 6.

What did the Nimrud Project set out to do?

In 2013 the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council funded the "Nimrud Project", directed by Eleanor Robson, whose aims were to write the history of the city in ancient and modern times and to identify and record the dispersal history of artefacts from Nimrud 2. Those artefacts were distributed amongst at least 76 museums worldwide, including 36 in the United States and 13 in the United Kingdom 2.

Was Nimrud threatened in modern times?

In 2015 the terrorist organization Islamic State announced its intention to destroy the site because of its "un-Islamic" Assyrian nature 2. After the bulldozing of Nimrud on March 5, 2015, "Hatra of course will be next" said Abdulamir Hamdani, an Iraqi archaeologist from Stony Brook University 4.

References (10)

10 sources · Web 10

  1. 1Nimrud — sec1 — Wikipedia Web↩View source
  2. 2Nimrud — wiki — Wikipedia Web↩View source
  3. 3Nimrud — mosul — Reference Web↩View source
  4. 4Nimrud — hatra — Reference Web↩View source
  5. 5Nimrud — sharrukin — Reference Web↩View source
  6. 6Nimrud — sec3 — Wikipedia Web↩View source
  7. 7Nimrud — sec6 — Wikipedia Web↩View source
  8. 8Nimrud — sec2 — Wikipedia Web↩View source
  9. 9Nimrud — sec5 — Wikipedia Web↩View source
  10. 10Nimrud — sec4 — Wikipedia Web↩View source