Mashki Gate in Northern Iraq. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Archaeologists have uncovered incredible 2,700-year-old rock carvings that they say depict war scenes from the Assyrian Empire.
The discovery was made in the city of Mosul by both Iraqi and American archaeologists who are working on reconstructing parts of the Mashki Gate, which had been destroyed by ISIL during conflict in 2016.
ISIL members reportedly stormed the ancient site armed with weapons including axes, drills and sledgehammers to destroy historical sculptures and statues.
It’s believed by the Iraqi Council of Antiquities and Heritage that the carvings date back to 705-681 BC, during the reign of Neo-Assyrian King Sennacherib.
King Sennacherib is one of the most renowned Assyrian Kings and plays a big role in the Hebrew Bible. The King saw many events during his reign including the destruction of Babylon as well as the expansion of the last Assyrian capital called Nineveh.
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Ancient rock carvings discovered in Iraq pic.twitter.com/ETQHImDC1v— Faiez Mazyad (@FaiezMazyad) October 20, 2022
Depicted in the eight-marble carvings are scenes from the city of Nineveh and experts say they think the marble relics were once on the outside of the King’s palace.
“We believe that these carvings were moved from the palace of Sennacherib and reused by the grandson of the king to renovate the gate of Mashki and to enlarge the guard room,” said lead archaeologist Fadel Mohammed Khodr.
However Khodr says that not all of the carvings have survived and that most have been damaged.
“Only the part buried underground has retained its carvings,” he said.
Ali Shalgham, the Director General of Iraq’s Investigations and Excavation Department detailed to NBC News what was depicted in the carvings.
“[The] discovery consisted of eight marble slabs carved with a relief representing scenes of Assyrian soldiers, in addition to palm trees, grapes, pomegranates and figs belonging to the palace of King Sennacherib,” he said.
The excavation team was made up of experts from Mosul University in Iraq and the University of Pennsylvania in the US.
