In an act of wanton destruction reminiscent of the Afghanistan Taliban’s dynamiting of the world’s two largest statues of the Buddha in March 2001, ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) blew up parts of the remains of the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh in 2014 including the reputed Tomb of Jonah and the city gateway known as the Mashki Gate.
Now, while this is not a traditional example of rock art by any means, it is about something that is very artistic with a great deal of age on it, carved in stone, and besides, I have always been fascinated by Assyrian art which was incredibly sophisticated for such an early period.
The site of
Nineveh was continuously occupied beginning in the Neolithic period (6000 BC).
Historic Nineveh was first recorded about 1800 BC. In 1365 BC the Assyrian king
Ashur-ubalit created the Middle Assyrian empire. Monarchs built extensively in
Nineveh during the late 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. From
the time of Ashurnasirpal II (883-859BC) there was considerable architectural
expansion. Sennacherib (700 BC) made Nineveh a truly magnificent city and built
a huge palace. (Wikipedia)
“At this time, the total area of Nineveh comprised about 7 square kilometers (1,730 acres), and fifteen great gates penetrated its walls. An elaborate system of eighteen canals brought water from the hills to Nineveh. – The enclosed area had more than 100,000 inhabitants (maybe closer to 150,000), about twice as many as Babylon at the time, placing it among the largest settlements worldwide.” (Wikipedia)
“Ancient Nineveh, on the outskirts of modern Mosul, was an ancient center of trade and religion on the Tigris River. It served as the capital of the powerful Assyrian Empire, which had writing systems and powerful regional control.” (Muzdakis 2022)
“Mashki Gate: Translated ‘Gate of the Water Carriers’, also Masqi Gate (Arabic), it was perhaps used to take livestock to water from the Tigris which currently flows about 1.5 kilimeters (0.9 mi) to the west. It has been reconstructed in fortified mudbrick to the height of the top of the vaulted passageway. The Assyrian original may have been plastered and ornamented. It was bulldozed along with the Adad Gate during ISIL occupation. During the restoration project, seven alabaster carvings depicting Sennacherib reliefs were found at the gate in 2022.” (Wikipedia)
In April 2016 ISIS militants destroyed sections of Nineveh by bulldozing. Although their public statements about that gave as a reason that these remaining and rebuilt structures were anti-Islamic, they also were very diligent at looting to raise money for their campaigns by selling artifacts. Purportedly, the bulldozing exposed tunnels that the ISIS looters searched for those artifacts. Hundreds were also stolen from the Mosul Museum Assyrian exhibit to sell, as well as to purify it for Islam. (Wikipedia)
“A team of American and Iraqi archaeologists discovered eight marble slabs while working to restore the Mashki Gate, a structure that was once and entrance to the city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. Researchers were able to date the carvings to the reign of King Sennacherib, who was in power from 705-681 B.C.E. The reliefs, which are in remarkably good condition, feature intricately carved grape vines, warriors with bows and arrows and palm trees. Officials announced that the discoveries will eventually become part of a new archaeological park.” (Enking 2022)
Fadel Mohammed Khodr, head of the Iraqi archaeological team “said that when the marble slabs were positioned at the gate, they were partly buried. The sections underground were preserved and bear the carvings seen today; whatever was above-ground was wiped smooth over the centuries.” (Wertheimer 2022)
So, we have a report that says seven alabaster carvings (Wikipedia), and another report that says eight marble slabs (Enking 2022). I cannot account for the differing numbers, but let us look more closely at the materials.
“Calcite alabaster, harder than the gypsum variety, was the kind primarily used in ancient Egypt and the wider Middle East (but not Assyrian palace reliefs), and is also used in modern times. It is found as either a stalagmitic deposit from the floor and walls of limestone caverns, or as kind of travertine, similarly deposited in springs of calcareous water.” (Wikipedia) This may be meant to imply that the Assyrians carved with gypsum alabaster. “Chemically gypsum is a hydrous sulfate of calcium, while calcite is a carbonate of calcium.” (Wikipedia) On the other hand “marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term marble refers to metamorphosed limestone.” (Wikipedia) While this does not clarify the discrepancy we do know that marble and both forms of alabaster are relatively soft rock and so easily carved.
I think that what has always appealed to me about Assyrian reliefs are the beautiful details they executed. In any case, it is a pleasure to report that the destruction wrought by ISIS has been pretty much repaired by restorers, and that, in fact, the terrorists unintentionally gave us more beautiful examples of Assyrian carving.
NOTE 1: ISIS and ISIL are acronyms for the same group, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
NOTE 2: Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed below.
REFERENCES:
Enking, Molly, 2022, Archaeologists Unearth 2,700-Year-Old Stone Carvings in Northern Iraq, 24 October 2022, Smithsonian Magazine online, https://www.smithsonianmag.com. Accessed 24 October 2022.
Muzdakis, Madeleine, 2022, Archeologists Discover 2,700-Year-Old Stone Carvings in Iraq While Restoring the Mashki Gate, 28 October 2022, https://mymodernmet.com/assyrian-carvings-mashki-gate/. Accessed 28 October 2022.
Wrtheimer, Tiffany, 2022, Mashki Gate: Stunning ancient rock carvings found in Iraq, 19 October 2022, https://mews.yahoo.com. Accessed 19 October 2022.
Wikipedia, Alabaster, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabaster. Accessed 28 November 2022.
Wikipedia, Marble, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble. Accessed 28 November 2022.
Wikipedia, Nineveh, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineveh.
Accessed 20 October 2022.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment