|
|
|
Nimrud (Nimroud, Calah) was located on the Tigris River south of Nineveh (Ninua) about thirty kilometers southeast of Mosul, Iraq Encompassing an area of approximately sixteen square miles, the ancient city was named after the hunting hero Nimrod. Nimrud was also the biblical Calah (Kalakh). Nimrud (Calah) was the city of the Assyrian capital until about 710 BCE when the capital was moved to Nineveh (Ninua). Archaeological excavations of Nimrud (Calah) have yielded information about the cultural and religious beliefs of the populace residing there at the time of its destruction by the Medes and Babylonians in 612 BCE. Numerous well preserved bas-reliefs, inscriptions, ivories, and sculptures were discovered, including palace portal guardian lions with the heads of men and immense wings.
The Bas Relief above of a Winged Portal Guardian was from Nimrud (Nimroud), Iraq. The figure has the face of a bearded long haired man wearing a hat with a triple fold, tri-fold swirling design reminiscent of Celtic Artwork. The body of the figure appears to resemble that of a stallion with hooves and embellished saddle attachments. Within Nimrod (Calah), which was an important cultural center, there were extensive fortifications and royal residences. There were also temples dedicated to the arts and writing god Nabu, to Enlil, and to Ninurta. The city of Nimrud emerged during the thirteenth century BCE when Shalmeneser I overlaid the pre-existing structures of a prior ancient Culture that once inhabited the area and environs. Around 879 BCE, according to the stele inscriptions, Ashurnasirpal II held lavish inaugural festivities for his capital city, which had botanical gardens, housing for one hundred thousand residents, and a zoo.
Then, his son Shalmeneser
III, who lived from 858 BCE - 824 BCE, constructed the Great Ziggurat
monument on top of a Sacred Mound built by the original founders of the city... Continue on
|
|
|
Explore 
Visit 
Earth
Mysteries Henges Megaliths 
