During the 2024 excavation season, researchers uncovered two new shrines within the Temple of Ninurta in Nimrud, Iraq, which was devastated by fire around 2,600 years ago. According to GreekReporter.com, the discoveries were made by the Penn Nimrud Project, part of the University of Pennsylvania’s Iraq Heritage Stabilization Program aimed at protecting and restoring threatened cultural sites in Iraq and Syria.
One shrine contained a monumental stone dais decorated with cuneiform inscriptions attributed to King Ashurnasirpal II, offering insights into ancient Assyrian religious practices. GreekReporter.com reports that the dais is believed to have held a deity’s statue. The second shrine featured a damaged dais along with fragments of statues and ceremonial objects, providing clues about practices centered on Ninurta, the Assyrian god of war.
Among the notable discoveries was a kudurru, a stone monument inscribed in cuneiform dating to 797 BCE, featuring symbols of major deities. GreekReporter.com states that the kudurru documents a royal decree by King Adad-Nerari III, assigning the governorship of Hindanu, a vital region along the Euphrates River, to Nergal-Eresh. The decree included severe curses against anyone who challenged the governor’s authority or tampered with the monument.
In addition to monumental artifacts, the team uncovered well-preserved clay tablets featuring cuneiform inscriptions that shed light on the temple's economic activities, including records of silver loans and inventories of goods, as reported by GreekReporter.com. Other discoveries include a sculpted griffin head, fragments of glazed pottery, carved ivories, pieces of jewelry, and a stone bowl embedded in the shrine’s floor likely used for ritual offerings.
Michael Danti, program director of Penn's Iraq Heritage Stabilization Program, stated that the condition and distribution of artifacts strongly suggest that the shrines and associated treasures were looted and intentionally damaged by the Babylonians and Medes before being set ablaze, according to Newsweek. “The burning and sudden collapse of the Ninurta Temple left it in a remarkable state of preservation,” Danti remarked, as reported by Newsweek.
Nimrud, known as Kalhu in Assyrian times and Calah in the Bible, served as the imperial capital of the Assyrian Empire under King Ashurnasirpal II nearly 3,000 years ago. Newsweek notes that the city was a hub of political and religious activity, symbolizing the empire’s wealth and power. The Temple of Ninurta was built during the reign of Ashurnasirpal II, highlighting the central role of Ninurta in the Assyrian state religion.
The fire and sudden collapse of the temple around 614–612 BCE left the site in an exceptional state of preservation, allowing for remarkable discoveries despite damage from looting and burning. GreekReporter.com reports that only remnants of the Ninurta Temple and its adornments were found, as it was looted and burned by invaders from Babylon and Media during the fall of the Assyrian Empire.
Cuneiform, the writing system used on many of the discovered artifacts, is considered to be the oldest known writing system, developed by the Sumerians of Mesopotamia more than 5,000 years ago.
In 2016, Iraqi forces retook control of the site of ancient Nimrud, and since then, reconstruction efforts have been taking place in an attempt to repair the damage caused by ISIS.
The Penn Nimrud Project builds upon excavations conducted in the 19th century by Sir Austen Henry Layard and Sir Max Mallowan. The team is not only restoring damaged structures but also exploring previously undocumented areas, including the Temple of Ninurta.
Through detailed analysis, archaeologists hope to reconstruct the religious practices surrounding Ninurta, the god of war venerated as the state deity of the Assyrians.