Assyria Resources

Discoveries At Nineveh by Austen Henry Layard, Esq., D.C.L.
Text source: A Popular Account of Discoveries at Nineveh. Austen Henry Layard. J. C. Derby. New York. 1854. Copyright (c) 1997 by Bruce J. Butterfield

Learn about Austen Henry Layard & the Rediscovery of Assyria Austen Henry Layard was one of the great archaeological pioneers of the Victorian Age. Together with the Frenchman, Paul Emile Botta, he brought to light one of the major civilizations of the ancient world, Assyria.”

Nimrud: Materialities of Assyrian Knowledge Production
“How do archaeological artefacts find their way into gallery cases and museum websites? How do objects found in the ground get transformed into specimens for scientific and historical study? How have the processes of making archaeological knowledge changed over the past two centuries? This research project tackles those questions using objects excavated from the archaeological site of Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital city of the Assyrian empire in the early first millennium BC.”

University of Chicago’s Oriental Institue Art Musuem — Most of the Institute’s on-line Exhibitions can be seen in the Highlights from the Collections Section. Pictures are listed by Subject and by Region (Assyria) (Mesopotamia). Additionally, the Virtual Museum offers a tour through the Oriental Institute Museum galleries.

The Metropolitan Museum also boasts an extensive collection of Assyrian and Assyrian related artifacts. as part of its collection of Ancient Near Eastern art. Also worth visiting is the The Assyrian Sculpture Court gallery, featuring reliefs from various rooms of the palace of Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud

The Metropolitan museum also has an extensive collection of Assyrian Ivories. In particular, there are both concise explanations and examples of ivories in the Phoencian style, Assyrian style and Syrian style.

Stolen Stones:The Modern Sack of Nineveh by John Malcolm Russell.
An account of the on going looting of this important archaeological site. The site also has excellent images of the site. from the pages of Archaeology magazine.

Photos of Assyrian Artifacts: Ancient Near East section, British Museum, London
Photographs of Assyrian artifacts from the museum’s remarkable collection.

Mesopotamia-The British Museum: Illuminating World Cultures.
An excellent introduction to the cultures of Assyria, Babylonia and Sumer. In addition to discussions ooon Mesopatamian mythology, gepgraphy, time and writing there is an interactive section on Assyrian palaces and warfare.

Ashur.
A history of the site of Ashur from the Britannica online.

Assyrian Treasures from the city of Kalhu (Nimrud)
The tombs of the Assyrian Queens Yaba, Banitu, & Atalia.

Kalhu, Tiglath-pileser’s royal residence city
” Assurnasirpal II (883-859 BC) moved the Assyrian court away from Assur to Kalhu, and this city subsequently served as Assyria’s administrative centre and the king’s main residence until Sargon II (721-705 BC) built the new city of Dur-Šarruken to fulfill these functions.”

Calah.
A history of the site of modern Nimrud from the Britannica online.

Ancient Kalhu
“For almost two centuries, from the early 9th to the late 8th century BC, the city of Kalhu was the centre of the world’s mightiest empire. In the popular imagination Assyria is rightly acknowledged as being a very impressive military power. But even the best-equipped army cannot succeed without effective, intelligent leadership. Expert knowledge – of imperial administration, of the natural world, of the gods’ intentions for Assyria – all contributed to the Assyrian king’s ability to rule his territories. In these pages we consider the places, peoples, and writings that supported Kalhu’s world dominance for such a long period of time.”

Digital Reconstruction of the Northwest Palace Nimrud Assyria
Visit the palace of Assurnasirpal II courtesy of a digital reconstruction by LearningSites inc.

Nineveh.
A history of the site of Nineveh from the Britannica online.

Nineveh, Assyria’s capital in the 7th century BC.
“From the reign of Sennacherib (r. 704-681 BC) onwards, Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire. It was then considered to be the world’s largest city: according to the Old Testament book of Jonah, it was home to 120,000 people and took three days to cross.”

The siege of Lachish
as displayed on the reliefs of the South West Palace at Nineveh

Dur-Šarruken, the “Fortress of Sargon”
“The foundation of the city of Dur-Šarruken offered king Sargon the chance to alter the balance of power within the empire. It also gave him the opportunity for a large scale architectural experiment: the creation of a perfect city.”

Dur Sharrukin.
A history of the site of Dur Sharrukin, modern day Khorsabad, from the Britannica online.

Arbil.
A history of the site of Irbil also spelled Arbil, or Erbil, from the Britannica online.

Babylon a history of the city of Babylon from the Britannica online.

Carchemish a history of the city of Carchemish from the Britannica online.