Ancient Shamash Gate in Nineveh Reveals Two Battles 2,500 Years Apart

Aerial Photo of the Shamash Gate from the east. Credit: Timothy Harrison / CC BY 4.0

The Shamash Gate successful ancient Nineveh has revealed uncommon grounds of 2 convulsive chapters separated by much than 2,500 years: the autumn of the Assyrian superior successful 612 B.C. and the conflict to escaped Mosul from ISIS successful 2017.

The research, led by Timothy Harrison and published successful IRAQ, focuses connected 1 of the largest gates of past Nineveh. The gross erstwhile stood arsenic a large eastbound entranceway into the Assyrian city. Today, its remains emergence adjacent the main eastbound attack to Mosul.

Researchers recovered that the gross inactive holds important archaeological grounds contempt dense damage. During its power of Mosul from 2014 to 2017, ISIS turned the tract into a antiaircraft position. Fighters dug tunnels done and beneath the past structure. These tunnels chopped into the foundations and damaged parts of the stone-lined gross system.

A preliminary probe successful 2020 showed the standard of the destruction. It besides showed that the halfway of the gross remained intact. This made the tract some fragile and highly invaluable for aboriginal study.

The past gross became a modern battlefield

ISIS junkyard successful beforehand of the Shamash Gate. Credit: Timothy Harrison / CC BY 4.0

The Shamash Gate was 1 of 18 entrances into Nineveh. Ancient records nexus its operation to King Sennacherib, who ruled from 705 to 681 B.C. The gross connected the metropolis to the east, on the roadworthy from Erbil to Nineveh.

Inside the city, the way led toward large royal and spiritual areas, including Nabi Yunis and the palace of Esarhaddon. This made the gross a cardinal constituent successful Nineveh’s movement, trade, and defense.

Researchers accidental the tract present preserves grounds from 2 battles. The archetypal was the autumn of Nineveh successful 612 B.C., erstwhile the metropolis fell to invading forces. The 2nd was the combat to liberate Mosul from ISIS successful 2017.

ISIS tunnels posed an contiguous threat. A 2021 survey utilized 3D laser scanning to representation the underground network. The tunnels stretched astir 210 meters and passed nether the gate’s foundations. In immoderate places, the passageway diggers smashed done past chromatic pavement and partition slabs.

The survey recovered that the gross faced a superior hazard of collapse. In 2022, the United Nations Development Program helped stabilize the tunnels. Workers filled them with sandbags utilizing ungraded primitively removed by ISIS.

Excavations exposure the autumn of Nineveh

An idiosyncratic skeleton recovered successful past Nineveh. Credit: Timothy Harrison / CC BY 4.0

After stabilization, archaeologists began excavations crossed respective parts of the gate. These included the cardinal passageway, the bluish and confederate towers, and the country conscionable wrong the entrance.

In the cardinal passageway, researchers uncovered grounds linked to the precocious seventh period B.C. Finds included bronze and robust arrowheads, pottery, fragments of a ample royal stela, and quality remains.

The remains suggest a convulsive event. Researchers identified astatine slightest 4 radical successful 1 area, including a young child, an teen male, an big female, and different big whose enactment could not beryllium determined. In different area, archaeologists recovered the partial remains of an big lying look down adjacent the interior entrance.

The grounds points to the demolition of the gross during Nineveh’s autumn successful 612 B.C. Pockets of ash and charcoal suggest fire. Broken stone, scattered bones, and limb finds adhd to the representation of a catastrophic battle.

Researchers besides recovered 2 phases of pavement. The earlier chromatic pavement whitethorn beryllium to Sennacherib’s archetypal construction. It showed signs of dense use, including cart-wheel grooves. A aboriginal aboveground whitethorn person improved drainage and repaired harm from agelong use.

Broken stela names Ashurbanipal

Stele fragments. Credit: Timothy Harrison / CC BY 4.0

One of the astir important discoveries was a ample breached stela linked to King Ashurbanipal, who ruled from 669 to 631 B.C. Archaeologists recovered 196 fragments truthful far.

The stela was carved connected some sides and carried cuneiform writing. One look appears to amusement a lasting royal figure, apt Ashurbanipal. The substance matches known inscriptions astir Assyrian campaigns successful Egypt, including references to Taharqa, Thebes, and captured vassal kings.

Researchers judge the stela was violently smashed, astir apt during the autumn of Nineveh. Fire whitethorn besides person damaged the stone.

The pottery from the tract mostly dates to the Neo-Assyrian and post-Assyrian periods. Some pieces besides constituent to aboriginal activity, including Sasanian and aboriginal Islamic material. Together, the finds amusement that the gross remained portion of Mosul’s agelong municipality communicative aft the Assyrian empire ended.

A awesome of Mosul’s recovery

The Shamash Gate task is not lone an archaeological effort. It is besides portion of a wider effort to reconstruct Mosul’s taste practice aft years of war.

Researchers accidental the gross has heavy symbolic value. It reflects Nineveh’s past power, Mosul’s modern suffering, and the city’s ongoing recovery.

The study shows that the gross inactive holds large grounds contempt colonial-era damage, earlier restorations, erosion, and ISIS destruction. It besides shows wherefore cautious conservation matters.

For archaeologists, the Shamash Gate offers a uncommon presumption of past warfare and modern struggle successful 1 place. For Mosul, it stands arsenic a damaged but surviving landmark of a metropolis rebuilding from the ruins.