TEHRAN - A team of German archaeologists from Heidelberg University has made a major archaeological breakthrough in the ancient city of Nineveh, unearthing a monumental Assyrian bas-relief dating back to the 7th century BC.

The relief, discovered in the North Palace of King Ashurbanipal, is among the most significant finds in recent years, offering new insights into the religious iconography and political symbolism of the Assyrian Empire.

The intricately carved stone panel—measuring approximately 5.5 meters in length, 3 meters in height, and weighing 12 tons—depicts Ashurbanipal, the last great king of Assyria (reigning from 669 to 631 BC), flanked by two prominent Assyrian deities: Ashur and Ishtar. Behind the divine figures stand a fish-genius, symbolizing life and salvation, and a scorpion-man figure with raised arms—both of which suggest the presence of a large winged sun disk above, a common Assyrian motif denoting divine protection and royal authority.

“Among the many reliefs found in Assyrian palaces, it is extremely rar –if not unprecedented­­–to find depictions of major deities,” said Professor Dr. Aaron Schmitt, director of the excavation. “This makes the discovery exceptional, both artistically and historically.”

The relief was uncovered in a pit behind a ceremonial niche in the throne room of Ashurbanipal’s palace, a location believed to have been of high ritual significance. Experts believe the relief was buried during the Hellenistic period (3rd to 2nd century BC), centuries after the fall of the Assyrian Empire. This intentional burial likely contributed to the preservation of the artwork, explaining why it remained undiscovered during earlier excavations, such as those by British archaeologists in the 19th century, whose findings now reside in the British Museum.

The discovery is part of the Heidelberg Nineveh Project, launched in 2018 by Prof. Dr. Stefan Maul of Heidelberg University’s Department of Languages and Cultures of the Near East. Since 2022, the team has focused on excavations at the Kuyunjik mound—the site of ancient Nineveh and the heart of the Assyrian Empire under King Sennacherib in the late 8th century BC.

The relief is currently undergoing further study, with experts analyzing the type of stone, believed to be gypsum, and investigating the deeper meanings behind the symbolic imagery.

Assyrians are an ethnic group indigenous to Mesopotamia, a historical region in West Asia. Modern Assyrians are descended from the ancient Assyrians, one of the major civilizations of Mesopotamia.

The ancestral lands that constitute the Assyrian homeland encompass ancient Mesopotamia and the areas surrounding the Tigris and Zab rivers. Today, this region is divided among modern-day Iraq, southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, and northeastern Syria.

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