Stunning 12-Ton Assyrian Relief Unearthed in Iraq Reveals a Legendary King Among the Gods
The king stands flanked by mighty deities and mythical guardians — a vivid testament to ancient Mesopotamia’s divine kingship.
Buried beneath centuries of earth in the ancient Assyrian capital of Nineveh, archaeologists from Heidelberg University have made one of the most remarkable discoveries in the region in decades: a massive stone relief measuring five meters long and weighing about 12 tons.
But it’s not just the sheer size that makes this find extraordinary — it’s who it depicts. Carved in stone stands Ashurbanipal, the last great king of the Assyrian Empire, flanked by the gods Ashur and Ishtar, powerful figures at the heart of Mesopotamian belief.
Behind them is a fish-cloaked figure — a so-called “fish genius” — believed to embody protection and life. Just beyond stands another enigmatic figure, arms lifted in a gesture that archaeologists interpret as prayer or invocation. This figure may have originally represented a scorpion-man, a mythic guardian of the divine realm in Mesopotamian lore.
“While Assyrian palaces are famed for their intricate reliefs, depictions of major deities have never been found until now,” says Aaron Schmitt, professor at Heidelberg University.
A Throne Room Like No Other
This monumental find is part of the Heidelberg Nineveh Project, a collaboration between Heidelberg University and Iraq’s State Board of Antiquities and Heritage. Since 2018, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Stefan Maul, the team has been working to uncover and understand layers of Nineveh’s lost grandeur. Schmitt’s excavation, begun in 2022, zeroes in on the heart of the palace — once the seat of one of the ancient world’s greatest empires.
At its peak, the Assyrian Empire stretched from the Persian Gulf to Egypt, ruling through formidable military might, advanced bureaucracy, and lavish cultural expression. But by the late 7th century BCE, Nineveh lay in ruins, its palaces torched, its gods cast down. Rediscovered by British explorers in the late 19th century, its famed reliefs now fill the halls of the British Museum.
“The reason these fragments remained hidden is simple — they were buried under layers that 19th-century explorers never reached,” Schmitt explains.
This time, however, the relief will stay in Iraq. Plans are underway for the sculpture to be displayed locally, allowing the public to reconnect with this monumental chapter of their heritage.
Reassessing a Complex King
The discovery comes at a moment of renewed dedication to safeguarding Mesopotamia’s endangered archaeological legacy, threatened for decades by war, looting, and neglect.
It also breathes new life into the story of Ashurbanipal — a ruler remembered as both ruthless conqueror and enlightened patron of knowledge, famously credited with building the world’s first systematically organized library.
His portrayal alongside supreme gods is more than royal propaganda. Scholars believe it reflects the Assyrian idea that mortal rule and cosmic order were inseparable: the king’s authority was an extension of divine will.
A Window Into a Lost World
Aaron Schmidt.
As the fragments are unearthed and digitally reconstructed, researchers are piecing together every symbol, figure, and gesture to understand how ancient Assyrians saw themselves and their gods. A detailed 3D model is already underway, promising to bring this forgotten masterpiece back to life for a new generation.
In a time when so much of Mesopotamia’s heritage has been endangered or lost, this stunning relief offers not just a glimpse of a vanished empire — but a powerful reminder of humanity’s timeless urge to tell our stories in stone.
