There have been many incredible discoveries and excavations in the field of archaeology, and while the movies ( Indiana Jones) have portrayed finding such things as the ark of the covenant and holy grail (while are real in the bible), are not on the list of true artifacts and discoveries yet to be made. Nineveh also known as Assyria, is one of the most well known cities In the Bible.[ Nineveh is present day Mosul, Iraq and was one of the oldest and greatest cities in antiquity. The area was settled as early as 600 BCE and became one of the religious centers for worshiping the goddess Ishtar. It became fully developed during the Neo-Assyrian Empire (912-612 BCE) by Sennacherib, one of the most famous kings.] The maps shown on the following 1 pages are shown to give an idea of where and what Nineveh looks like.

Gordon Franz states [ “ If I mentioned the city of Nineveh, what would come to mind? Most likely you would say Jonah. We have all heard the story of Jonah being swallowed by the Great fish and then going to Nineveh to preach against the city. His message was short and to the point, “ yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown” , all the city, from the dogcatcher repented.] 2 3 “ The prophet Nahum predicted the fall of Nineveh in the mid-7th century BC, several decades before the city actually fell in 612 BC, when he prophesied, the Neo-Assyrian Empire was at the height of its power. This report will give a breadth survey of some of the major discoveries 44 Franz, Gordon, Nahum and the Nasty Assyrians, Associates for Biblical Research, May 28, 2009 3 Franz, Gordon, Nahum and the Nasty Assyrians, Associates for Biblical Research, May 28, 2009 2 The Holy Bible 1 Franz, Gordon, Nahum and Nineveh, Associates for Biblical Research, Sept 6, 2006 excavated at Nineveh and will give special attention to the major excavations that have taken place. It is important to note that the current state in the middle east has made current work difficult and have even caused destruction. Andrew Currey from National Geographic notes that Islamist Militants ( known as ISIS) in Iraq and Syria continue their war on the region’s cultutal heritage, attacking archaeological sites with bulldozers and explosives.

The first excavation to occur was in 1842 by the French Consul Paul-Emile Botta, in which he uncovered the ruins of a building which turned out to be the place of Sargon II. Of the major discoveries made at Nineveh, the first to be mentioned is the Ashurbanipal Library, [ which was named after the last great king of the Assyrian Empire. The library is home to many clay tablets. 7 In his Outline of History, H.G. Wells calls the library “ the most precious source of historical materials.]8

The excavation work of the Ashurbanipal library is mostly credited to the archaeologist Austen Henry Layord. In the middle of the nineteenth century, Austen Henry Layord uncovered parts of several ancient, buried Assyrian Cities, including the capital, Nineveh, and dragged sizable bricks back to the British Museum. His book, Nineveh and its Remains(1849), was a Victorian sensation. Of the many tablets found in the Library, some of them include the Azekah 9 Inscription, Nimrud Tablet, Astrolabe ( which is an ancient astronomical instrument) and perhaps the most famous, The Epic of Gilgamesh and an Astrolabe ( tablet shown below along side of the library.)

The excavation work of the Ashurbanipal library is mostly credited to the archaeologist Austen Henry Layord. In the middle of the nineteenth century, Austen Henry Layord uncovered parts of several ancient, buried Assyrian Cities, including the capital, Nineveh, and dragged sizable bricks back to the British Museum. His book, Nineveh and its Remains(1849), was a Victorian sensation. Of the many tablets found in the Library, some of them include the Azekah 9 Inscription, Nimrud Tablet, Astrolabe ( which is an ancient astronomical instrument) and perhaps the most famous, The Epic of Gilgamesh and an Astrolabe ( tablet shown below along side of the library.)

Perhaps one of Austen Henry Layard’s most famous discoveries he made during his excavations of Nineveh ( 1845-47) would be the Lachish Reliefs. In archaeology terms, a relief is any sculpture in which the figure projects from a supporting background or flat surface . There are 13 several types of reliefs. The Lachish Relief is shown below. To better understand what is inscribed, it is essential to know biblically what Lachish is. [ The conquest of Lachish was one of the major events of Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah during his third campaign in 701 BCE. The 13 Arcaheologywordsmith.com 12 Ancientpages.com 11 Mark, Joshua J. The Eternal Life of Gilgamesh. Ancient History Encyclopedia , April 10, 2008 10 Ancient pages.com 9 Larson, Timothy. Austen Henry’s Nineveh. The Bible and Archaeology in Victorian Britain, 24 Feb(2009) Journal of Religious History. Wiley Online Library, www.doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1111/j/1467-9809.2009.000747x Bible informs us that Sennacherib encamped at Lachish and established his headquarters there during these parts of the sojourn in Judah. The Lachish Reliefs erected in his palace of Nineveh depict his campaign.] 14

There were several other excavations that occured which gave important discoveries. According to Dr. David Graves, Colonel R. Taylor discovered the famous Taylor Prism (shown above) which is sometimes called the “ Annals of Sennacherib”. The prism has cuneiform writing 16 inscribed on it.

In 1903-5, the excavation of Kouyunjik under R. Cambell Thompson discovered a new building of Sennacherib on the eastern side and the Temple of Nabu.[ The work began in October in which some 80 feet was cleared to a depth of 20-25 feet. They cleared practically the whole side of the temple. The ground plan at the temple was roughly a rectangle of 180 by 160 feet, consisting of an external platform of unburnt brick masonry.]17

In 1903-5, the excavation of Kouyunjik under R. Cambell Thompson discovered a new building of Sennacherib on the eastern side and the Temple of Nabu.[ The work began in October in which some 80 feet was cleared to a depth of 20-25 feet. They cleared practically the whole side of the temple. The ground plan at the temple was roughly a rectangle of 180 by 160 feet, consisting of an external platform of unburnt brick masonry.]17

Finally, in 1989 the excavations by David Stronach of the University of California, Berkley were carried out and are the last great excavations to occur. The excavation was of the Halzi Gate, which can be seen on the map. This map was the southernmost point of entry in Nineveh strongly fortified cities. The excavation revealed a number of stone orthostats ( which are square stone blocks with greater depth than height), stone slab inscriptions of Sennecherib that revealed the construction of Nineveh walls and even a brick box foundation with a painted Lehmu (supernatural figure).18

The excavations of Nineveh only strongly confirm the stories of the Bible. Many people are skeptical of the story of Jonah and the whale, but the great lesson here is that both Jonah and Nineveh repented of idolatry and turned back towards God. While the excavations reveal a great bit of history, we should let the artifacts found take us on our own journey of imagination of what the city and people were like in the Bible, and how we see ourselves like the Assyrians. How are we like Jonah and ultimately who is the true Jonah; Jesus Christ. Both were in a boat in which a storm overtook them, but Jesus calmed the storm.