After ISIS destroyed part of the archeological site of the ancient city of Nineveh, a team of Iraqi and US archeologists started restoring the monuments. They discovered eight marble slabs with carvings of Assyrian figures, coming from the time of King Sennacherib.
Image: screenshot YouTube, BBC News
The discovery is reported by Evangelical Focus. The carvings depict Assyrian soldiers shooting their bows, together with carvings of palm trees, pomegranates, figs, and grapes. The figures in the carvings correspond with figures of the period of King Sennacherib of Assyria, who lived from 705 till 681 BC.
King Sennacherib appears multiple times in the Old Testament. 2 Kings 18:13-19:37 reports the invasion of Judah by king Sennacherib during the reign of king Hezekiah in Judah. Sennacherib threatened Jerusalem, but Hezekiah trusted in the Lord. Isaiah predicted the deliverance of Judah during this time, and Sennacherib was eventually killed by his two sons.
2 Chronicles 32:1-23 tells the same story, just like Isaiah 36 and 37.
The carvings were found near the Mashki Gate. Fadel Mohammed Khodr, head of the Iraqi archeological team, said that the slabs with the carvings “were moved from the palace of Sennacherib and reused by Ashurbanipal, the grandson of the king, to renovate the gate of Mashki and to enlarge the guard room.”
Watch a video about the discovery here.
