Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III

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Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III
The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, 9th century BC, from Nimrud, Iraq. The British Museum.jpg
Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III in the British Museum. The White Obelisk of Ashurnasirpal I is located next to it
Materialblack limestone
Sizec. 1.98 metres high, 45 cm wide
WritingAssyrian
Created827–824 BC
DiscoveredNimrud, Iraq
36°05′53″N 43°19′44″E / 36.09806°N 43.32889°E / 36.09806; 43.32889Coordinates: 36°05′53″N 43°19′44″E / 36.09806°N 43.32889°E / 36.09806; 43.32889
Present locationBritish Museum, London
RegistrationME 118885
Location of discovery

The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III is a black limestone Assyrian sculpture with many scenes in bas-relief and inscriptions. It comes from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), in northern Iraq, and commemorates the deeds of King Shalmaneser III (reigned 858–824 BC). It is on display at the British Museum in London, and several other museums have cast replicas.

It is one of two complete Assyrian obelisks yet discovered, the other one being the much earlier White Obelisk of Ashurnasirpal I, and is historically significant because it is thought to display the earliest ancient depiction of a biblical figure – Jehu, King of Israel. The traditional identification of "Yaw" as Jehu has been questioned by some scholars, who proposed that the inscription refers to another king, Jehoram of Israel.[1][2] Its reference to Parsua is also the first known reference to the Persians.

Tribute offerings are shown being brought from identifiable regions and peoples. It was erected as a public monument in 825 BC at a time of civil war, in the central square of Nimrud. It was discovered by archaeologist Sir Austen Henry Layard in 1846 and is now in the British Museum.

Description[]

It features twenty relief scenes, five on each side. They depict five different subdued kings, bringing tribute and prostrating before the Assyrian king. From top to bottom they are: (1) of Gilzanu (in north-west Iran), (2) "Yaua of Bit Omri" (Jehu of the House of Omri), (3) an unnamed ruler of Musri, (4) Marduk-apil-usur of Suhi (middle Euphrates, Syria and Iraq), and (5) Qalparunda of Patin (Antakya region of Turkey). Each scene occupies four panels around the monument and is described by a cuneiform script above them.

On the top and the bottom of the reliefs there is a long cuneiform inscription recording the annals of Shalmaneser III. It lists the military campaigns which the king and his commander-in-chief headed every year, until the thirty-first year of reign. Some features might suggest that the work had been commissioned by the commander-in-chief, Dayyan-Assur.

Second register[]

Jehu, bows before Shalmaneser III.[3] This is "the only portrayal we have in ancient Near Eastern art of an Israelite or Judaean monarch".[4]
Ia-ú-a mar Hu-um-ri-i (Akkadian: