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Join Dr. Michael D. Danti for this in-person and online lecture.This lecture presents the history of Nimrud, the recent excavations and conservation work, and the challenges of conducting archaeology and heritage preservation at one of the ancient world’s most important—and most endangered—archaeological sites.
At the height of Assyrian power in the early first millennium BCE, the city of Nimrud—ancient Kalhu—stood as one of the great capitals of the ancient Near East. Founded as a royal center by the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II in the 9th century BCE, Nimrud became a vast ceremonial and administrative city renowned for its palaces, temples, colossal guardian figures, carved stone reliefs, and immense wealth. The city played a central role in the expansion of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, whose military, political, and artistic influence extended across much of the ancient Middle East. For nearly two centuries, Nimrud served as a seat of royal authority and religious activity before the Assyrian capital was eventually transferred to other imperial centers such as Nineveh. From 2022 to 2024, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage conducted new excavations and preservation projects at Nimrud aimed at documenting, stabilizing, and better understanding monuments heavily damaged during the occupation of the site by the so-called Islamic State (ISIS). Work focused on the palace of King Adad-nerari III—known as the Upper Chambers—and on the Ishtar Sharrat Niphi and Ninurta Temples, major components of the sacred and administrative core of the city. These excavations represent the first large-scale international archaeological investigations at Nimrud in many years and build upon earlier work carried out by 19th-century explorers, British expeditions, and Iraqi archaeologists over the course of more than 170 years of research. The new investigations have clarified important aspects of the city’s architectural sequence, urban organization, and ritual landscape during the 9th–8th centuries BCE. Excavations revealed evidence for rebuilding episodes, changes in temple layout, and the relationship between royal and sacred precincts within the Assyrian capital. Among the most significant discoveries are a previously unknown temple shrine and a monumental gateway linking the twin temples, featuring bronze-banded doors and an inscribed stele that sheds new light on Neo-Assyrian royal ideology, divine representation, and ceremonial movement through sacred space. The project has also documented extensive evidence of deliberate modern destruction, allowing archaeologists to reconstruct damaged architecture while contributing to broader efforts to preserve Iraqi cultural heritage in the aftermath of conflict.
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616 N. Highland Avenue , Pittsburgh, PA, United States, Pennsylvania 15206
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