Spectacular find in Iraq. Khorsabad lamassu resurfaces.

Remarkable archaeological recovery in Iraq: at the archaeological site of Khorsabad, also known as Dur-Sharrukin, an ancient Assyrian capital during the reign of Sargon II (721-705 BC.), located in the north of the country (near Nineveh), a splendid lamassu, a protective winged deity found in several Mesopotamian civilizations, has in fact resurfaced: it looks like a creature with a bull and lion body, eagle wings and a human head. The discovery was announced by the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage of Iraq (SBAH).

The Khorsabad lamassu, made of alabaster, weighs approximately 19 tons and measures about 3.8 by 3.9 meters. The find bears the signature of the Sorbonne’s French-Iraqi mission, led by Ahmed Fakak Al-Badrani and Pascal Butterlin. “I’ve never unearthed anything this large in my life before,” Butterlin told France 24. “Normally, it’s only in Egypt or Cambodia that such large pieces are found. The attention to detail is incredible.”

The lamassu is whole except for the head, which is kept in the collections of the Museum of Iraq in Baghdad after Iraqi customs officials managed to snatch it from antiquities smugglers in the 1990s. The statue, located at the entrance to the ancient city of Khorsabad, dates back 2,700 years: it was in fact made during the reign of King Sargon II, and was installed at the city gates as a sign of protection.

First mentioned in the 19th century by French archaeologist Victor Place, the lamassu disappeared from discussion until the 1990s, when Iraqi authorities felt that work on the sculpture was urgently needed. It was around that time that looters of antiquities took the statue’s head away and cut it up to try to place it abroad. Fortunately, the lamassu was spared from destruction by Isis terrorists, who invaded this area of Iraq (we are near Mosul) in 2014: the residents of Khorsabad, reports France 24, hid it before taking refuge in territories still controlled by the Iraqi government. Now, Iraqi archaeologists are trying to figure out if and how the lamassu’s body can be reunited with his head.

Spectacular find in Iraq. Khorsabad lamassu resurfaces.

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.