obelisk
- Museum number
- 118807
- Title
- Object: The White Obelisk
- Description
-
Limestone obelisk; rectangular, slightly tapering with a stepped apex; decorated with eight registers carved in low relief, representing scenes of warfare, hunts, processions of tributaries and ceremonial occasions associated with an Assyrian king best identified as Ashurnasirpal I; cuneiform inscription on two sides (A and D); ancient saw marks near the base and the condition of the stone implies that the lowermost 35 cm was formerly inserted into a socket; surfaces now considerably weathered and damaged.
- Production date
- 1049BC-1031BC
- Dimensions
-
Height: 285 centimetres
-
Width: 70.48 centimetres
-
Depth: 42.54 centimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- This object was first ascribed to the reign of the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II in the 'Guide to the Kouyunjuk Gallery' written by T. G. Pinches and published by the BM in 1883. This view was followed until 1928 when E. Unger presented the argument that it dated to the reign of Ashurnasirpal I. Some Assyriologists have continued to follow the former whereas most archaeologists and art historians have followed Unger and prefered an earlier date. The literature, iconography and context have been thoroughly reviewed by Reade (1975) who concludes that the monument indeed belongs to the reign of Ashurnasirpal I.
- Location
- On display (G6a)
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2002- BM, G6/Assyrian Transept
Assyrian Transept West
- Acquisition date
- 1853
- Acquisition notes
- It was discovered at Kuyunjik by Rassam in July 1853 "about two hundred feet to the northeast of Sennacherib's palace" at a depth of some fifteen feet below the surface of the mound; it was found lying on its side and the findspot corresponds to an open area between the outer court of Sennacherib's palace at Nineveh and the Ishtar temple. This findspot is recorded on W. Boutcher's plan reproduced by Rassam in the 'Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archaeology' VIII (1882), opp. p.37 with contemporary drawings by C. Hodder as Or.Dr.VI,xl (general view), xli (faces C-D), xlii (faces A-B). It was shipped from Basra to Bombay on the Acbar in March 1854 and from Bombay to London on the Merchantman, arriving London February 1855.
- Department
- Middle East
- BM/Big number
- 118807
- Registration number
- 1856,0909.58
- Additional IDs
-
Miscellaneous number: 62 (ex)
