1842–1852: The Dawn of Major Excavations – Rediscovering Nineveh
- 1842–1845: Prelude and first breakthroughs
French consul Paul-Émile Botta begins systematic excavations at Khorsabad (ancient Dūr-Sharrukīn, capital of Sargon II). He uncovers colossal human-headed winged bulls (lamassu), magnificent palace reliefs, and cuneiform inscriptions.
These finds provide the first tangible evidence of the Assyrian Empire — though many initially mistook Khorsabad for Nineveh itself. - 1845: Austen Henry Layard enters the scene
Young British diplomat, traveler, and amateur archaeologist Austen Henry Layard (backed by British Ambassador Sir Stratford Canning in Constantinople) starts digging at Nimrud (ancient Kalḫu / Calah, capital of Ashurnasirpal II).
Within months he reveals:- Lavish royal palaces,
- Iconic guardian lamassu statues,
- Miles of carved stone reliefs depicting battles, lion hunts, tribute processions, and royal triumphs.
- 1847–1851: Shift to the true Nineveh (Kuyunjik mound)
Layard moves operations to the Kuyunjik mound (opposite modern Mosul). Here he excavates the Southwest Palace of Sennacherib — described by the king himself as the “Palace Without Rival.”
Hundreds of meters of wall reliefs emerge: dramatic siege scenes, deportations of conquered peoples, royal lion hunts, and ceremonial processions — instantly electrifying European audiences. - 1849–1850: Discovery of the first library cache
In spring 1850 (while Layard was away, under the supervision of his assistant Toma Shishman), rooms 40–41 of Sennacherib’s palace yield thousands of clay tablets inscribed in cuneiform.
This marks the initial discovery of Ashurbanipal’s Library (7th century BCE) — the greatest known collection of texts from the ancient world. - 1852–1853: The breakthrough – Hormuzd Rassam takes over
Layard’s brilliant Iraqi-Assyrian assistant Hormuzd Rassam continues the work and uncovers the North Palace of Ashurbanipal.
Here lies the main bulk of the library: an estimated 30,000–32,000 tablets and fragments — literary, scientific, administrative, and religious texts collected by the last great Assyrian king. - Core significance of the decade
- Tens of thousands of 7th-century BCE tablets flood into scholarship: near-complete or fragmentary versions of the Epic of Gilgamesh (including the flood story), royal annals, astronomical observations, medical treatises, legal codes, omens, prayers, myths, and more.
- Bilingual texts (Sumerian–Akkadian dictionaries, interlinear versions) dramatically accelerate the decipherment of cuneiform, building on the parallel work of Henry Rawlinson, Edward Hincks, and others in the 1840s–1850s.
- Assyria ceases to be merely a name in the Bible (Jonah, Nahum) and becomes a vivid, material civilization with palaces, monumental art, and the single largest ancient library ever found.
- Layard’s bestselling book Nineveh and Its Remains (1849) sparks an international sensation and launches the modern era of Mesopotamian archaeology.
“1840s–1850s: Layard and Rassam unearth Nineveh and Ashurbanipal’s Library — tens of thousands of tablets that unlock the Assyrian-Babylonian language, reconstruct ancient history, mythology, and science, and transform Assyria into one of the best-understood civilizations of the ancient world.”If you'd like to continue to the next phase (full decipherment of cuneiform, George Smith’s 1872 Flood Tablet discovery, impact on biblical studies, etc.), or add more visuals/adjust the level of detail, just let me know!
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