German archaeologists have made a spectacular discovery in Iraq. During excavations in the ancient metropolis of Nineveh, a team from Heidelberg University came across large parts of a monumental relief. It shows King Assurbanipal (668 to 627 BC), the last ruler of the Assyrian Empire, accompanied by two important deities and other figures.
The relief was unearthed in the throne room of the North Palace. It was carved on a massive stone slab measuring just over five metres in length and three metres in height and weighs around 12 tonnes.
