Details of a treasure troveof gold and jewels rivalling that of King Tutenkhamoun were presented in the West for the first time today.
Ancient jewel-encrusted rings; gold bracelets and anklets; and a spectacular crown were among the artefacts discovered when Iraqi archaeologists uncovered burial tombs dating from the eighth century.
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Gold Necklace, one of a number found in the tombs (Photo by kind permission of the State Organisation of Antiquities and Heritage, Baghdad)
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Two Assyrian queens, who are thought to be princesses or wives of King Ashurnasipal II, were among the many remains recovered after extensive excavation work began in Iraq in 1998.
The Gulf War and the continued diplomatic isolation of the country meant clear details of the discovery were not generally known in the West. But today the Iraqi Office of Antiquities and Heritage presented details of their findings at the British Museum in London.
Dr Dominique Collon, assistant keeper at the department of Near East at the British Museum, described the find as the most important archeological discovery of the past 80 years. "It really is the most important discovery since the 1920s," Dr Collon told ireland.com.
"It’s a real eye-opener because so much of Assyrian gold has been lost has because the site was looted in 612 and 614, and gold preserves so well in comparison to bronze or stone," she added.
Two bronze and two stone tombs were discovered by a team led by Mr Muayad Damerji. Inside, sarcophaguses containing the remains of four women were revealed. A number of coffins were also found.
One of the tombs contained the well-preserved remains of a woman aged approximately 45-55 years. Gold earrings; a large amount of beads and gold and semi-precious stones; armlets; rings and other jewellery were found in the tomb indicating woman was royalty. Copper and bronze vessels and two plaques depicting erotic scenes were also found.
A second tomb contained a tablet bearing the occupant’s name: Queen Yaba. Two skeletons were discovered in the sarcophagus - thought to be mother and daughter - along with a massive trove of gold jewellery weighing 14 kg.
Among the jewellery and bones lay 700 tiny gold rosettes, stars, circles and triangles which had been sewn onto delicate but now decayed gold-threaded fabric.
Resting on the remains was a bronze or copper mirror with a handle carved from ivory, gold and semi-precious stones. A silver and gold cosmetics box and vases were also found in the dry, beautifully-preserved tomb.
The identity of the occupants is complicated by an inscription found within the sarcophagus: ‘Atalia, Queen of Sargon, King of Assyria’. It is thought the tomb contained treasures belonging to three different queens, all of whom were wives of kings of the second half of the 8th century BC. The skeletons in the sarcophagus are thought to be of women aged between 30 and 35.
Further excavation led to the discovery of a third tomb. The chamber was virtually empty except for the sarcophagus containing only bone fragments and a stone bead. An inscription describes the tomb’s occupant as the queen of Ashurnasirpal II.
But the antechamber was found to contain another spectacular collection of royal treasure, surpassing that of Queen Atalia’s tomb.
The bones of at least 13 people were found in the coffins some of which are thought to be the bodies of eunuchs. Two bronze coffins also revealed the almost completely preserved skeleton of a woman of 18-20 years, together with a 6-12 year old child. A gold crown, rested on the child’s skull.
The discovery of the third tomb also revealed a sinister secret: grave robbers. But many valuable objects were missed by the thieves - one wonders why they did not return.