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British Museum Top 20 14-1 Black Obelisk  [21 of 30]


14. Black obelisk of Shalmaneser III, 825BC, Nimrod (northern Iraq), 198cm high. The Black Obelisk was erected as a public monument in 825BC at a time of civil war. The relief sculptures on the black alabaster glorify the achievements of King Shalmaneser III (reigned Assyria 858-824 BC) and his chief minister. It lists their military campaigns of 31 years and the tribute they exacted from the kings they had conquered, including camels, monkeys, an elephant and a rhinoceros. There are five scenes of tribute, each of which occupies four panels round the face of the obelisk.
British Museum Top 20 14-1 Black Obelisk 14. Black obelisk of Shalmaneser III, 825BC, Nimrod (northern Iraq), 198cm high. The Black Obelisk was erected as a public monument in 825BC at a time of civil war. The relief sculptures on the black alabaster glorify the achievements of King Shalmaneser III (reigned Assyria 858-824 BC) and his chief minister. It lists their military campaigns of 31 years and the tribute they exacted from the kings they had conquered, including camels, monkeys, an elephant and a rhinoceros. There are five scenes of tribute, each of which occupies four panels round the face of the obelisk.