ISIS Bulldozes One-of-a-Kind Ancient Palace in Iraq
Attack may have shattered royal sculptures from the ninth century B.C.
The ancient city of Nimrud is the latest target of Islamic militants now ravaging the cultural treasures of Iraq.
In a brief statement, the country's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported that ISIS had bulldozed the site, but it offered no information on the extent of the damage.
Spreading along the east bank of the Tigris River south of the modern city of Mosul, the site was one of four consecutive capitals of the Assyrian Empire.
"Nimrud is the modern name," says Nicholas Postgate, a professor of Assyriology at the University of Cambridge. "The ancient name was Kalhu. It's mentioned in the Bible, under the spelling 'Calah.' "
A city had already taken shape at this location by 1400 B.C., but in the
