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Stunning ancient artwork found at site attacked by ISIS
The reliefs—which likely depict an Assyrian king's military campaigns—are the first major discoveries of their kind in Iraq since the 1800s.
A member of a joint Iraq-U.S. archaeological team gently brushes dirt from a carved stone panel last seen some 2,600 years ago at the Mashki Gate at the ancient site of Nineveh near Mosul. The remarkable artwork was likely repurposed from the palace of Assyrian king Sennacherib (r. 705-681 B.C.) for later use as construction material at a palace gate, where the panels were installed sideways and any decoration visible above floor level chiseled away.
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