Nineveh, Ninevites

The last capital of the Assyrian empire, situated on the east bank of the Tigris (Hiddekel), opposite modern Mosul. The city was probably founded early in the 3rd millennium B.C. According to the Bible it was founded by Ashur (ancestor of the Assyrians) in the time of Nimrod (Gen 10:10-12). During the reign of Sargon Ii it became one of the capitals of the Assyrian kingdom, and it was the sole capital during the reign of Sennacherib (who was murdered there by his sons II Kgs 19:36-37; Is 37:37-38). Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal adorned Nineveh with magnificent palaces. It is described in the Book of Jonah (Jonah 3:3) as "an exceedingly great city," with an enormous population and taking three days to traverse (Jonah 4:11). The Assyrian sources do not disclose how it was finally destroyed. Diodorus Siculus recounts that Arabaces the Scythian besieged the city for two years but could not take it. But in the third year the waters of the river rose and destroyed its fortifications; the king and his retinue committed suicide by throwing themselves into the flames and the city fell to the Scythians. According to a chronicle of the Babylonian King Nabopolassar the united forces of the Chaldeans (Ur) and the Medians (Madai) destroyed Nineveh in 612 B.C. Its destruction is mentioned by Zephaniah (2:13-15) and Nahum.

The remains of Nineveh are hidden in two mounds on either bank of the Hawsar River. One is Kouyunjik Tepe, where the palaces of Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal were discovered, and the other, on the south bank is Nebi Younis (the prophet Jonah), where the palace of Sennacherib stood. These palaces were unusually large, built upon raised platforms about 75 feet (19 m) high. At the gates of the palaces stood winged lions with human faces. On the walls were reliefs depicting the military campaigns of the kings of Assyria and their hunting expeditions, plus mythological and other scenes. Sennacherib's palace occupied the southeastern quarter of the city. It was here that the relief portraying the siege and conquest of Lachish was discovered. The city wall was more than 3 miles (5 km) long and according to the king's description it had 15 gates. Sennacherib encircled the inner wall with an outer one which, in his words, "was like a mountain." The whole city was surrounded by gardens full of scented plants and irrigated by channels that drew water from the neighboring rivers. The great library of Ashurbanipal, containing 25,000 clay tablets dealing with historical, literary and religious matters, was found in Kouyunjik.