KAR-TUKULTI-NINURTA
![](Meso2mil-English.jpg)
Mesopotamia
in 2nd millennium BC (Place names in French)
![](522px-Assyrian_painting.jpg)
Fragment
of a wall painting from the palace a Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta
Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta
(modern Tulul ul Aqar (Telul al-Aqr) in Salah al-Din Governorate,
Iraq) was a new cult center for Ashur and perhaps a new capital
city founded by the Assyrian king Tukulti-Ninurta I (about 1243–1207
BC) just north of Assur. Its name meant "Port Tukulti-Ninurta".
History
:
Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta was a totally new foundation about three kilometers
North of Assur, which was the old capital of the Assyrian empire.
Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta was placed on the eastern bank of the river
Tigris. The walled area of the town was about 800 by 800 meters
in size. In the middle there was a wall dividing the city into a
western and eastern part. In the western part, near to the river,
a temple was excavated for the Assyrian main deity, Ashur. The temple
complex, measuring about 53 by 90 meters had a zikkurat on its western
side. In the zikkurat was found a text identifying the temple as
the temple of Ashur and also providing an identification of the
city (the city was already before the excavations known from other
texts). From further texts it is known that the cult image of the
god was moved from Assur to this temple.
North
of the temple stood the royal palace. The palace was placed on a
platform, originally about 18m high. All remains of the palace building
on the platform are lost, although many wall paintings were found.
They show that the palace was richly decorated. Next to the palace
a second, badly preserved palace building was found. Perhaps this
was the entrance for a bigger palace complex, incorporating both
palaces.
The
city was largely abandoned after the death of king Tukulti-Ninurta
I with minor occupation continuing through the Neo-Assyrian period.
The cult image of Ashur was brought back to Assur.
![](Assyrian_monkey.jpg)
Stone figure of a monkey from Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta
Archaeology :
![](Assur_temple_Kar_Tukulti.jpg)
Plan
of the Ashur temple
![](640px-Stele_of_Adad-bel_ukin,_governor_of_Libbi-ali,_Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta,_Ekallatum,_Itu,_and_Ruqahu._From_Assur,_Iraq._780_BCE._Pergamon_Museum.jpg)
Stele
of Adad-bel ukin, governor of Libbi-ali, Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta, Ekallatum,
Itu, and Ruqahu. From Assur, Iraq. 780 BCE. Pergamon Museum
Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta was first excavated from 1913 to 1914 by a German
team from the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft (German Oriental Company)
led by Walter Bachmann which was working at the same time at Assur.
The finds are now in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, in the British
Museum and in Istanbul. Bachmann did not publish his results and
his field notes were lost. A full excavation report appeared only
in 1985
Work
at the site was resumed in 1986 with a survey by a team from the
German Research Foundation led by R. Dittman. A season of excavation
was conducted in 1989. The survey showed that the site, which was
thought to cover only 62 hectares, actually extended out to at least
240 hectares.
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta