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Secondary sourcePhotographc. 645 BC

Relief of the Deportation of Elamites from Nineveh

Zunkir · c. 645 BC

A gypsum relief from Ashurbanipal's North Palace at Nineveh showing the forced deportation of captured Elamites after his Elam campaign.

Depicts the deportation of Elamites captured during Ashurbanipal's war against Elam.

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Photograph of a pale gypsum alabaster relief slab with carved registers of figures: at top, a chariot and soldiers; in the middle, a row of bearded men walking; at bottom, rows of standing and walking figures near a wavy-lined river. Inventory number AO 19906 is painted in red at lower right.
Deportation of the population after the capture of a city, Elam campaign, c. 645 BC. From Nineveh, North Palace of Ashurbanipal. Musée du Louvre, AO 19906.

About this source

What it is

This is a gypsum alabaster relief slab from the North Palace of King Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, dated to around 645 BC. It shows soldiers, a chariot, and rows of captured people being marched away after the fall of a city during the Elam campaign.

Why it matters

Assyrian kings decorated their palaces with scenes of military victory to display their power. This relief records the deportation of conquered Elamites, a practice Assyrian kings used to break resistance and resettle populations. It is physical evidence of Ashurbanipal's wars and how he wanted his conquests remembered.

Look closer

  • What do the different rows of figures seem to be doing?
  • Why might a king choose to carve scenes of defeated enemies on his palace walls?
  • What does the relief not show about the people being deported?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ashurbanipal on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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