Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III

Assyrian monument depicting Jehu, king of Israel, bowing before the Assyrian king.

Date

c. 827 BCE

Culture

Neo-Assyrian

Material

Black limestone

Dimensions

197 cm tall

Found at

Nimrud (Calah), Iraq

Held by

British Museum, London

Discovered by

Austen Henry Layard (1846)

obeliskassyrianjehuisrael

Description

A 6.5-foot black limestone obelisk from Nimrud carved on all four sides with reliefs of tribute-bearers. The second register shows "Jehu son of Omri" bowing before Shalmaneser III — the only surviving image of an Israelite king.

Biblical significance

The Black Obelisk gives us the earliest known likeness of an Israelite ruler and independently confirms Jehu's reign (2 Kings 9-10) and Israel's political subjugation to Assyria.

From the same era

Related artifacts

Divided Kingdom · 9th–8th century BCE

Tel Dan Israelite Gate

Massive Iron Age city gate complex at ancient Dan.

Divided Kingdom · 9th century BCE

Tel Dan Stele

Aramaic victory stele containing the earliest extra-biblical reference to the House of David.

Divided Kingdom · c. 840 BCE

Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone)

Basalt monument on which Mesha, king of Moab, recounts his revolt against Israel.