The Tombs of the Assyrian Queens Yaba, Banitu, and Atalia
The Royal Tomb of Nimrud were first discovered in April of 1989 by an expedition of the Iraqi Department of Antiquities and Heritage. The Tomb was located in the North-West Palace of the Ancient city of Kalkhu (modern city of Nimrud). The city of Kalkhu was a capital of the Assyrian Empire for over 150 years until King Sargon moved the capital to Dur-Sharukin (modern Khorshabad) in 717 B.C. The city is located 4 miles south-west of the Christian monastery of Mar Behnam. The first dig of this ancient site was conducted by a British mission over 150 years ago, which uncovered many reliefs. Many Ancient Assyrian Tombs have been found in the past, however the goods had all been plundered and stolen. Two remaining tombs exist; one in Berlin and one in its original location in the city of Ashur. The sarcophagus in the tomb chamber contained hundreds of items including jewelry, vessels, ornaments, seals and other goods. The items displayed Syrian and Phoenician iconography in addition to central Assyrian Art. The treasures Belonged to:
- Yaba, Queen of Tiglathpileser III, king of Assyria 744-727
- Banitu, Queen of Shalmanasser V, king of Assyria 726-722
- Atalia, Queen of Sargon II, king of Assyria 721-705
 Outline
showing the location Citadel with respect to the city of Nimrud. |
 The
western corner of the city with the new path of the Tigris river. |
 The
plan of the citadel. |
 (View
of Asurnasirpal II's palace with a view of the ziggurat associated with
the Ninurta Temple). |
 The
citadel (which includes Asurnasipal II's Palace and the main temples to
Ishtar and Ninurta, along with the main ziggurat). |
 The
location of the three tombs. |
 A
3D drawing of the second tomb. |
 The
main tomb of Yaba (a queen of Tiglath-PalisserII). |
 The
Third tomb. The Third tomb. Note the (sarcophagus is made of bronze) |
 An
inscribed tablet (which mentions curses against anyone disturbing the tomb) |
 Inscriptions
(from items found in the second tomb). |
 Mountain
crystal.Inscribed with queen Banitu's name. |
 Necklace |
 Ugal
or head-dress worn by the queen. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Find
Gold ornaments. |
 Earrings
with shapes of pine tree cones. |
 mirror
with a handle shaped like a palm tree. Belonging to queen Atalia. |
 Gold
chain made completely with a single gold strand! |
 Small
Hair Pin |
 Gold
Bowl. |
 Gold
Bowl with the common 'Assyrian flower' icon. |
 bowl
with inscriptions of the owner name. |
 Another
gold bowl |
 Another. |
 Gold
setting for a seal. |
 Necklace |
 Necklace |
Special thanks to Mark Al-Taweel for his assistance with this web page.