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Assurnasirpal II
Assurnasirpal II, king of Assyria (r. 883-859 BC)
The reign of Assurnasirpal II marked a turning point in the history of the Assyrian empire. His military exploits recaptured territories lost to Assyria centuries earlier, and established it as one of the most important powers in the Near East. But the crowning achievement of his reign was the creation of a magnificent capital city, Kalhu, built on a grand scale and lavishly decorated with carved stone
The new Kalhu must have been a sight to behold, even for those familiar with the royal palaces of Assur PGP and Nineveh PGP . Assurnasirpal's craftsmen employed a striking new style of decoration. Instead of the painted images and cloth coverings which adorned the walls of earlier kings, Assurnasirpal's Northwest Palace displayed stone slabs intricately carved in bas-relief TT , bearing images and inscribed text. Reliefs in the more public areas of the palace celebrated the king's prowess on the battlefield
Despite Assurnasirpal's preoccupation with Kalhu, he did not entirely neglect other Assyrian cities. In the city of Assur Assyria's religious centre, Assurnasirpal restored the temple of the gods Sin PGP and Šamaš PGP , as well as the all-important temple of Aššur, Assyria's national god. He further demonstrated his piety by carrying out building work on the temples of Ištar PGP and Adad PGP in Nineveh PGP . In the city of Imgur-Ellil PGP (modern Balawat), some 25 kilometres southeast of Nineveh,
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