Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III

For the band see: Black Obelisk (band) and his commander-in-chief headed every year, until the
thirty-first year of reign. Some features might suggest that
the work had been commissioned by the commander-in-
The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III is a black
chief, Dayyan-Assur.
limestone Neo-Assyrian bas-relief sculpture from
Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), in northern Iraq, commemorat-
ing the deeds of King Shalmaneser III (reigned 858-824
BC). 2 Second register
It is the most complete Assyrian obelisk yet discovered,
and is historically significant because it is thought to dis-
play the earliest ancient depiction of a biblical figure -
Jehu King of Israel. The traditional identification of
“Yaw” as Jehu has been questioned by some scholars,
who proposed that the inscription refers to another king,
Jehoram of Israel.[1][2] Its reference to 'Parsua' is also the
first known reference to the Persians.
Tribute offerings are shown being brought from iden-
tifiable regions and peoples. It was erected as a pub-
lic monument in 825 BC at a time of civil war. It was
discovered by archaeologist Sir Austen Henry Layard in
1846 and is now in the British Museum. Replicas can be
found at the Oriental Institute in Chicago, Illinois, at Har- Possibly Jehu, or Jehu’s ambassador, bows before Shalmaneser
vard’s Semitic Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts, III.
at the ICOR Library in the Semitic Department at The
The second register from the top is thought to include
Catholic University of America, in Washington, Dis-
the earliest surviving picture of a biblical figure. The
trict of Columbia, in Salem, Oregon, at Corban Uni-
name appears as m Ia-ú-a mar m Hu-um-ri-i. Rawlinson’s
versity’s Prewitt/Allen Archaeological Museum, at the
original translation in 1850 seminal work “On the In-
Siegfried H. Horn Museum at Andrews University in
scriptions of Assyria and Babylonia” stated: “The sec-
Berrien Springs, MI and in the library of the Theological
ond line of offerings are said to have been sent by Yahua,
University of the Reformed Churches in Kampen, the
son of Hubiri, a prince of whom there is no mention in
Netherlands.
the annals, and of whose native country, therefore, I am
ignorant”[3][4] Over a year later, a connection with the
bible was made by Reverend Edward Hincks, who wrote
1 Description in his diary on 21 August 1851: “Thought of an identifi-
cation of one of the obelisk captives — with Jehu, king of
This artifact features twenty reliefs, five on each side. Israel, and satisfying myself on the point wrote a letter to
They depict five different subdued kings, bringing trib- the Athenaeum announcing it”.[5] Hincks’ letter was pub-
ute and prostrating before the Assyrian king. From top lished by Athenaeum on the same day, entitled “Nimrud
to bottom they are: (1) Sua of Gilzanu (in north-west Obelisk”.[6] Hincks’ identification is now the commonly
Iran), (2) "Jehu of Bit Omri" (Jehu of the House of held position by biblical archaeologists.
Omri), (3) an unnamed ruler of Musri (probably Egypt), The identification of “Yaw” as Jehu was questioned by
(4) Marduk-apil-usur of Suhi (middle Euphrates, Syria contemporary scholars such as George Smith[7] as well
and Iraq), and (5) Qalparunda of Patin (Antakya region as in more recent times by P. Kyle McCarter and Edwin
of Turkey). Each scene occupies four panels around the R. Thiele,[1][2] based on the fact that Jehu was not an
monument and is described by a cuneiform script above Omride, as well as transliteration and chronology issues.
them. However, the name read as “Yaw, son of Omri (Bit-
On the top and the bottom of the reliefs there is a Khumri”, see House of Omri), is generally accepted to
long cuneiform inscription recording the annals of Shal- follow Hincks as the Biblical Jehu, king of Israel.
maneser III. It lists the military campaigns which the king The stele describes how Jehu brought or sent his tribute in

1
2 5 EXTERNAL LINKS

or around 841 BC.[8] Jehu severed Israel’s alliances with

Phoenicia and Judah, and became subject to Assyria. The
caption above the scene, written in Assyrian cuneiform,
can be translated:

“The tribute of Jehu, son of Omri: I re-

ceived from him silver, gold, a golden bowl, a
golden vase with pointed bottom, golden tum-
blers, golden buckets, tin, a staff for a king
[and] spears.”

3 See also
• List of artifacts significant to the Bible
• White Obelisk of Ashurnasirpal I

4 References
[1] P. Kyle McCarter, Bulletin of the American Schools of
Oriental Research, No. 216 (Dec., 1974), pp. 5-7
[2] Edwin R. Thiele, Bulletin of the American Schools of Ori-
ental Research, No. 222 (Apr., 1976), pp. 19-23
[3] On the Inscriptions of Assyria and Babylonia, 1850
[4] The Bible in the British Museum: Interpreting the Evi-
dence, T. C. Mitchell, page 14
[5] Studies on the Text and Versions of the Hebrew Bible in
Honour of Robert Gordon, edited by Geoffrey Khan, Di-
ana Lipton, p159
[6] “Nimrud Obelisk, Athenaeum, 1251, 1384-85
[7] Assyrian Eponym Canon, George Smith, 1875, page 190,
“There is another supposed Hebrew king in the annals of
Shalmaneser, b.c. 842, Extracts VIII. and X., called “Jehu
son of Omri,” who is generally identified with “Jehu son
of Nimshi,” the king of Israel. The country ruled by Jehu,
son of Omri, is not stated in the inscriptions; and it ap-
pears unlikely that Jehu, king of Israel, who exterminated
the family of Omri, should call himself son of that king.
Without advancing any theory for the identification of the
monarch mentioned in the Assyrian inscriptions, I would
urge that the identity of the Jehu of the Bible with the Jehu
of the inscriptions is not proved, and that these notices are
not enough to force us to alter all our Bible dates.”
[8] Millard, Alan (1997) Discoveries from Bible Times, Ox-
ford, Lion, p121

5 External links
• British Museum page on the Black Obelisk
• Photo; Article
• Photo; Article
• Jehu Panel; Article
 3

6 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

6.1 Text
• Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black%20Obelisk%20of%20Shalmaneser%20III?oldid=
641742856 Contributors: Olivier, Vik-Thor, Delirium, Stevenj, Wetman, Robbot, Andycjp, Ham II, El C, Paradiso, Willis, Stillnotelf,
Wiccan Quagga, Bsadowski1, Ghirlandajo, Island, Bgwhite, YurikBot, Kafziel, Marcodeo, Mmcannis, SmackBot, PiCo, Gilliam, Blue-
bot, Neddyseagoon, Shmuel haBalshan, Briancua, Joelholdsworth, Cydebot, Ketamino, Sweetmoose6, MER-C, Johnbod, MarcoLittel,
Šarukinu, AlleborgoBot, M.V.E.i., StAnselm, SE7, Ewawer, Niceguyedc, Sumerophile, Addbot, Imeriki al-Shimoni, Zorrobot, Narayan,
Luckas-bot, KamikazeBot, Ulric1313, Hhcaas, RedBot, Kibi78704, Spikeefix, Oncenawhile, Tritomex, JohnThorne, CATDADDY456,
Jmarinusdejong, Hilushit, Alanwymore, Jononmac46, Darkojehu and Anonymous: 20

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