Archaeologists in Iraq find 2,700-year-old wine press from rule of Assyrian kings
- Carvings showing gods, kings and sacred animals date from the reigns of Sargon II (721-705 BC) and his son Sennacherib
- The team unearthed giant stone basins cut into white rock that were used in commercial winemaking in the late 8th or early 7th century BC
Archaeologists in Iraq revealed Sunday their discovery of a large-scale wine factory from the rule of the Assyrian kings 2,700 years ago, along with stunning monumental rock-carved royal reliefs.
The stone bas-reliefs, showing kings praying to the gods, were cut into the walls of a nearly 9km-long (5.5-mile) irrigation canal at Faida in northern Iraq, the joint team of archaeologists from the Department of Antiquities in Duhok and colleagues from Italy said.
The carvings – 12 panels measuring five metres (16 feet) wide and two metres tall showing gods, kings and sacred animals – date from the reigns of Sargon II (721-705 BC) and his son Sennacherib.
“There are other places with rock reliefs in Iraq, especially in Kurdistan, but none are so huge and monumental as this one,” said Italian archaeologist Daniele Morandi Bonacossi.
“The scenes represent the Assyrian king praying in front the Assyrian gods,” he said, noting that the seven key gods are all seen, including Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, who is depicted on top of a lion.