the Black Obelisk

E834918

The Black Obelisk is an Assyrian monument of Shalmaneser III famed for its detailed reliefs and inscriptions depicting military campaigns and tributes from foreign rulers, including one of the earliest known depictions of an Israelite king.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
the Black Obelisk canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Assyrian monument
bas-relief sculpture
obelisk
associatedWith Assyrian royal ideology
imperial propaganda
collection British Museum Department of the Middle East
commissionedBy Shalmaneser III
countryOfOrigin Neo-Assyrian Empire
creator Shalmaneser III
culture Assyrian
currentLocation British Museum
dateOfCreation circa 825 BCE
depicts Israelite king Jehu or his envoy
military campaigns of Shalmaneser III
processions of envoys
tribute bearers from foreign kingdoms
depictsTributeFrom Gilzanu
Israel
Musri (Egypt or an Egyptian-related region)
Sidon
Tyre
discoveredAt Nimrud
discoveredBy Austen Henry Layard
discoveryDate 1846
features five sculpted registers on each side
relief scenes with explanatory captions
royal inscriptions of Shalmaneser III
genre royal inscription
height about 197 cm
inscriptionLanguage Akkadian
madeFor Shalmaneser III
materialUsed alabaster (dark) stone
black limestone
museumInventoryNumber BM 118885
namedAfter Shalmaneser III
notableFor depictions of tribute from various Near Eastern states
detailed historical inscriptions
earliest known pictorial representation of an Israelite king
originalLocation Kalhu
Nimrud
period Neo-Assyrian period
linked to: Neo-Assyrian Empire
region Mesopotamia
reign Shalmaneser III
usedFor commemoration of military victories
display of imperial power
religious and political legitimation of the king
width about 45 cm
writingSystem cuneiform

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Shalmaneser III knownFor the Black Obelisk