The Discovery of a Neo-Assyrian Rock-Relief at Mishkhas, Ilam Province (Iran)
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Iranica Antiqua, vol. XLVII, 2012 doi: 10.2143/IA.47.0.2141960 THE DISCOVERY OF A NEO-ASSYRIAN ROCK-RELIEF AT MISHKHAS, ILAM PROVINCE (IRAN) BY Sajjad ALIBAIGI1, Abdol-Malek SHANBEHZADEH2 & Hossain ALIBAIGI3 (1 Department of Archaeology, Islamic Azad University, Hamadan Branch; 2 CHHTO, Ilam Province; 3 Department of History, Payame Noor University, Kermanshah center) Abstract: Although Assyrian archives and reliefs in neo-Assyrian palaces in north- ern Mesopotamia provide major information about their fights, campaigns and tri- umphs, so far little evidence has been found in W-Iran about Assyrian campaigns against native residents of the Zagros. During visits of two mountaineers in 2009 an unknown rock-relief was discovered to the southeast of Ilam, picturing a person in Assyrian outfit and gesture. Since there is no inscription it is difficult to date it, but due to the very close similarity with the nearby relief at Shikaft-i Gulgul it is likely that the same person is depicted. It could be that it illustrates one of the latest pow- erful 7th century Assyrian kings, i.e. Sennacherib, Esarhaddon or Ashurbanipal. Keywords: Central Zagros, Ilam, Heydarabad-e Mishkhas, relief, neo-Assyrian period. Introduction Western Iran has witnessed several challenges and severe fights between residents of the region, particularly the Urartians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Manneans, Medes and Elamites. Among these clashes and battles, Assyr- ian challenges with their eastern neighbours in the Zagros Mountains, which were highly regarded by them for economic reasons, are most important. Between the 10th and 7th century BC, Assyrians repeatedly attacked the Zagros region to access the rich natural and mineral resources as well to gain control over the Great Khorasan Road. Assyrian texts have repeatedly referred to battles in W- and SW-Iran. Although sufficient evidence has been found in Assyria about Assyrian’s campaigns, battles, victories and achievements, little evidence was found in Iran itself. Until recently the documentation was confined to three inscriptions only (on two rock-reliefs and on one freestanding stela) which have been found to the east of Assyria. Although these documents are rare, 94839_Iran_Antiq_47-2012_02.indd 29 12/04/12 08:27 30 SAJJAD ALIBAIGI - ABDOL-MALEK SHANBEHZADEH - HOSSAIN ALIBAIGI they provide valuable information about some of the campaign routes, the regions involved, the campaign descriptions and the range of lands occu- pied by the Assyrians. The discovery of another neo-Assyrian relief, unfor- tunately without inscription, is an additional proof of the Assyrian involve- ment in W-Iran. Neo-Assyrian inscribed stelas and rock-reliefs in W-Iran Almost four decades have passed since the first documents on Assyrian campaigns and triumphs in the Median territory were found in W-Iran. Several scholars then started research on the historical geography of the central Zagros during the 8th-7th centuries BC (Levine 1973, 1974; Medvedskaya 1992). Louis Levine and T. Cuyler Young Jr. discovered a neo-Assyrian memo- rial stela near the village of Najafabad, some 15 km northeast of Kangavar, in Hamadan province (Levine 1972). This memorial is now preserved at the “Museum of Ancient Iran” at Tehran. It consists of a big stone on which the image of an Assyrian king and a cuneiform inscription are carved (Pl. 1). Based on the king’s depiction and the content of the inscrip- tion, Levine regards this as a memorial of the sixth campaign of Sargon II in the lands of the Medes and Manneans in 716 BC (Levine 1971; 1972). Because of the location of this memorial stone near the Great Khorasan Road, Levine believes that this area was the ultimate point of Sargon’s campaign route and hence the Median land was located to the west of the Alvand Mountain (Hamadan) (Levine 1972). Yet, Inna Medvedskaya raised the question why it should necessarily be known as the ultimate point of Sargon’s campaign. She believes that this memorial was most probably erected after returning from the campaign. This was a question and an answer that seems quite logical and to the point (Medvedskaya 1992). The problem is not resolved yet. In 1968, after the discovery of the Najafabad stela, Ali Akbar Sarfaraz who was assigned, on behalf of the Archaeological Center of Iran, to study the area of Uramanat/Oramanat found an inscription and a relief with inscription at Tang-i Var, 50 km southwest of Sanandaj and 50 km west of Kamyaran (Sarfaraz 1969; Börker-Klähn 1982: 224; Curtis 1995: 20, Pl. VI). This relief, depicting an Assyrian king has an Assyrian cuneiform inscription and is located on one of the old main passages in W-Iran. This relief pictures a king in full-length facing left (Pl. 2a). The lengthy inscrip- tion of 40-50 lines provides us with information about the triumphs and 94839_Iran_Antiq_47-2012_02.indd 30 12/04/12 08:27 THE DISCOVERY OF A NEO-ASSYRIAN ROCK-RELIEF AT MISHKHAS 31 campaigns of Sargon II to the land of Karalla. Julian Reade considers this relief as belonging to the time of Tiglath-Pileser or Sargon II (Reade 1977). Later on, Grant Frame (1999) could interpret the events that happened at the time of this inscription. He believes that the relief and its inscription at Tang-i Var belong to the end of the reign of Sargon II, probably to 705 or 706 BC. The inscription is of great importance since it points to different events and mentions several place names. A few years later, in 1972, Professor Louis Vanden Berghe discovered during a survey in Pusht-i Kuh, another neo-Assyrian relief with inscrip- tion at Shikaft-i Gulgul, 30 km southeast of Ilam (Vanden Berghe 1973; Börker-Klähn 1982: 215, Pl. 223). It resembles the rock-relief and inscrip- tion of Tang-i Var and pictures an Assyrian king in full-length facing left (right for the spectator) (Pl. 2b, 3). It is a shallow niche, with a curved top, thus resembling a stela (128 cm high and 82 cm wide). The king, covering the whole height of the panel, wears a simple long garment, a belt and a cylindrical-conical hat. He is armed with a sword and in his left hand he holds a mace; the bent right arm and hand are missing but it is clear that he held a conical object in front of his face. The surface of the relief is covered with a cuneiform inscription of 36 lines. There are two religious symbols, a winged disc (Shamash) and a rounded cap (Ashur), in front of the king’s face and spheres (the seven circles of the sibitti/Pleia- des), a crescent in a disc (Sin) and another badly damaged symbol (possibly Ishtar; a disc with star) behind his head (Reade 1977: 36-40). Unfortu- nately, the part of the inscription that mentions the name of the king is destroyed. Yet Grayson and Levine (1975) regard it as most probably belonging to the three latest, 7th century, Assyrian kings, i.e. Sennacherib, Esarhaddon or Ashurbanipal. Julian Reade (1977) believes that Shikaft-i Gulgul can hardly be older than 688 BC and relates it to an Assyrian mili- tary commander rather than to a king. However, he believes that it coincides with the reign of Ashurbanipal. Van der Spek (1977) believes that the relief can be related to the time of Esarhaddon and less probably to Ashurbanipal. Newly found relief at Heydarabad-e Mishkhas, Ilam (Pl. 2c, 4-7) In 2009 a relief was accidentally discovered by two mountaineers some 2 km north of Heydarabad village, Mishkhas, near the source of the Sarab- e Mishkhas River (Pl. 4). In co-operation with Abdol-Malek Shanbezadeh this discovery was reported to the local authorities. It is located on a rocky 94839_Iran_Antiq_47-2012_02.indd 31 12/04/12 08:27 32 SAJJAD ALIBAIGI - ABDOL-MALEK SHANBEHZADEH - HOSSAIN ALIBAIGI outcrop at the uneven foot of Shalam Mountain, 32 km southeast of Ilam city and about 11 km north from the relief at Shikaft-i Gulgul, in the margin of agriculture gardens and farms along the Mishkhas River (Pl. 5). Mishkhas is a mountainous area with nice weather and it is located on the connecting road between Ilam and Badreh, Darreh Shahr and the Pish-i Kuh. The relief, 105 cm high and 75 cm wide, is located on a limestone rock 10-12 meters above the ground, in a shallow rectangular niche with curved top. The surface of the carving is quite damaged and is rather pitted and unequal due to the low quality of the rock. The relief is very similar, not to say almost identical to Shikaft-i Gulgul. However, certain details such as the divine symbols are better preserved at Heyderabad. Also the bent right arm and hand are preserved. It shows a standing man in full-length, facing left. The man wears a long dress to his ankle and a conical hat that slightly nar- rows at its top. He has a rectangular beard and long hair that falls behind his neck on his shoulders. In his left hand he holds a mace, while he brings his right hand, holding a conical object, to his nose. On his waist there is also a long sword to be seen. Just as at Shikaft-i Gulgul, there are three divine sym- bols behind his head: the seven spheres of the sibitti (the Pleiades), a well preserved eight-pointed star (Ishtar) as well as a crescent in a disc (Sin) and two symbols before his head: a winged disc (Shamash) and a crown (Ashur). The exact representation as at Shikaft-i Gulgul raises the question whether the Heyderabad relief originally had an inscription.