The forgotten city of Khorsabad emerges from the shadows of history
Following the end of the Islamic State's occupation, an international team of archaeologists has commenced research in the historic region of Mesopotamia. They have discovered an entire forgotten metropolis underground, including a gate, gardens, and a 127-room villa, which is twice the size of the White House.
The structures had been hidden and forgotten for nearly three thousand years. However, a recent archaeological mission revealed the ancient capital of Assyria, Khorsabad, deeply buried beneath the earth. According to the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the international research team employed a magnetometer under extremely challenging conditions and discovered a city water gate from 2,700 years ago, royal gardens, and five large buildings, including a villa with 127 rooms twice the size of the White House.
Remote sensing has replaced standard excavations
The research team, led by Jörg Fassbinder from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, used a magnetometer to examine the area of Khorsabad. Their findings have overturned previous conclusions that the ancient capital of Assyria remained undeveloped in the 8th century BC.
"All of this was found with no excavation," noted Jörg Fassbinder, a geophysicist from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich and the lead author of research presented on 9th December at the AGU 2024 annual meeting. The research has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. The researchers stated that the magnetometer offers a more comprehensive reconstruction than traditional excavations and does not result in any damage to the sites.
Fassbinder's team conducted a remote sensing operation in 2022. Rather than mounting the magnetometer on a vehicle or drone, which might have attracted unwanted attention, Fassbinder and a fellow researcher carried the 15-kilogram device back and forth over the buried capital. They worked for seven days, covering 30 hectares, which accounts for less than 10% of the site. "Every day we discovered something new," Fassbinder stated in a release.
The construction of the ancient capital of Assyria - Khorsabad (originally Dur-Sharrukin, "Fortress of Sargon") was initiated by King Sargon II in 713 BC. Following Sargon II's death in 705 BC, the capital moved to Nineveh, and the city became obscure. In the 19th and 20th centuries, French and American archaeological missions uncovered parts of Assyria and the palace in Khorsabad, including the iconic "Lamassu" statues with human heads, now exhibited in the Louvre. However, the city's layout remained unknown, leading to speculation that Khorsabad was never completed. Only after the withdrawal of Islamic State forces from the region in 2017 could archaeologists resume their research.
What do we already know about Assyria and the forgotten capital?
The discoveries in Khorsabad represent a significant advancement in studying ancient Assyria. The findings suggest that Khorsabad was a powerful, thriving capital far more developed than previously assumed. Past research primarily focused on monumental architecture, limiting the understanding of the everyday lives of ordinary inhabitants. It remains to be seen whether archaeologists will now undertake traditional excavations to access the underground physically or if remote discoveries will be deemed sufficient.
