Nineveh

Nineveh was an ancient city of Mesopotamia, located on the eastern bank of the Tigris, opposite the modern city of Mosul in Iraq. It rose to prominence as the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from the late 9th to the 7th century BCE and remained a major political and cultural center until its fall.

The city grew under kings such as Sennacherib (r. 705–681 BCE), who relocated the royal seat to Nineveh and oversaw large-scale building programs, including palaces, temples, and formidable walls. It served as a hub of administration, trade, and culture, and, by ancient estimates, may have housed hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, making it one of the largest cities of its time.

Nineveh's decline culminated in 612 BCE when a coalition of Medes and Babylonians captured and destroyed the city, contributing to the collapse of the Assyrian Empire. The remains were subsequently abandoned and later used as pasture.

Archaeology revealed much about Nineveh's history. The site lies on the Kuyunjik plateau and Nabi Yunus; 19th-century excavations by Austen Henry Layard and Hormuzd Rassam uncovered royal palaces and temples, and the Library of Ashurbanipal, a cache of cuneiform tablets, providing crucial sources for Mesopotamian literature and history. The tablets aided the study of languages, history, and literature, including works related to the Epic of Gilgamesh.

The modern name Nineveh is used in Hebrew Bible and Greek texts; the Akkadian form Ninua; the origin is uncertain. The site is near Mosul and remains a major archaeological area, though it has suffered damage in recent conflicts.