Watercolor of Excavation in the Room of the Bronzes at Nimrud, 1850 By F. C. Cooper

Excavations at Nimrud have revealed traces of occupation as early as the third millennium B.C., and written sources suggest that there was an important town at the site in the thirteenth century B.C. The major remains unearthed by archaeological expeditions belong to the period extending from the ninth century, when the city was rebuilt by Ashurnasirpal II (r. 883–859 B.C.), to the fall of the Assyrian empire in 612 B.C. During this time, the town covered approximately nine hundred acres and was surrounded by a mud-brick wall five miles long.

In the western sector of the site is the high citadel mound where a number of palaces, including the Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II, and several temples are located. In the southeast is another group of mounds covering the ancient military headquarters, a royal palace constructed by Shalmaneser III, the son of Ashurnasirpal II.

Following the destruction of Nimrud and the collapse of Assyrian power in 612 B.C., occupation ceased almost entirely. In Hellenistic times, from the mid-third to the mid-second century B.C., there was a small village on the southeast corner of the citadel mound.

Learn about the excavators of Nimrud.

Learn about the excavation of Fort Shalmaneser.

Learn about the recent excavation of the queens' tombs.