Archaeology Lecture
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Recent Discoveries at Nimrud and Nineveh in Iraq
Oct. 22, 2026, 7:00 p.m. ET
Michael D. Danti
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, John Knox Room and Online
At the height of Assyrian power in the early first millennium BCE, the city of Nimrud—ancient Kalhu—stood as one of the great capitals of the ancient Near East. Founded as a royal center by the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II in the 9th century BCE, Nimrud became a vast ceremonial and administrative city renowned for its palaces, temples, colossal guardian figures, carved stone reliefs, and immense wealth. The city played a central role in the expansion of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, whose military, political, and artistic influence extended across much of the ancient Middle East. For nearly two centuries, Nimrud served as a seat of royal authority and religious activity before the Assyrian capital was eventually transferred to other imperial centers such as Nineveh.
From 2022 to 2024, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage conducted new excavations and preservation projects at Nimrud aimed at documenting, stabilizing, and better understanding monuments heavily damaged during the occupation of the site by the so-called Islamic State (ISIS). Work focused on the palace of King Adad-nerari III—known as the Upper Chambers—and on the Ishtar Sharrat Niphi and Ninurta Temples, major components of the sacred and administrative core of the city. These excavations represent the first large-scale international archaeological investigations at Nimrud in many years and build upon earlier work carried out by 19th-century explorers, British expeditions, and Iraqi archaeologists over the course of more than 170 years of research.
The new investigations have clarified important aspects of the city’s architectural sequence, urban organization, and ritual landscape during the 9th-8th centuries BCE. Excavations revealed evidence for rebuilding episodes, changes in temple layout, and the relationship between royal and sacred precincts within the Assyrian capital. Among the most significant discoveries are a previously unknown temple shrine and a monumental gateway linking the twin temples, featuring bronze-banded doors and an inscribed stele that sheds new light on Neo-Assyrian royal ideology, divine representation, and ceremonial movement through sacred space. The project has also documented extensive evidence of deliberate modern destruction, allowing archaeologists to reconstruct damaged architecture while contributing to broader efforts to preserve Iraqi cultural heritage in the aftermath of conflict.
This lecture presents the history of Nimrud, the recent excavations and conservation work, and the challenges of conducting archaeology and heritage preservation at one of the ancient world’s most important—and most endangered—archaeological sites.
Registration
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Presenter
Michael Danti is an archaeologist and cultural heritage specialist with four decades of field, museum, and heritage safeguarding experience across the Middle East, particularly in Syria, Iraq, and Iran. His work has focused on the archaeology, history, and material culture of the ancient Near East, as well as on the preservation and protection of cultural heritage in regions affected by conflict and instability. Over the course of his career, he has directed and participated in major archaeological research and heritage initiatives, integrating field archaeology, museum practice, digital documentation, and heritage preservation. He currently directs archaeological excavations at the ancient Assyrian capital cities of Nimrud and Nineveh.
Dr. Danti serves as Director of the Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archaeology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, where he oversees collections of national and international significance related to the archaeology and history of the Southern Levant and the broader ancient Near East. He co-directs the Penn Heritage Stabilization Program at the University of Pennsylvania, an initiative dedicated to cultural heritage preservation, emergency response, documentation, and training in areas affected by conflict and disaster.
In addition to his archaeological fieldwork, Dr. Danti has played a leading role in international efforts to monitor, document, and safeguard endangered cultural heritage. His research and professional activities have brought together archaeology, museum studies, conservation, and heritage policy, with a particular emphasis on the impacts of war, looting, and displacement on cultural patrimony. Dr. Danti has authored numerous scholarly and public-facing works on the archaeology, art, architecture, and cultures of the ancient Near East, including studies of settlement systems, ancient urbanism, museum collections, and cultural heritage preservation. He has worked extensively with archaeological collections from Iran, including materials from Hasanlu Tepe, and has contributed to the publication and interpretation of Near Eastern collections in the United States. In recognition of his scholarly and professional contributions, Dr. Danti was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 2011. He also serves as a consulting scholar at the Penn Museum.
Questions
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