A stone monument with the image of the goddess Ishtar was found in northern Iraq (photo)

Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, together with an Iraqi excavation team, have made exciting discoveries in the ancient Assyrian city ofc. They discovered an impressive stone monument depicting the goddess Ishtar.

Nimrud is a cultural heritage site that has been severely damaged by the Islamic State in northern Iraq, Arkeonews reports.

Other major artifacts were also found during the excavations in Nimrud, including relics from a 3,000-year-old temple dedicated to Ishtar, the Mesopotamian goddess of love and war, as well as a goddess with early written evidence. The team of archaeologists also discovered a 2,800-year-old palace that belonged to the Assyrian king Adad-Nirari III, who ruled from 810 to 783 BC.

Read also: An amateur archaeologist found a treasure with Celtic coins dating back 2000 years in Germany

This season, the team continued working inside the palace and expanded their search, particularly in the Temple of Ishtar, which was damaged by a fire caused by an army attack in 612 B.C. One of the most impressive finds was a fragment of a large stone monument depicting the goddess Ishtar inside a star sign.

Dr. Michael, program director of the Iraqi Heritage Stabilization Program and an archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania, called this fragment of the stone stele the most important discovery of the season. He explained that it is the first unambiguous depiction of the goddess Ishtar as Ishtar Sharrrat-nifi, the divine aspect of the goddess associated with the rising of the planet Venus, known as the "morning star." This aspect of the goddess was particularly important in the temple dedicated to her.

New findings this season have revealed more about the luxury and wealth of the era of Adad-Nirari III and ancient Nimrud. The archaeologists discovered two large stone column bases, indicating that the palace was decorated with columns with exquisite carvings. Evidence of a large stone pool was found in the throne room, which, according to the researchers, could have served as a central heating system.

In addition, the team found scattered pieces of ostrich eggshells and ivory, which are rare and very valuable artifacts from the early Bronze Age.

As a reminder, ancient Roman drawings of obscene nature dating back 2000 years were found in eastern Spain.

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