(30 Jul 1999) English/Nat

VOICED BY: PHILIPPA MEAGHER

A farmer's accidental discovery is shedding new light on the life and deeds of one of Assyria's greatest monarchs.

The tombstone-sized slab engraved with a portrait of the Assyrian king Sennacherib is currently being displayed at the Iraq Museum in Baghdad.

Sennacherib was reviled in the Bible for sacking Juda and besieging Jerusalem.

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In the ancient city of Baghdad, the Iraq Museum has an enthralling new addition.

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A slab engraved with a portrait of the King Sennacherib - one of Assyria's greatest monarchs.

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Language expert at the Iraq Museum, Dr Nawal al-Mutwali says engraved on the slab are the opening lines
"I am the beloved of the great gods. I am the great Sennacherib, king of the four corners of the world."

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Al-Mutwali said it was the first time an ancient Iraqi monarch has been known to give himself such attributes.

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For almost three centuries, until its demise in 612 B-C, Assyria was the ancient world's most formidable power, occupying most of today's Middle East.

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Sennacherib ruled Assyria from his capital Nineveh from 705 B-C to 681 B-C.

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Two hundred and fifty miles north of Baghdad, Nineveh now falls within the sprawling Iraqi city of Mosul.

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A farmer driving his tractor in a field came upon the slab last week.

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The field was immediately fenced off and the slab taken to the museum.

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The inscription says Sennacherib erected a slab along every half-yard of Nineveh's royal street.

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Archaeologists now plan to dig in search of the remaining slabs.

1.20: VISION ENDS

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