Ashurnasirpal II
This statue was discovered in northern Iraq
Current location of the British Museum
In 879 BC Ashurnasirpal II held a festival for 69,574 people to celebrate the construction of the new capital Kalkhu and the event was documented by an inscription
(Happy people in all lands are with the people of Kalkhu
For ten days I celebrated and honored them and returned them to their homes in peace and joy.) He was the king of the Assyrian Empire from 883 to 859 BC. He succeeded his father, Tukulti-Ninurta II, in 883 BC. During his reign, he embarked on a major expansion campaign. First, he controlled the peoples to the north in Asia Minor, imposed tribute on Phrygia, and imposed tribute on Phoenicia and Aram. The Arameans and Hittites took control between the Khabur and the Euphrates River. The palace of Ashurnasirpal II was built and completed in 879 BC in Kalkhu, the modern name of Nimrud, which is located in northern Iraq. The walls of the palace were lined with inscriptions carved in alabaster. These inscriptions carried elaborate carvings, many of which depict the king surrounded by winged protective spirits. Or participates in hunting or on a campaign. Each had a text written in it. This text was the same or very similar in each relief. The inscription begins by tracing the lineage of Ashurnasirpal II back three generations, lists his military victories, defines the boundaries of his empire, and tells how Calah founded Nimrud, and built the palace. Ashurnasirpal II also built a massive gate at Kalh
Source: websites