Hidden metropolis unearthed: Massive ancient city found in Iraq
Following the end of the Islamic State occupation, an international team of archaeologists began research in the historic region of Mesopotamia. They discovered an entire forgotten metropolis underground, including a gate, gardens, and a 127-room villa twice the size of the White House.
All the structures had been hidden and forgotten for nearly three thousand years. A new archaeological mission revealed the ancient capital of Assyria—Khorsabad deep underground. According to the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the international research team used a magnetometer in extremely challenging conditions and discovered a city water gate from 2,700 years ago, royal gardens, and five large buildings, including a villa with 127 rooms that are twice as large as the White House.
Remote sensing has replaced standard excavations
The research team, led by Jörg Fassbinder from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, used a magnetometer to examine the area of Khorsabad. They overturned previous conclusions that the ancient capital of Assyria remained undeveloped in the 8th century BC.
"All of this was found with no excavation," said Jörg Fassbinder, a geophysicist from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich and the lead author of the research presented on December 9 at the AGU 2024 annual meeting. Their research has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. According to the researchers, the magnetometer provides a more comprehensive reconstruction than traditional excavations and does not cause any damage to the sites.
Fassbinder's team conducted a remote sensing operation in 2022. Instead of mounting the magnetometer on a vehicle or drone, which might attract unwanted attention, Fassbinder and his colleague carried the 33-pound device back and forth over the buried capital. They worked for seven days, covering 74 acres, which accounts for less than 10% of the site. "Every day we discovered something new," Fassbinder stated in a release.
The construction of the ancient capital of Assyria—Khorsabad (originally Dur-Sharrukin, "Fortress of Sargon")—was started by King Sargon II in 713 BC. After Sargon II died in 705 BC, the capital was moved to Nineveh, and the city fell into oblivion. In the 19th and 20th centuries, French and American archaeological missions uncovered areas of Assyria and the palace in Khorsabad, including the iconic "Lamassu" statues with human heads, now exhibited in the Louvre. Nevertheless, the city's layout remained unknown, leading to speculation that Khorsabad was never completed. Only after the Islamic State withdrew from the region in 2017 could archaeologists resume their research.
What do we already know about Assyria and the forgotten capital?
The discoveries in Khorsabad mark a significant advancement in studying ancient Assyria. The findings indicate that Khorsabad was a powerful, thriving capital that was much more developed than previously assumed. Prior research focused mainly on monumental architecture, which limited the understanding of the lives of ordinary inhabitants. The question remains whether archaeologists will now conduct traditional excavations to access the underground physically or if remote discoveries will suffice.
