1843 Excavation Reveals Sargon II's Abandoned Capital Dur-Sharrukin. Construction of Dur-Sharrukin (Khorsabad) began in 717 BC under King Sargon II of Assyria The city was designed to be a massive capital with walls 24 meters thick, 7 gates, and 157 towers, enclosing at least 3 square km Sargon II died before the city was completed in 705 BC, and his successor abandoned the project, relocating the capital to Nineveh
Excavated in 1842-1843, Sargon II's capital Dur-Sharrukin was built around 717 BC with walls 24m thick, 7 gates, 157 towers. He died 705 BC before it was finished. His successor Sennacherib abandoned it for Nineveh, and the city was eventually abandoned and buried. 🏛️
Key Facts
- Construction of Dur-Sharrukin (Khorsabad) began in 717 BC under King Sargon II of Assyria
- The city was designed to be a massive capital with walls 24 meters thick, 7 gates, and 157 towers, enclosing at least 3 square km
- Sargon II died before the city was completed in 705 BC, and his successor abandoned the project, relocating the capital to Nineveh
- The city was buried by time, known to medieval Arabs as a mound
- French archaeologist Paul-Émile Botta began excavations at the site in 1843 but was forced to stop by the Ottoman government for lack of official permission
- Excavations resumed in 1844 after Botta purchased the land with financial backing
- The site was confirmed as Dur-Sharrukin (not Nineveh) when excavations at nearby Kuyunjik confirmed that location as Nineveh
- Artifacts from the excavations began being shipped to European museums, with items lost in the 1855 disaster
Related site: Dur-Sharrukin — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: The Worst Archaeological Disaster in History...Like Ever by The Historian's Craft