Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III

A Neo-Assyrian black limestone obelisk standing 1.8 m tall, discovered in 1846 by Sir Austen Henry Layard at Nimrud (ancient Kalhu) in northern Iraq. Erected in 825 BC, its four sides bear five registers of bas-relief scenes commemorating the military campaigns and tribute received by King Shalmaneser III (r. 858-824 BC). It is historically significant as the earliest known depiction of a biblical figure, showing Jehu, King of Israel, prostrating before the Assyrian king and delivering tribute around 841 BC. Now in the British Museum since 1848, it is one of only two complete Assyrian obelisks ever discovered.