Nineveh, the great city

'Well, as for Nineveh, skipper, it was wiped out long ago. There's not a trace of it left, and one can't even guess where it was' (Lucian, 2nd century AD). Nineveh, the once-flourishing capital of the Assyrian Empire, has fascinated writers, travellers and historians alike since its complete annihilation by allied forces in 612 BC. It was said to have been a great and populous city with 90-km walls, stunning palaces and colossal statues of pure gold. Since 1842 archaeologists have been investigating the ruins of Nineveh, which are located on the eastern banks of the river Tigris, near the modern Iraqi city of Mosul. The hundreds of thousands of objects that have been collected tell an intriguing story of life and death in a remarkable Mesopotamian city. The edited volume Nineveh, the Great City contains more than 65 articles by international specialists, providing the reader with a detailed and thorough study of the site of Nineveh. It describes the history of the city, the excavations and the dispersed material culture that can today be appreciated in more than 100 museums and institutes around the world. Special attention is paid to the endangered heritage of Nineveh, which recently faced destruction for the second time in its history. This lavishly illustrated volume is intended to appeal to readers interested in culture and heritage, as well as to students and professional academics. Contents: Preface Introduction Part I: Nineveh, Famous but Lost 1: Nineveh, Famous but Lost (Daniele Morandi Bonacossi) 2: Nineveh in the Cuneiform Sources (John MacGinnis) 3: Nineveh in Biblical, Ancient Jewish and the Earliest Christian Traditions (Jürgen Zangenberg) 4: Nineveh in Classical Literature (Menko Vlaardingerbroek) 5: Nineveh in Western Art (Jan de Hond) 6: Early Travellers and Nineveh (Paolo Matthiae) Part II: Investigating Nineveh:a Great Adventure 7: Investigating Nineveh: a Great Adventure (Lucas P. Petit) 8: The Topography of Nineveh (Jason Ur) 9: French Research at Nineveh (Ariane Thomas) 10: The British Museum Excavations at Nineveh (John Curtis) 11: Austen Henry Layard (Frederick Mario Fales) 12: The Curse of the Tigris River (Lucas P. Petit) 13: Archaeology, Politics and Espionage (Frederick Mario Fales) 14: Max Mallowan and Agatha Christie Mallowan in Nineveh (David Stronach) 15: Gertrude Bell and the Monuments of Nineveh (Lisa Cooper) 16: Iraqi Excavations at Nineveh (John MacGinnis) 17: The Nergal Gate: a Calamitous History (Layla Salih) 18: Italian Research in the Nineveh Region: Archaeological Investigation and Cultural Heritage Protection and Management (Daniele Morandi Bonacossi) Part III: From Prehistory to the Arrival of the Neo-Assyrian Kings 19: From Prehistory to the Arrival of the Neo-Assyrian Kings (Daniele Morandi Bonacossi) 20: The Prehistoric Roots of Nineveh (Marco Iamoni) 21: The Ninevite 5 Culture at Nineveh (Elena Rova) 22: Nineveh in the Second Millennium BC: the Birth of an Assyrian City (Aline Tenu) Part IV: Neo-Assyrian Nineveh: the Largest City in the World 23: Neo-Assyrian Nineveh: the Largest City in the World (Lucas P. Petit & Daniele Morandi Bonacossi) 24: Neo-Assyrian Town Planning (Mirko Novák) 25: Water for Assyria: Irrigation and Water Management in the Assyrian Empire (Daniele Morandi Bonacossi) 26: The Rural Landscape of Nineveh (Daniele Morandi Bonacossi) 27: The Neo-Assyrian Kings in Nineveh (Bradley J. Parker) 28: The Palaces of Nineveh (David Kertai) 29: The Production and Use of Reliefs (Paolo Matthiae) 30: Sennacherib's Quarries and the Stones of the Southwest Palace Decoration (Pier Luigi Bianchetti) 31: (De)colouring Ancient Nineveh using Portable XRF Equipment (Dennis Braekmans and Joris Dik) 32: Nineveh in the Assyrian Reliefs (Davide Nadali) 33: Nineveh and Neo-Assyrian Trade: an Active Hub with Far-Flung Contacts (Diederik J.W. Meijer) 34: Nineveh and Foreign Politics (Giovanni-Battista Lanfranchi) 35: Sennacherib (Carlo Lippolis) 36: Sennac