What did excavations at the Quyunjik mound reveal about Nineveh’s prehistoric past?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Nineveh: Nergal Gate — Nineveh The partially reconstructed Nergal Gate in Nineveh, Iraq.

Excavations at the Quyunjik mound, which serves as the acropolis of Nineveh, have provided significant insights into the site's deep history.

In 1931–1932, archaeologists R. Campbell Thompson and M.E.L. Mallowan dug a shaft from the top of the mound—situated 90 feet (30 metres) above the surrounding plain—down through the accumulated debris to reach virgin soil. This investigation proved that more than four-fifths of the total accumulation at the site consists of prehistoric strata, demonstrating that the location was inhabited long before the rise of the Assyrian empire.1