Neo-Assyria
Black Obelisk The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III
The tributes show the empire as its king wished to present it.
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History and context Evidence and facts Objects connected through time Further reading Where it is held Sources and references Comments Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.
⛶ Enlarge imagePHOTOGRAPH OF THE ORIGINAL · British Museum, London · CC BY-SA 4.0 Documentary original · Exact correspondence
Photograph of the original: Black Obelisk of ShalmaneserIII. Obelisk in perspective with two faces and five registers; Bottom base partially out of frame.
Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) · British Museum, London · Inventory: BM118885; registro1848,1104.1 · CC BY-SA 4.0
View full image: PHOTOGRAPH OF THE ORIGINAL · British Museum, London · CC BY-SA 4.0 PHOTOGRAPH OF THE ORIGINAL · British Museum, London · CC BY-SA 4.0 Documentary original · Exact correspondence
Photograph of the original: Black Obelisk of ShalmaneserIII. Obelisk in perspective with two faces and five registers; Bottom base partially out of frame.
Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) · British Museum, London · Inventory: BM118885; registro1848,1104.1 · CC BY-SA 4.0
History and context Five registers run along the four faces of the obelisk. Tribute bearers, inscriptions, and animals from other regions present the extent of Shalmaneser III's power. Selection does not give the same voice to those who deliver the goods and to those who receive them.
One scene relates to the tribute of Jehu, king of Israel, in 841 BCE. The inscription designates him through the House of Omri: it does not mean that he was a relative of Omri. The monument was made later. Separating both dates helps to understand how power used memory.
Evidence and interpretation Monument of official presentation of Neo-Assyrian power. The inscribed identification of a tribute does not convert each carved figure into a verifiable portrait of the named individual.
Catalogue facts
Date of piece 825 BCE
Culture and period Neo-Assyria
Provenance Nimrud, Iraq
Material black limestone
Inventory BM 118885 · 1848,1104.1
In this grouping Monument of tribute to the Assyrian king: it represents political submission and military prestige, not a weapon or a specific battle. Limestone12 Sculpture54 Inscriptions34 Kingship and power33
The order uses the midpoint of each approximate date range; ranges can overlap. Spacing does not represent elapsed time. Swipe, scroll or use the arrows. With the sequence focused, use ← / →, Home or End.
Earlier Later
≈29,500 years
Willendorf Prehistory
Approximate catalogue age; editorial reference 2026 for ordering only, not calibrated dating.
Read the record ≈23,000–21,000 years
Kostenki I Prehistory
Approximate catalogue age; editorial reference 2026 for ordering only, not calibrated dating.
Read the record Eighth millennium BCE · context dating, not direct dating of the stone
Nahal Hemar mask Prehistory
Context dating, not direct dating of the stone.
Read the record Mid-3rd millennium BCE · reign of Ur-Nanshe
Ur-Nanshe relief Sumer
The full 3rd millennium BCE provides broad limits for chronological ordering; the record specifies the middle of the millennium, in the reign of Ur-Nanshe.
Read the record Towards 2450–2425 BCE
Stele of the Vultures Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record Reign of Naram-Sin, 2254–2218 BCE
Naram-Sin Stele Sumer
Reign interval associated with the piece; the Elamite reuse is later.
Read the record c. 11th–10th century BCE
The voice of Ahiram Phoenicians
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record You are viewing 825 BCE
Black Obelisk Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
Current record 6th–5th centuries BCE, mainly under Darius and Xerxes
Twenty-three delegations Achaemenid Persia
Interval of the monumental programme under several reigns.
Read the record 1st century BCE–1st century CE
Betatun altar Iberians
Interval crossing the era change; there is no year zero.
Read the record 292 CE
The date of 292 Maya worlds
Long Count date translated into the Common Era.
Read the record 8 / 11 In the centre: Black Obelisk
Also connected, without a comparable date (1) These objects are not placed after the others: an unknown date does not mean a more recent object.
Before Persia Achaemenid Persia · Central core c. seventeenth century BCE; Neo-Elamite additions between the ninth and sixth centuries BCE You can scroll the first group without JavaScript. The other topics are also available below.
Sculpture Lion-man · ≈40,000 years · Aurignacian · PrehistoryLespugue · ≈28,000 years · PrehistoryZaraysk Bison · ≈23,000–21,000 years · PrehistoryShigir Idol · C. 10,000 BCE · approximation; debated dating · PrehistoryWarka Mask · End of the 4th millennium BCE · SumerGebel el-Arak knife · 3600–3200 BCE · Naqada II C–D · Ancient EgyptUruk Vase · ca. 3300–3000 BCE · SumerNarmer Palette · ca. 3100 BCE · Ancient EgyptBefore Yayoi · Middle Jōmon, ca. 3000 BCE · Yayoi JapanUr-Nanshe relief · Mid-3rd millennium BCE · reign of Ur-Nanshe · SumerThe goat from PG 1237 · ca. 2600–2400 BCE · SumerStele of the Vultures · Towards 2450–2425 BCE · SumerAkkadian sovereign head · Akkadian period · 23rd century BCE · SumerBassetki Statue · Akkadian period · 23rd century BCE · SumerNaram-Sin Stele · Reign of Naram-Sin, 2254–2218 BCE · SumerBefore Pre-Inca Cultures · Kotosh-Mito Tradition, c. 2200–1500 BCE; the enclosure is usually situated around 1800 BCE. · Pre-Inca culturesQueen of the Night · 19th–18th centuries BCE · SumerBull-leaping · c. 1600–1450 BCE · Greek worldsWooden faces · c. 1600–1000 BCE, in several phases · Maya worldsHead 2 · c. 1200–900 BCE · Maya worldsThe voice of Ahiram · c. 11th–10th century BCE · PhoeniciansBefore the Scythians and Sakas · Final Bronze–Initial Iron, ca. 1200–600 BCE · Scythians and SakaBlack Obelisk · 825 BCE · Sumer — You are viewingIvory in Nimrud · 9th–8th centuries BCE · PhoeniciansLas Limas · c. 1000–600 BCE · Maya worldsAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · PhoeniciansAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · IberiansLamassu of Khorsabad · Reign of Sargon II · 721–705 BCE · SumerThe Lanzón · c. 900–500 BCE · Pre-Inca culturesStele of Esarhaddon · 7th century BC C. · 671 campaign BCE · SumerThe so-called ‘Priest of Cádiz’ · 7th century BCE · PhoeniciansThe so-called ‘Priest of Cádiz’ · 7th century BCE · IberiansThe Tello Obelisk · c. 800–500 BCE · Pre-Inca culturesAshurbanipal Hunt · 645–635 BCE · SumerHeads on the wall · c. 800–300 BCE · Pre-Inca culturesTwo voices in an urn · 530–520 BCE · Etruscans and RomeThe god on the roof · Towards 510–500 BCE · Etruscans and RomeGlazed brick guards · 522–486 BCE · Achaemenid PersiaTwenty-three delegations · 6th–5th centuries BCE, mainly under Darius and Xerxes · Achaemenid PersiaSarcophagus of Eshmunazar · first quarter of the 5th century BCE · PhoeniciansThe statue was the urn · First half of the 4th century BCE · IberiansThe Raimondi Stele · c. 400–200 BCE according to MNAAHP · Pre-Inca culturesTorreáguila fountain spout · 101–125 CE · Etruscans and RomeThe date of 292 · 292 CE · Maya worldsArticulated doll from Tarragona · Late 3rd–4th century CE · Etruscans and RomeSeven heads · c. 500–700 CE · Bantu-speaking worldsSeated figure · 13th century, date attributed by the museum · Mande WorldsGold rhinoceros · ca. 1220–1290; found in 1933 · Bantu-speaking worldsZimbabwe birds · main period of Great Zimbabwe, c. 12th–15th centuries · Bantu-speaking worldsKongo crucifix · 16th–17th centuries · Bantu-speaking worldsKuba ndop · ca. 1760 · Bantu-speaking worldsWithout a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):
Before Persia · Central core c. seventeenth century BCE; Neo-Elamite additions between the ninth and sixth centuries BCE · Achaemenid PersiaLararium of Vilauba · Roman period · Etruscans and RomeThe Thracian Horseman · Roman era · diffusion especially in the 2nd–3rd centuries CE · ThraciansInscriptions Naqada labels · ca. 3300–3100 BCE · Ancient EgyptNarmer Palette · ca. 3100 BCE · Ancient EgyptUr-Nanshe relief · Mid-3rd millennium BCE · reign of Ur-Nanshe · SumerStele of the Vultures · Towards 2450–2425 BCE · SumerBassetki Statue · Akkadian period · 23rd century BCE · SumerIndus seals · ca. 2600–1900 BCE · Indus civilisationNaram-Sin Stele · Reign of Naram-Sin, 2254–2218 BCE · SumerStele of Hammurabi · Towards 1750 BCE · SumerPhaistos Disc · ≈1700–1650 BCE · Greek worldsLinear A · c. 1700–1500 BCE · Greek worldsThe voice of Ahiram · c. 11th–10th century BCE · PhoeniciansThe Cascajal Block · Proposed c. 1000–900 BCE · Maya worldsBlack Obelisk · 825 BCE · Sumer — You are viewingAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · PhoeniciansAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · IberiansStele of Esarhaddon · 7th century BC C. · 671 campaign BCE · SumerIvory with names · End of the 7th century–first half of the 6th century BCE · PhoeniciansShabti of Psamtek · 570–526 BCE · Ancient EgyptUni was also Astarte · Towards 510 BCE · Etruscans and RomeSarcophagus of Eshmunazar · first quarter of the 5th century BCE · PhoeniciansEzerovo Ring · 5th century BCE · chronology discussed in the bibliography · ThraciansTwenty-six voiceless signs · 5th–4th centuries BCE · Scythians and SakaThe inscription of Pistiros · 4th century BCE · ThraciansYan knife-money in the Gojoseon sphere · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · Ancient ChinaLead tablet · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · IberiansA coin with the memory of a blade · 323–222 BCE · Gojoseon and early KoreaA sky over the liver · End of the second–beginning of the first century BCE · Etruscans and RomeHand of Irulegui · First third of the 1st century BCE · IberiansBetatun altar · 1st century BCE–1st century CE · IberiansThe date of 292 · 292 CE · Maya worldsKilwa coin · 1482–1493 · Bantu-speaking worldsWithout a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):
Kingship and power Narmer Palette · ca. 3100 BCE · Ancient EgyptPuabi headdress · ca. 2600–2450 BCE · SumerUr-Nanshe relief · Mid-3rd millennium BCE · reign of Ur-Nanshe · SumerStele of the Vultures · Towards 2450–2425 BCE · SumerAkkadian sovereign head · Akkadian period · 23rd century BCE · SumerNaram-Sin Stele · Reign of Naram-Sin, 2254–2218 BCE · SumerSumerian King List · Towards 1800 BCE · SumerStele of Hammurabi · Towards 1750 BCE · SumerGrave Circle A and Chrysolakkos · 18th–16th centuries BCE · Greek worldsBurial at K IV · circa 1750–1550 BCE · Nubia, Kerma and KushTutankhamun's grave goods · death towards 1323 BCE · Ancient EgyptFu Hao’s burial goods · ca. 1200 BCE · Ancient ChinaTribute to Assyria · c. 848 BCE · PhoeniciansBlack Obelisk · 825 BCE · Sumer — You are viewingLamassu of Khorsabad · Reign of Sargon II · 721–705 BCE · SumerKushite king · c. 721–664 BCE · Nubia, Kerma and KushStele of Esarhaddon · 7th century BC C. · 671 campaign BCE · SumerAshurbanipal Hunt · 645–635 BCE · SumerIshtar Gate · 7th–6th centuries BCE · work of Nebuchadnezzar II · SumerTwenty-three delegations · 6th–5th centuries BCE, mainly under Darius and Xerxes · Achaemenid PersiaSarcophagus of Eshmunazar · first quarter of the 5th century BCE · PhoeniciansThe archer in gold · Type introduced from the late 6th century; specimen from the 4th century BCE. · Achaemenid PersiaSusa grave goods · c. 350 BCE · Achaemenid PersiaGolyamata Kosmatka · End of the 4th century – beginning of the 3rd century BCE; ritual burial at the beginning of the III according to Iskra. · ThraciansDenarius of Carisius · ≈25–23 BCE · IberiansThe date of 292 · 292 CE · Maya worldsPakal’s grave goods · sealed on 28 August 683 CE · Maya worldsCatalan Atlas · after 1375 and before November 1380 · Mande WorldsKuba ndop · ca. 1760 · Bantu-speaking worldsWithout a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):
A closer look About 1 min to read · 1 section. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: September 14, 2026 .
A tribute was not always money The top register shows horses from Gilzanu, while another strip includes an elephant and an ape among the animals delivered. The catalog relates records to different territories. Observing what each delegation transports helps to understand a tribute that is not reduced to coins or a single merchandise. The variety makes visible the scope of the authority claimed by the king; It does not allow us to calculate the economic value of all deliveries on its own.
Where it is held Item or group in the record · Documented collection
Institution that preserves the piece; Check with the museum about its availability to visit.
Item or group in the record · Documented collection
The holding institution is documented; public display may change. Check its official record before visiting.
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