Neo-Assyria
Stele of Esarhaddon Esarhaddon presents his victory over Egypt
The size of the figures makes it clear who controls the story.
ON THIS PAGE
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 · Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Vorderasiatisches Museum · CC BY-SA 4.0 Documentary original · Exact correspondence
Frontal photograph of the original stele from Asarhaddon, VA 02708.
Dosseman · Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Vorderasiatisches Museum · Inventory: VA 02708 · CC BY-SA 4.0
History and context The king dominates the stele while the captives appear much smaller. The monument celebrates a campaign by Asarhaddon on Egypt and presents military success in the visual language of the Assyrian court.
Its discovery in Sam'al, far from Egypt and the capitals of Assyria, shows how a victory could be announced in other regions. But the monument does not demonstrate uninterrupted dominion over all that the king claimed. Propaganda could be longer lasting than an occupation.
Evidence and interpretation Neo-Assyrian imperial monument. The individual identification of the captives is disputed; Do not assign them safe names or confuse the size represented with physical stature.
Catalogue facts
Date of piece 7th century BC C. · 671 campaign BCE
Culture and period Neo-Assyria
Provenance Sam'al/Zincirli, present-day Türkiye
Material Basalt
Inventory VA 02708
In this grouping Monument of Assyrian domination with captives represented. Its size and layout express political hierarchy; They are not weapons. Basalt4 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
4 / 4 In the centre: Stele of Esarhaddon
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 · SumerIvory 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 · Sumer — You are viewingThe 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 · SumerAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · PhoeniciansAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · IberiansStele of Esarhaddon · 7th century BC C. · 671 campaign BCE · Sumer — You are viewingIvory 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 · SumerLamassu 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 · Sumer — You are viewingAshurbanipal 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 .
Protect the name of the victor On the narrow faces appear the king's sons, Ashurbanipal and Shamash-shum-ukin. The inscription extends across the front and back, and ends with a curse against anyone who removes the stele, erases Esarhaddon's name, or substitutes his own. The monument not only announced a conquest: it attempted to preserve the authorship of that memory. His written threat shows that changing a name could be understood as an appropriation of royal prestige.
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.
The holding institution is documented; public display may change. Check its official record before visiting.
See Stele of Esarhaddon in the museum Find this record in its gallery and save your route, favourites and places to explore later.
Open this exhibit in the museum → Museum access requires a free account. You can read this page's documentation without registering.
Did you enjoy this exhibit? Your opinion helps us improve the museum. You can change it whenever you like.
Loading your rating…
English
Español
Français
Italiano
Deutsch
Русский
Português
Polski
Română
Svenska
Norsk bokmål
Suomi
Türkçe
العربية
简体中文
한국어
हिन्दी
Ελληνικά
You are viewing