Iraq dig unearths 2,700-year-old winged sculpture largely intact

AFP English

A dig in northern Iraq has unearthed a 2,700-year-old alabaster sculpture of the winged Assyrian deity Lamassu, which was found largely intact despite its large dimensions. Only the head was missing, which was already in the collection of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad after being confiscated by customs officers from smugglers in the 1990s. The sculpture escaped destruction by Islamic State jihadists which overran the area in 2014, thanks to the city’s residents who hid it before fleeing to government-held areas.

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00:37 >> The French excavation team in Korsabad has been excavated this year, Gate 6.

00:43 Gate 6 has been discovered in the 19th century and since then it has a very complex history

00:49 because it was occupied by the military and afterwards

00:52 by the Peshmerga during the next, the recent war.

00:55 We knew that there were Lamassos because they had been spotted by Victor Plath

01:02 in the 19th century and now we have been excavating again here.

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01:24 >> The rest of the body has been found here and it's in excellent shape

01:28 and so we are very glad to have found that and we can now study the whole context

01:34 of this beautiful gate which might still be very well, in very good condition.

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