Editing Obelisk (section)

===Assyrian===
Obelisk monuments are also known from the [[Assyria]]n civilization, where they were erected as public monuments that commemorated the achievements of the Assyrian king.

The [[British Museum]] possesses four Assyrian obelisks:

The [[White Obelisk of Ashurnasirpal I]] (named due to its colour), was discovered by [[Hormuzd Rassam]] in 1853 at [[Nineveh]]. The obelisk was erected by either [[Ashurnasirpal I]] (1050–1031&nbsp;BCE) or [[Ashurnasirpal II]] (883–859&nbsp;BCE). The obelisk bears an inscription that refers to the king's seizure of goods, people and herds, which he carried back to the city of Ashur. The reliefs of the Obelisk depict military campaigns, hunting, victory banquets and scenes of tribute bearing.

The Rassam Obelisk, named after its discoverer [[Hormuzd Rassam]], was found on the citadel of [[Nimrud]] (ancient Kalhu). It was erected by Ashurnasirpal&nbsp;II, though only survives in fragments. The surviving parts of the reliefs depict scenes of tribute bearing to the king from Syria and the west.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rassam Obelisk |series=Collection object details |website=British Museum |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=366799&partId=1&searchText=Rassam+Obelisk&page=1}}</ref>

The [[Black Obelisk]] was discovered by [[Sir Austen Henry Layard]] in 1846 on the citadel of Kalhu. The obelisk was erected by [[Shalmaneser III]] and the reliefs depict scenes of tribute bearing as well as the depiction of two subdued rulers, [[Jehu]] the Israelite, and Sua the Gilzanean, making gestures of submission to the king. The reliefs on the obelisk have accompanying epigraphs, but besides these the obelisk also possesses a longer inscription that records one of the latest versions of Shalmaneser III's annals, covering the period from his accessional year to his 33rd regnal year.

The Broken Obelisk, that was also discovered by Rassam at Nineveh. Only the top of this [[monolith]] has been reconstructed in the British Museum. The obelisk is the oldest recorded obelisk from Assyria, dating to the 11th&nbsp;century&nbsp;BCE.<ref>{{cite web |title=Broken Obelisk |series=Collection object details |website=British Museum |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=277955&partId=1&searchText=Broken+Obelisk&page=1}}</ref>