In about 825 BC, Shalmaneser III of Assyria erected a commemorative obelisk in the city square of Kalhu, in what is now Iraq. (An obelisk is a tall, four-sided monument with f a tapering top. It was usually carved out of stone and contained both writing and illustrations.) Shalmaneser III’s obelisk was called the Black Obelisk because it was carved from black limestone. Interestingly, the Black Obelisk was placed near the White Obelisk of Ashurnasirpal I.
Using words and illustrations, the Black Obelisk recounted 31 years of Shalmaneser III’s military campaigns and listed the foreign kings he subdued. Not only does the cuneiform text mention the names of the kings paying tribute, but panels on the obelisk contain graphic representations of five of those kings: Sua of Gilzanu (now Iran), Jehu of the house of Omri (Israel), the king of Musri (Egypt), Marduk-apil-usur of Suhi (Mesopotamia), and Qalparunda of Patin (now Turkey).
On the second graphic panel from the top, Shalmaneser III appears on the left, standing under a parasol with two Assyrian officials behind him. King Jehu of Israel is shown bowing down to Shalmaneser III with his face near the ground, while two Assyrian officials stand behind him. Following this panel are three more illustration panels that show Israelites bringing tributes of various gold and silver objects. Engraved above the scene of Jehu is an Assyrian inscription which, translated in part, says “The tribute of Jehu, house of Omri. I received from him silver, gold…” (“The House of Omri” refers to the royal Israelite dynasty founded by King Omri.) Since most foreign nations considered Omri the most powerful and famous monarchs of the northern kingdom of Israel, this is an especially triumphant scene for Shalmaneser III.
The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III is the earliest known image of an Israelite king, and is historically important for two reasons. First, it is an independent source confirming Jehu as the king of Israel in the 9th century BC. Second it is one of four inscriptions of Shalmaneser III that mention Jehu. (The others are the Calah bulls, the Kurba’il Statue, and the Marble Slab.)
Historical Side Note
Jehu, son of Nimshi, king of Israel, is documented in Kings and Chronicles as eliminating the previous dynasty; he took the throne from Jehoram in the northern kingdom of Israel during the 9th century BC. So, it is evident that the inscription on the obelisk refers to Jehu as part of the “house of Omri” in the figurative sense of being a successor in the line of northern Israelite Kings.
Summary
The illustrations and text on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III are direct confirmation that:
- Jehu was the king of Israel in the 9th century BC,
- during a period of dominance by the Assyrian Empire,
- following in the royal line after Omri, Ahab, and Jehoram,
just as the Biblical books of Kings and Chronicles record.
