Relief from the Palace of Ashurnasirpal II at The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

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Ashurnasirpal II was a powerful king of Assyria from 883 to 859 BC. He succeeded his father Tukulti-Ninurta II in 883 BC and launched a massive expansion campaign, conquering the people to the north in Asia Minor as far as Nairi and forcing Phrygia to pay tribute. He then invaded Aram (modern Syria), defeating the Aramaeans and neo-Hittites between the Khabur and Euphrates rivers. His harsh tactics sparked a rebellion that he quickly crushed in a fierce two-day battle. According to his monument inscription, Ashurnasirpal II recalled the massacre by boasting, "I took prisoners of both young and old men. Some I mutilated, cutting off their feet and hands; others lost ears, noses, and lips; I piled up the ears of the young men and made a minaret out of the heads of the elderly. I displayed their heads as trophies in front of their city. The male and female children were burned to ashes; the city was destroyed and consumed by flames." Following this victory, Ashurnasirpal II marched unopposed to the Mediterranean, collecting tribute from Phoenicia. Upon returning home, he relocated his capital to the city of Kalhu (Nimrud).