The Black Obelisk: Jehu Bows to Assyria

The claim

Jehu seizes the throne of Israel in a bloody coup and wipes out the house of Ahab.

What archaeology found

Austen Henry Layard found this black limestone obelisk at Nimrud in 1846. A relief panel shows a kneeling figure labeled as the tribute of 'Jehu son of Omri' before Shalmaneser III, the only known contemporary picture of an Israelite or Judean king. It is in the British Museum.

Where it was found

Nimrud (Kalhu), IraqView on OpenStreetMap

Sources

1. Kenneth A. Kitchen, On the Reliability of the Old Testament, Eerdmans (2003)

Verdict history

• Nov 10, 2026ConfirmedInitial verdict.