WOLEMBA mbiri Wachigiriki Diodorus Siculus anakhalako zaka 2,000 zapitazo. Iye ananena kuti Nineve anali mzinda wambali zinayi; mbali zinayizo zinakwanira mastadiya 480 muutali wake. Zimenezo zikutanthauza ukulu wokwanira makilomita 96! Baibulo limapereka chithunzi chofananacho, likumalongosola Nineve kukhala mzinda waukulu “wa ulendo wa masiku atatu.”​—Yona 3:3.

Osuliza Baibulo a m’zaka za zana la 19 anakana kukhulupirira kuti mzinda wosadziŵika wa dziko lamakedzana ukanakhala waukulu motero. Iwo ananenanso kuti ngati Nineve anakhalakodi, ayenera kukhala anali mbali ya chitaganya chamakedzana chomwe chinakhalako Babulo asanakhale.

Panthaŵiyo, wofukula za m’mabwinja wina, Austen Henry Layard, anayamba kukumba mabwinja pamalo otchedwa Nimrud pafupifupi makilomita 42 kum’mwera koma chakumadzulo kwa Khorsabad. Mabwinjawo anatsimikizira kukhala a Kala​—umodzi wa mizinda inayi ya Asuri yotchulidwa pa Genesis 10:11. Ndiyeno, mu 1849, Layard anafukula mabwinja a nyumba yachifumu yaikulu pamalo otchedwa Kuyunjik, pakati pa Kala ndi Khorsabad. Nyumba yachifumuyo inatsimikizira kukhala mbali ya Nineve. Pakati pa Khorsabad ndi Kala pali mabwinja a midzi ina, kuphatikizapo chiunda chotchedwa Karamles. “Ngati titenga ziunda zinayi zazikulu za Nimrúd [Kala], Koyunjik [Nineve], Khorsabad, ndi Karamles, monga ngondya za chinthu cha mbali zinayi zolingana,” anatero Layard, “tidzapeza kuti mbali zinayizo zimalingana bwino kwambiri ndi mastadiya 480 kapena mamailo 60 [makilomita 96] a katswiri wa geography, amene amapanga ulendo wa masiku atatu wa mneneri [Yona].”

Pamenepo, mwachiwonekere, Yona anaphatikiza pamodzi midzi yonseyi monga “mzinda waukulu” umodzi, akumaitcha ndi dzina la mzinda woyamba pandandanda ya pa Genesis 10:11, wotchedwa, Nineve. Zofananazo zimachitidwa lerolino. Mwachitsanzo, pali kusiyana pakati pa mzinda woyambirira wa London ndi milaga yake, imene imapanga mzinda umene nthaŵi zina umatchedwa “London Wokulirapo.”