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HIST 213 Spring 2012

Lecture 20: Assyrian Terror

• Semitic speaking people from northern Mesopotamia

• survived destruction of the Late Bronze Age

– kept their “royal line” intact

• create the largest empire even known in the Ancient Near East

– famous for their brutality

Neo-Assyrian Empire (934-609)

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Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BCE)

• embarked on vast expansion program

• moved capital to Nimrud

– development of wealth and art

Earthly representative of the god Assur

• extensive bureaucracy

Military-Religious ethos

• “holy war”

• exacting tribute through terror

Title: Lion Hunt relief, from of Ashurbanipal. Artist: n/a Date: ca. 850 BCE. British Museum

Title: Fugitives Crossing River, from the Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II, Nimrud (Calah), Iraq

Artist: n/a

Date: ca. 883-859 BCE.

Source/ Museum: The British Museum, London

Medium: alabaster relief

Size: height approx. 39" (98 cm)

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Shalmaneser III (858-823)

• “god Shalmanu is greatest”

• son of Ashurnasirpal II

• Army increases in size and sophistication

• Assyrians constantly challenged by Babylonian revolts

• Battle of Qarqar

– coalition of Neo-Hittite and Judean kings near Carcamish

Battle of Qarqar (853)

• alliance of twelve kings fought against Shalmaneser:

• King of Damascus

• King Ahab of Israel

– also the first time that the Arabs make an appearance in world history

• a contingent containing dromedaries led by King Gindibu.

• Assyrians able to field:

– 20,000 infantry

– 1,200 chariots

– 12,000 cavalry

• Aftermath: Assyrian power wanes for a time

Kurkh Monolith

• originally found at the Kurdish village of Kurkh

• now at the British Museum

• deals with campaigns Shalmaneser III made in western Mesopotamia and Syria:

– fighting Bit Adini and Carchemish

– Battle of Qarqar

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Tiglath-pileser III (744-727 BCE)

• helps Assyria recover from period of weakness

• builds Assyria to become a world empire

• reorganized the army

• conquers Babylonian throne

• takes the name “Pulu”

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Sargon II (721-705 BCE)

• usurped the throne

– directed the siege of Samaria under Shal V

• conquers even more territory than his predecessors

– 714 Syria

– 717-710 Urartu

– 710 Babylonia

• new capital at Dur-Sharrukin

– thousands of deportees as labor

Title: Reconstruction drawing of the citadel of Sargon II. After Charles Altman.

Dur Sharrukin (Khorsabad), Iraq

Date: ca. 721-705 BCE.

Title: Gate of the Citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin (photo taken during excavation). (Khorsabad), Iraq

Date: 742-706 BCE.

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A lamassu from the palace of Sargon II at Dur-Sharrukin

Divine Disasters 705 Sargon II is killed in battle

New king Sennacherib (704-681 BCE)

• interpret the chain of events as anger of the gods

• moves capital from Dur-Sharrukin to Nineveh

– doubles the city’s area

– double fortification wall

– diverts river to make a moat

• 30 miles long

• marches south and re-conquers Babylonia

– 208,000 deportees to Assyria

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Sennacherib’s conquests

conquers most of Judah

• siege of Lachish

Lays siege to Jerusalem

• II Kings 18:17-19:37

– Jerusalem is spared

– King Hezekiah agrees to become vassal

• Sennacherib goes home

• stabbed while praying in a temple by his son

– brother (Esarhaddon) not son chosen as crown prince

Empire at its Zenith

• Esarhaddon (680-669 BCE)

– wife is Babylonian

• leads army against his brothers

– they flee to Urartu

• rebuilds Babylon as newest capital

– takes his entire reign

• conquers everything (again)

– adds Egypt to Assyrian Empire

• The king, whose sovereignty the lord of lords, Marduk, has exalted,

far above that of the kings of the four quarters,

who has brought all the lands in submission under his feet

who has exacted tribute and tax from them.

(He is) conqueror of his foes, destroyer of his enemies;

(He is) the king whose walk is a storm, and whose deeds a raging wolf.

Before him is a storm-demon, behind him a cloudburst.

The onset of his battle is mighty.

He is a consuming flame, a fire that does not go out.

(He is) the son of Sennacherib, king of the universe, king of Assyria,

son of Sargon, king of the universe, king of Assyria, …

Esarhaddon Victory Stele

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Assyrian Military innovation

First “professional” Army

• Standing Army 200,000

— Field army 50,000

• Assurbanipal’s harshness prompted a revolt that was crushed decisively in a pitched, two-day battle

• Deportation as tool to stop revolt

• “Elite Replacement” method of administration

• Assyrians began boasting in their ruthlessness around this time.

Assyrian Heavy Cavalry • Originally cavalry just ordinary

foot soldier equipped with armor, lance, sword and heavy boots

• Over time heavy armored coat introduced with blanket, saddle girth, crupper;

• musarkisus: appointed by king to obtain horses

• national system of stables and corrals • In Nineveh, 3,000 month

– (100 day)

Assyrian Cavalry (bas relief)

7th century BCE

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Siege Warfare: Mobile Siege Towers Battering Rams Specialized units of wall-breakers with scaling ladders and axes and levers to weaken defensive walls

Assyrians on their OWN cruelty • “I cut off their heads and formed them into pillars” • “Bubo, son of Buba, I flayed in the city of Arbela and I spread his

skin upon the city wall” • “I flayed all the chief men who had revolted, and I covered the

pillar with their skins” • “Many within the border of my own land I flayed, and spread their

skins upon the walls • “I cut off the limbs of the officers, the royal officers who had

rebelled” • “3,000 captives I burned with fire” • “Their corpses I formed into pillars” • “From some I cut off their hands and their fingers, and from other

I cut off their noses, their ears, and their fingers, of many I put out their eyes”

• “I made one pillar of the living, and another of heads, I bound their heads to posts round about the city”

Bronze band from the gates of the palace of Shalmaneser III (852 B.C.) excavated at Nimrud revealing the horrifying cruelty of the Assyrians and the brutal treatment of their prisoners. British Museum

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Assyrian Warriors impaling Jewish prisoners after conquering Jewish fortress at Lachish

(701 BCE)

• Niniveh Museum