History
The Rise of Urartu – a history of the kingdom of Urartu.
Urartu – a history of Urartu from the Britannica online.
The Urartu Civilization – a history of Urartu from Historical Sites of Turkey.
Urartu – a concise summary of Urartian history courtesy of the the Metropolitan Museum as well as a display of Urartian artifacts in the museum’s collection.
List of Kings of Urartu– Courtesy of Wikipedia
Urartu, Assyria’s northern archenemy-a concise history of the conflicts between Assyria and Urartu.
Urartu Religion: an overview of Uratian religous practices.
The British Museum’s Collection of Urartian Antiquities – an assemblage of Urartian artifacts currently in the collection of the British Museum.
Šubria, a safe haven in the mountains – “The kingdom of Šubria was situated in the mountainous regions to the north of the Assyrian holdings on the Upper Tigris. The country had a wide-reaching reputation as a haven for refugees and its kings were obliged by religious duty to follow this policy despite the fact that this caused friction with its powerful neighbour.”
Phrygia, Gordion and King Midas in the Late Eigth century B.C.– a concise summary of Phrygian history courtesy of the the Metropolitan Museum as well as a display of Phrygian artifacts in the museum’s collection.
The Hittites a history of the Hittite kingdom.
The Last Days of Hattusa: The mysterious collapse of the Hittite Empire.-The story of the fall of the Hittite capital.
Anatolia:The neo-Hittite states from c. 1180 to 700 BC-The neo-Hittite states from c. 1180 to 700 BC from the Britannica online.
Syro–Hittite states– Concise survey of the Luwian, Aramaic and Phoenician-speaking political entities of the Iron Age northern Syria and southern Anatolia that arose following the collapse of the Hittite Empire around 1180 BC and lasted until roughly 700 BC. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
Hatti’s heirs: Kummuhi and the other Neo-Hittite kingdoms-“Centuries after the collapse of the Hittite empire in the 12th century BC, the rulers of several small kingdoms in northern Syria and southeastern Turkey cast themselves as the heirs of the Great Kings of Hatti.”
Phoenicia– a history of Phoenicia from the Britannica online.
Tyre and the other Phoenician city-states– “Assyria had a long tradition of maintaining economic contacts with the Phoenician city-states but its westward expansion resulted in increasingly closer relations: while Tyre in particular benefited from Assyria’s protection and preferential treatment, the representatives of the Assyrian Empire did not hesitate to intervene directly in its affairs when they saw fit.”
Philistine– a history of the Philistines from the Britannica online.
Gaza, Ashdod and the other Philistine kingdoms-” The region acted as aga buffer zone between the expanding might of the empires of Assyria and Kush and frequently provided a stage for their relationship to play out, in hostile and peaceful ways.”
The many kingdoms of Cyprus-“The island of Cyprus was never under the direct control of the Assyrian empire. But during the reign of Sargon II (721-705 BC), its rulers dispatched a diplomatic delegation to the Assyrian king in an attempt to lessen the control of Tyre over the island.”
Elam– a history of Elam from the Britannica online.
Rulers of Elam– a brief overview of hte history of Elam and chronology of its rulers.
The Medes, purveyors of fine horses-“The second half of the 8th century BC was a period of intensive contact between Assyria and the Medes – a people who, under their king Cyaxares, conquered the city of Assur in 614 BC and, in coalition with Babylonian troops, brought about the end of the Assyrian Empire over the following years.”
A Short History of Ancient Egypt – a history of Ancient Egypt from the Early Dynastic to the The Graeco-Roman Period.
25th Dynasty (Nubians)– A useful survey of the rulers of the 25th Dynasty of Egypt
Kush, Assyria’s rival in the Levant – “The second half of the 8th century BC saw the kingdom of Kush (also known as Nubia) rise to a new prominence as its rulers gradually extended their control into Egypt. Their new-found power enabled them to play an influential role in the politics of the Near East, particularly vis-à-vis the Neo-Assyrian empire, whose military expansion brought them within striking distance of the Kushites.A useful survey of the rulers of the 25th Dynasty of Egypt
Canaan and Ancient Israel-Courtesy of the U. of Penn. museum.
Regnal dates for the rulers of the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel
Israel, the ‘House of Omri’-“The kingdom of Israel was known to the Assyrians after its founder as Bit-Humri, ‘House of Omri’. Together with the kingdoms of Hamat and Damascus, it dominated the political landscape of Syro-Palestine in the 9th and 8th centuries BC and, like them, it eventually fell victim to the Assyrian expansion to the Mediterranean.”
Scythian Slide Collection – Prof. John Haskins’ slide Collection of Scythian art.
Scythian Bows-An article on the bow used by the Scythians as well as a brief history.
Scythian Arrows-a discussion of Scythian projectile points
Scythian bronze barbed arrowhead 500-300 BC.
Ancient Composite Bows
Courtesy of the Journal of the Society of Archer-Antiquaries, volume 2, 1959.
The Assyrian Expansion– a history of Assyria’s relations with Egypt.
Babylonia A short history of ancient Babylonia from the Catholic Encyclopedia.
Babylon and the cities and tribes of Southern Mesopotamia
An overview of the relations between Assyria and its great Mesopotamian rival.
The History of Plumbing – Babylonia
An account of plumbing practices in the ancient Near East.
Assyria, 1365-609 B. C.
Concise overview of the Middle and Neo-Assyrian periods by the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.
Assyria
A history of Assyria provided by the Ancient History Encyclopedia.
Assyria A short history of ancient Assyria from the Catholic Encyclopedia.
The Assyrian Empire A site that traces the rise of the Assyrian Empire from Iraq4ever.
Assyria (general introduction)
A history of Assyria. Article by Jona Lendering ©
Central Assyria, the lands between Assur, Nineveh and Arbela
“Central Assyria was under the continuous rule of the Assyrian kings from the 14th to the 7th century BC. Unlike the regions west of the Tigris, which formed part of the Middle Assyrian kingdom but were lost to the newly forming Aramaean states in the 11th century BC, this area was not directly affected by the political and social changes of the late 2nd millennium BC. When Adad-nerari II (911-891 BC) and his successors undertook to restore Assyria’s old borders, they did not need to re-establish control in this core region.”
Knowledge and Power in the Neo-Assyrian Empire
“In the seventh century BC the Assyrian monarch was the most powerful human being in the whole Middle East. Hundreds of letters, queries and reports show scholars advising the Assyrian royal family on matters ominous, astrological and medical, often with direct impact on political affairs. Along with court poetry and royal prophecies, they give an extraordinary vivid insight into the actual practice of scholarship in the context of the first well-documented courtly patronage of scientific activity in world history.”
Tiglath-pileser III, king of Assyria (744-727 BC)
“Assyria’s territories were greatly enlarged during the reign of Tiglath-pileser (or Tiglatpileser) III who annexed regions to the west of the Euphrates river and to the east of the Zagros main ridge. In 729 BC, this Assyrian king also seized the crown of Babylon. He seems to have died peacefully of old age and was succeeded by his son and chosen heir, Shalmaneser V (726-722 BC)”
Shalmaneser V, king of Assyria (726-722 BC)
“The chosen heir of his father Tiglath-pileser III (744-727 BC), Shalmaneser V was king of Assyria and king of Babylon. But his reign lasted less than five years and ended in a succession war which brought his brother, Sargon II (721-705 BC), to power.”
Sargon II, king of Assyria (721-705 BC)
“Sargon II ascended to the Assyrian throne in the midst of a countrywide rebellion. He built a lavish new residence city, Dur-Šarruken, but died on the battlefield just one year after its completion.”
Sennacherib, king of Assyria (704-681 BC)
“Famous for his ambitious irrigation projects and infamous for his siege of Jerusalem, Sennacherib changed the very foundations of the Assyrian Empire. By promoting the queen and the crown prince to key positions in the empire at the expense of the magnates, he dramatically altered the distribution of power at the core of the state.”
Esarhaddon, king of Assyria (681-669 BC)
“The son of the notorious Sennacherib PGP and the father of the learned Assurbanipal, this Assyrian king is today far less known than either his father who famously besieged Jerusalem or his son, the creator of antiquity’s largest library. But Esarhaddon, despite suffering from his fragile health, ruled Assyria with an iron hand and his political decisions influenced the fate of people from Egypt PGP to Iran.argon II ascended to the Assyrian throne in the midst of a countrywide rebellion. He built a lavish new residence city, Dur-Šarruken, but died on the battlefield just one year after its completion.”
Assurbanipal, king of Assyria (669-c. 630 BC)
“Assurbanipal, the last “great” king of Assyria, was a younger son of king Esarhaddon and his queen Ešarra-hamat and the grandson of king Sennacherib and the formidable Naqi’a . Married to queen Libbali-šarrat, he ruled from 669 until at least 630 BC; the last years of his reign are so poorly documented that it is difficult to establish when precisely he was succeeded by his son Aššur-etel-ilani.”
The Royal Family: queen, crown prince, eunuchs and others.
Courtesy of Knowledge and Power in the Neo Assyrian Empire
Running the empire: Assyrian governance
“The Assyrian kings presented themselves in their official inscriptions as the sole creators and maintainers of the Assyrian empire. But contemporary archival texts – letters, reports and administrative records – show that they were supported by administrative, military and cultural elites who were involved in building and running the Assyrian empire at every level. Here, we will focus on those who supported the king in governing Assyria.”
The King’s advisers: magnates and scholars.
“In the 7th century BC, several members of the royal family, male and female, wielded considerable influence over the king but he was also advised by others: state officials with administrative and military functions on the one hand and scholars – experts in divination and ritual – on the other hand.”
The King’s Road – the imperial communication network
“The Neo-Assyrian state maintained a privileged communication system for state letters and envoys travelling on state business. This administrative innovation may well constitute Assyria’s most important contribution to the art of government and subsequently became a standard tool in the administration of empires.”
The royal seal: a sign of the king’s trust and a manifestation of royal authority
“The motif of the Assyrian royal stamp seal, showing the king fighting a lion, was known throughout the empire and was closely identified with the king himself. Whoever held a copy of this seal, usually in the shape of a golden signet ring (unqu), was acting as the king’s representative and on behalf of the king: his commands could not be refused.”
The Palace Scribe: running the state archives of Assyria
“Assyrian palaces teemed with scribes who worked with cuneiform and sometimes also with other scripts, most importantly the Aramaic alphabet. But there was only ever one “Palace Scribe” (ṭupšar ēkalli) in Assyria. He was in charge of the state archives and was one of the king’s most trusted officials.”
The deputy system: backbone of Assyrian governance
“A coherent system that assigned every state official of a certain rank a deputy underpinned the Assyrian empire’s administration. These deputies could replace their superiors whenever the need arose and made Assyrian governance flexible and resilient.”
Mass deportation: the Assyrian resettlement policy
“The practice of resettling population groups was a key constituent of the structural set up of Ancient Near Eastern states, including the Assyrian Empire. This policy underpinned the high degree of cultural homogeneity and economic balance that characterised Assyria in the late 8th and the 7th centuries BC, despite the vast climatic and geographical differences within the region.”
Representing Assyrian interests in the vassal states
“By the second half of the 8th century BC, the Assyrian Empire controlled vast regions in the Middle East directly: these were the provinces that constituted the Assyrian state, administered by Assyrian governors whose position was not heritable but was awarded at the king’s discretion. Other regions were under the control of local governments, although Assyria made sure that its interests were also represented appropriately in these seemingly independent states.”
Royal marriage alliances and noble hostages
“Assyrian foreign policy was not all about war. Diplomatic marriages with foreign dynasties and the exchange of noble hostages were designed to protect international treaties and guarantee peace.”
People, gods & places. These are the names that appear in the translations of the letters, queries, and reports recovered from excavations of Assyrian sites
Assyrian kings’ List From Iraq4ever.
The Assyrian Royal family c.750-600BC From Knowledge and Power in the Neo-Assyrian Empire
Clothing in Ancient Assyria by Fred Aprim
Food and Diet in Assyria by Fred Aprim
The Assyrian Army
“As a consequence of the ongoing incorporation of the professional warriors of the armies of defeated neighbouring kingdoms from the 10th century BC onwards, the Assyrian army was slowly but steadily transformed into a professional standing army, with specialised soldiers largely replacing the conscripts who provided military service only during the summer months, when the agricultural calendar permitted the absence of farm workers.”
Assyrian Warfare
Overview of the subject courtesy of The Ancient History Encyclopedia.
Ancient Warriors: Assyrians Maters of War
An excellent introduction to Assyrian warfare on YouTube.
