Assyrian Domination in Mesopotamia

Mesopotamian Review:Assyria

•Assyria 2300-911 BC• Early History: ruled by Akkad and 3rd Dynasty of Ur

• Later the Babylonians took over

• King Assur-uballit I: freed Assyria from Kassites for a few years

• Collapsed with Mesopotamia in 1200

Assyrian Resurgence911-745 BC

• Ashurnasirpal II: responsible for developing Assyria’s brutality and exiled conquered peoples into Assyrian Empire https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/ancient-near-east1/assyrian/a/assyrian-art-an-introduction

• Israel: Omri and Judah: Jehoshaphat

• Shalmaneser III: expanded into Syria and Palestine conquering northern Syria and turning Tyre, Sidon, and Israel into vassal kingdoms• Israel: Ahab and Judah: Ahaziah, Athaliah, Joash

• Assyria didn’t dominate until around 745 BC

Assyrian Dominance 745-627 BCTiglath-pileser III

•Tiglath-pileser III 745-727 BC• Created a new “military • Conquered parts of Syria, Damascus,

Babylon

• Israel’s king Pekah fought but most of Israel is annexed

• Judah: Ahaz makes alliance

Military

• Most powerful military machine in the Near East-ever.

• Immense standing army with iron weapons on a large scale

• Four branches:• Light infantry (slingers and archers)• Heavy infantry (spear, sword, and dagger)• Chariotry (2 archers, shield bearers, and driver)• Cavalry (small bows/long spears)

• Siege masters• Catapults, battering rams

• Brutal• Appendages cut• Flayed alive• Impaled• Burned alive

Assyrian Dominance:Shalmaneser V and Sargon II

• Shalmaneser V 726-722 BC• Hoshea, King of Israel, revolted. Samaria was sieged for 3

years.

• According to the Bible he annexed Samaria

• Sargon II 721-705 BC• Completely conquered Israel and deported them to Assyria

• Quelled rebellions in Syria, Gaza, Anatolia,

Sargon II Palace

• Portal Figures:

• https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/ancient-near-east1/assyrian/v/lamassu

Assyrian Dominance:Sennacherib

• Sennacherib 704-681 BC• Moved the capital to Nineveh

• Large botanical park

• Fought successive battles in Syria and Palestine

• Innovative architecture and warfare technology

• Siege inventions and earthen ramparts

• King of Judah, Hezekiah, refused to pay tribute (701)• Built large tunnels under ground to deal with a siege

• Jerusalem capitulates and pays tribute

• 46 Judean cities leveled

• Leaders impaled by Assyrians

• After struggling with decades of rebellion, Babylon is razed to the ground

Assyrian Dominance: The Empire at its heightEsarhaddon and Assurbanipal

• Esarhaddon 680-669 BC:• Defeated people in Anatolia, the Medes, and Egypt

• Assurbanipal 668-627 BC• Ruled Egypt

• Assyria is conquered by the Medes and Babylonians in 612 BC

Assurbanipal's Reliefs and Palace

• Palace:

• https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/ancient-near-east1/assyrian/a/assyrian-art-an-introduction

• Hunting Lions Relief

• https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/ancient-near-east1/assyrian/v/ashurbanipal-hunting-lions-assyrian

Destruction of Assyria 626-605 BCNeo-Babylon

• Nabopolassar 626 BC• Chaldean leader, Assyerian governor, seized the throne.

• Helped the Medes destroyed the Assyrian capital.

• Battle of Carchemish 605• Assyrians defeated by the Babylonians

• Nahum 3:19

State and Society

• King and queen• Both King and Priest with king substitution rituals• Some authority in reference to the motherhood of a future prince

• Social Classes• Extensive central bureaucracy including generals, high priests and provincial

governors. • Four classes including:• Nobility; professional; agricultural workers and soldiers; slaves

• Law• Harsh laws based on Hammurabi• Harsh punishment for deviance outside the “norm”• Complete subjection of women

Art and Architecture

• Jewelry:• Magnificent pieces in bronze, gold, silver, and ivories. Utilized bright colors

and sophisticated perfumes.

• Royal Palaces:• Influenced by Old Babylon, Hurrians, Hittites, Egyptians, and others.

• Large and ostentatious.

• Constructed on large platforms placing it at the same level as the tops of fortifications.

• Stone, sun-dried brick, and baked bricks

Religion

• Assur vs Marduk• Combined various characteristics of Marduk and Enlil

• Warrior god and head of pantheon

• Lamashtu• Demon who stole infants

• Large demonology pantheon (helped reinforce fear)

• Divination• Much like other Mesopotamian and Mediterranean practices

• Astrology

• Hepatoscopy: reading of signs in livers