Week 5 Flashcards
Assyria:
What was asur and tigris
whatwas thier patron deity called and why was the region called assyria
Assyria: The Ultimate War Machine of the Ancient Near East
Ashur was a small city-state along the Tigris
River in today’s Northern Iraq.
- Its patron deity was a god called Ashur
- The region was called Assyria from the city
and the god
the same god’s name is the origin for ‘Assyria’.
Assriya becomes a superpower:
- Assyira returns to domiannce in __ millennium BCE
conventionally labelled as the __ age
between the 9th and 7 centrueis assyria grew to become a large empire
Assyria returns to dominance in the first
millennium BCE
- Conventionally labelled as the Iron Age.
- Between the 9th and 7th centuries Assyria grew
to become a large Empire
Assyria becomes a superpower
A militaristic state
- expansion was done by __ an not __
- The army provied the
- The king’s main duty was to
- Expansion was done by war NOT negotiation
- The army provied the basic structure and hierarhcy of assyrian society
- The king’s main duty was to command the army
and expand the state territory.
- Much of the agricultural land was possession of the __
this allowed the state to __
- Much of the agricultural land was possession of the
crown and given to individuals in return for service,cmilitary above all. - This allowed the state to have a permanent force of
soldiers and laborers at its disposal
The Assyrian Army Part I
- starting from the late 8th century BCE the __
- at the beginning of Assyrian expasion campaaigs were usually in ___
- in the later period war could be waged at any time and the professional army was always ready for ___
- Starting from the late 8th century BCE the annual levy of troops from the Assyrian population was replaced by a professional standing army.
- At the beginning of Assyrian expansion campaigns were usually
in summer, when agricultural tasks were more limited and travel across rivers and mountain passes was easier. - In the later period war could be waged at any time and the
professional army was always ready for mobilization.
The term “levy of troops” refers to a system where soldiers are temporarily raised from the civilian population to serve in the military, usually during times of war or emergenc
The Assyrian Army Part II
- part of the army was under direct control of the ___, other were led by ___
- the nway was made of ___
he number of men required for the army became far too large for the core of the state, so
conquered people were integrated into the army and auxiliary troops.
- This created an army of diverse groups with multiple origins and languages - there was
no effort to merge all soldiers to a unified assyrian army; they were happy to keep these groups separate in the army
- The navy was made of phoenicians (soldier from different ethnicities means they all fight in different ways so you can use that to your advantage) Assyrians were not experienced in
the navy nut the phoenicians were.
The Decline of the War Chariot
Assyrians are repsonsible for the development of ___,
chartios become ___ for kings and high officals
- calvary became so important that only ___ fought as calvarymen, while troops from other groups made up the bulk of the infantry
- Assyrians are responsible for the development of
true calvary, which eventually made war
chariots obsolete. - Chariots became ceremonial vehicles for Kings
and high officials. - Calvary became so important that only
Assyrians fought as calvarymen, while troops
from other groups made up the bulk of the
“True cavalry” in this context means the use of soldiers mounted on horses who fought as an integral and strategic part of the military, rather than just serving as scouts or messengers.
Assyrian cavalry
was made of teams of __
This shows that calvary may have evovled from ___
- the most common valvary men were __ supplemented by ___
- From representations it appears that early Assyrian cavalry was made of teams of two horses and riders, with one
holding the reins while the either used his bow. - This shows that calvary may have evolved from
chariotry when the Assyrians started campaigning in
mountain areas where chariots could not be used. - Cavalry was more flexible and less expensive.
- The most common calvary men were mounted archers,
supplemented by lancers
Composition of the Army
- Assyrian army was amde of ___
- The relief depics ___
- The diversity of troops and weaponary gave the assyrian army to ___
- Spearmen were closely supported by ___
- Assyrian army was amde of ___
- the relief depics
- The Assyrian army was made of different classes of
troops - The reliefs depict units equipped in a standardized
manner and staffed by various ethnicities - The diversity of troops and weaponry gave the Assyrian
army flexibility to adapt to different enemies and
terrains. - Spearman were closely supported by archers, while
calvary tried to outflank the enemy or exploit any
opportunity. - During sieges archers, slingers, engineers and
Composition of the Army
War and Economy: Material Resources
- Looted valuable goods and animals
- Annual tribute (typically in the form of goods
which were typical of the region - gold or
silver if it was locally found, timber, or hides. - Control of economic assets of conquered
areas.
War and Economy:
Human Resources
- Deportation of large groups was ___
- Large number of indivuals from conequered regions were forced to relocate and work on __
- A large number of individuals from conquered
regions were forced to relocate and work on
building projects or as agricultural labor. - Deportation of large groups was relatively
common.
Building projects:
- Part of wealth obtained is __
-
- The wealth obtained from conquest was at least in
part re-invested in larged royal building
projects in the Assyrian Heartland. - When you have accesses to more human
resources you are able to build more than other
kings. - They build a series of entire new capitols
in their own name.
A new royal city:
King __ II decided on the complete reconstruction of of the site of ___
King Ashurbanipal II decided on the
complete reconstruction of of the site of KALHU
Thousands of workers built a city wall of 8 km , enclosing an area of 360 hectares. There were multiple palaces and temples and other public structures.
- When the capitol was finished he threw a massive banquet in which 69,537 were invited
Wealth trickeld down to the ___
Wealth trickled down to the elite members of Assyrian
society
The Lifestyle of Assyrian
Royalty became a model for ___ and a large part of the Mediterranean
- Elites from many areas tried to emulate the ___
The spread of objects, stytles, and designs originating from Assyria generated a culture trend called by archanegoligs the ___ ____
The Lifestyle of Assyrian
Royalty became a model for all elites of the Near East and a large part of the Mediterranean
- Elites from many areas tried to emulate the splender of assyyrian court ___
The spread of objects, stytles, and designs originating from Assyria generated a culture trend called by archanegoligs the Orientalizing Phenomenon
Assyrians were basically ___ at war
how did they justify war?
and why was it harder to justify?
Assyrians were basically always at war
- You need to justify your own actions (the use of violence in
an organized way)
- Self defense is the easiest way of justifying a war.
- If you fight against groups which you do not see as equal to
you.
- The Assyrians were always the attackers - so it’s harder to
justify
Built on concepts that were already existent before
- Assyrians saw thier authroity as not __
-The assyrian kings set as their goals to ___
From the coronation Hymn of Ashurbanipal:
- Assyrians saw their authority as not confined. It
extended to the entire world. - The assyrian kings set as their goal to enlarge the
border
From the coronation Hymn of Ashurbanipal:
“May the great gods give him, a just scepter
to extend the land and his people”
Self Defense and World
Domination
-Imperialism was justified by the belief that Assyria was
-Imperialism was also seen as
- Imperialism was justified by the belief that Assyria was in imminent danger, alone and
surrounded by hostile peoples. - Imperialism was also seen as “self defense”,
preventative action and just revenge for
previous attacks
The divine mandate of establishing a universal empire required
- For assyrians beleived that their wars were
- The victories of the armies were visible confimration that thehy were acting in accordinte with
The divine mandate of establishing a universal empire - a
place of peace and justice - required the use of war.
- For the Assyrians there was no doubt that their wars were holy
and just - The victories of the armies were visible confimration that thehy were acting in accordinte with Divine Will
Superiority of Ashur and the other state gods
over the gods of the other countries
Ashur is __ to the other gods
There was the idea that the enemies lost
because
- Superiority of Ashur and the other state gods
over the gods of the other countries - Ashur is superior to the other gods, but the gods
and religious practices of conquered lands could
continue. - There was the idea that the enemies lost
because their own gods abandoned them
-There was the idea that the enemies lost
because their own gods abandoned them.
Releifs from the Palace f king __ at Nineveh show the siege and capute of ___
A walled city in the kingdom of ___
The seig of lacish was during the ___ campaign of the Sennacherib
The siege of jeruselum and the related events are recounted ___ texts and conteporary ____
The siege of lavish is illustrated in a series of ___ from the kings palace
Releifs from the Palace f king Sennacherib at Nineveh show the siege and capute of Lacish
A walled city in the kingdom of Judah
The seig of lavish was during the Third campaign of the Sennacherib
The siege of jeruselum and the related events are recounted Biblical texts and conteporary Assyrian documents
The siege of lavish is illustrated in a series of reliefs from the kings palace
Assyiran account I and II
Biblical accounts I and II
Assyrian Account I: “As for Hezekiah, the Judahite, who did not submit
to my yoke:forty-six of his strong walled cities.
As for him (Hezekiah), I locked him up within Jerusalem.
Assyrian Account II: He sent his legation (to me) to deliver the tribute and offer slavish obedience.
Biblical Account I: “Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them” (Isaiah
36:1)
Biblical Account II: “Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish” (2 Kings 18:14)
Assyrian Representation of the Siege of Lachish
Large __ from the paalce at the city of ___
Large relief panels from the palace at the city of
Nineveh
The fall of the assyirans:
- small number of Assyrian elites ruled over a multitude of subjects who had
very little loyalty.
The resources necessary to maintain the vast empire were immense
- Reached max size under Ashurbanipal around 640 BEC, the empire disappeared
in less than __ years
An alliance of former subjects from __ and the Medes from ___
The resources necessary to maintain the vast empire were immense
- Reached max size under Ashurbanipal around 640 BEC, the empire disappeared
in less than 30 years
An alliance of former subjects from Babylon and the Medes from Iraq
The Fall of the Assyrians
- The Assyrian Empire relied heavily on terror and force.
- This caused a catastrophic fall as soon as it was not able to maintain military
dominance. - A small number of Assyrian elites ruled over a multitude of subjects who had
very little loyalty. - The resources necessary to maintain the vast empire were immense
- Reached max size under Ashurbanipal around 640 BEC, the empire disappeared
in less than 30 years. - As soon as the central power became weaker, provinces started to break free from royal control.
- Disrupting the influx of resources that maintained the Assyrian core,
and external enemies became aggressive. - An alliance of former subjects from Babylon and the Medes from Iraq
