Iraq
7
Who are the Assyrians?
The Assyrians are a people who have lived in the Middle East since ancient times and today can be found all over the world.
In ancient times their civilization was centered at the city of Assur (also called Ashur), the ruins of which are located in what is now northern Iraq. The city had a god that was also called Assur or Ashur. The territory that the Assyrians controlled could be vast, stretching at times from southern Iraq to the Mediterranean Coast.
The city of Assur first gained its independence about 4,000 years ago. Before independence the city was controlled by a people known as the Sumerians and only gained its independence after the Sumerian civilization declined.
Modern-day scholars often divide Assyrian history into three periods: the Old Assyrian, Middle Assyrian and Neo-Assyrian periods. The timespan that each period covers is a source of debate among scholars.
Old Assyrian Period
The "Old Assyrian" period generally refers to the time after Assyria first gained independence around 4,000 years ago.
Ancient texts indicate that Assyria's size and power were limited in the period after it gained independence. Its early rulers didn't refer to themselves as a "king" in their inscriptions. Instead they called themselves a "vicegerent" (a word that can mean "governor") of the god Ashur.
"Erishum, the vicegerent of the god Ashur, son of Ilushuma, vicegerent of the god Ashur, built the entire temple area of the temple of the god Ashur…" reads part of an inscription found on an Assyrian temple's stairway (translation by Albert Kirk Grayson). Why Assyria's early rulers used such modest titles is a mystery that scholars are still trying to understand.
All pretense of modesty came to an end when a ruler named "Shamshi-Adad" (sometimes spelled Samsi-Adad) conquered, or otherwise took over, Assur, adding the city to an empire that controlled a vast swath of territory across modern-day Iraq and Syria. Study of inscriptions and archaeological remains indicate that Shamshi-Adad lived sometime around 3,800 years ago and based himself not at Assur but at a site in Syria which is now called "Tell Leilan." Rather than giving himself a modest title, as the earlier Assyrian rulers had done, he instead gave himself a title which scholars often translate as "king of the universe."
Shamshi-Adad's empire did not last for long. After his death the Babylonian Empire, led by Hammurabi, and a kingdom known as "Mittani" or "Hanigalbat" took over Shamshi-Adad's lands. Ancient records indicate that by 1500 B.C. the city of Assur was heavily influenced (if not directly controlled) by Mittani.
Middle Assyrian Period
During the 14th century B.C., the Kingdom of Mitanni began to fade and those in charge of Assur began to assert the city's independence. Modern-day scholars often call this period of newfound Assyrian independence the "Middle Assyrian" period. At the start of this period Assur-Uballit I (reign ca. 1363-1328 B.C.) conquered territory near Assur and sought diplomatic recognition of his status from the kings of Egypt and Babylonia.
His successors further enlarged Assyrian territory. Adad-nirari I (reign ca. 1305-1274 B.C.) conquered Mitanni, taking over a kingdom that had ruled Assyria a century earlier. Adad-nirari I claimed that he "sowed salt over" the Mittani capital of Taidu and imposed labor obligations on the city's survivors. He constructed a palace over Taidu saying that he built it "from top to bottom" and deposited a stelae to mark his control of the city (translation by Albert Kirk Grayson). Adad-nirari I also used the title "king of the universe" to describe himself, a title which future Assyrian kings would also use.
Ancient records say that the successors of Adad-nirari I continued to expand Assyria. The Assyrians conquered Babylon during the reign of Tukulti-Ninurta I (reign ca. 1243-1207 B.C.) and reached the Mediterranean coast during the reign of Tiglath-Pileser I (1114-1076 B.C.). Tiglath-Pileser marked the achievement by bringing back cedar wood for building projects.
The martial prowess and skill of the Assyrian kings continued to be emphasized in ancient inscriptions. Tiglath-Pileser I boasted in one inscription that "altogether I conquered 42 lands and their rulers" from across the Middle East, adding that he was a "valiant man" with an "unrivalled bow" who was such a good hunter that "I killed on foot 120 lions with my wildly vigorous assault" (translation by Albert Kirk Grayson).
However, inscriptions from Tiglath-Pileser's time, and that of his successors, point to problems Assyria was experiencing. Cities and civilizations across the Middle East were collapsing as a group of people from the Aegean arrived in the region, displacing local populations and collapsing trade networks. Assyrian records indicate that Tiglath-Pileser and his successors frequently fought against the Arameans, a group of people who were displaced or otherwise caught up in the chaos. In the two centuries following Tiglath-Pileser's conquest, Assyria's territory gradually contracted, the kingdom retaining control of Assur and territory near it. Assyria didn't expand again on a large scale until the 9th century B.C.
Fall of Assyria
While the Assyrians had pushed far to the west trouble was brewing in the east. During the 7th century B.C. Assyrian rulers had to put down a series of rebellions in Babylonia. Meanwhile a group called the "Medes," based in what is now Iran, also launched attacks on Assyrian forces.
Under attack from two groups, while trying to maintain their holdings in the west, the Assyrian military came under pressure. The Babylonians became fully independent during the reign of the Babylonian King Nabopolassar (reign ca. 625–605 B.C).
In 612 B.C. the Median king Cyaxares (reign ca. 625–585 B.C.) launched a major attack on Nineveh, which the Assyrian king Sinsharishkun (reign ca. 622–612 B.C.) tried to stop. A Babylonian inscription said that the fight for Nineveh went on for a few months. "Three battles were fought" in that time, following which the Medians stormed the city itself. The city fell and was destroyed by the Median army who turned the city "into ruin hills and heaps of debris," (translation by CJ Gadd).
The Assyrians fought further battles but their military was gradually drained and their territory destroyed or taken over. It's not clear if Sinsharishkun died at Nineveh or sometime later in a future battle. By 600 B.C. the Assyrian kingdom had been completely destroyed.
Although many Assyrian cities were destroyed or badly damaged, some Assyrians survived the downfall. The survivors, and those descended from them, lived through a long line of rulers. In the period after the time of Christ, the Assyrians converted to Christianity, a religion which they have kept through present day.
Today, the Assyrian homeland is still in northern Iraq; however, the destruction brought about by the terrorist group ISIL (also known as ISIS or Daesh) has resulted in many Assyrians being killed or forced to flee. ISIL has also destroyed, looted or heavily damaged many Assyrian sites, including Nimrud.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Slavic Italian
Bookmarks