The Assyrian Empire’s Capitals: … Nineveh, Assur, and Nimrud - Charles River Editors Audiobook

Written by Charles River Editors
Read by Colin Fluxman
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

· Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
· Release date: 09-13-19
· Publisher: Charles River Editors

When scholars study the history of the ancient Near East, several wars that had extremely brutal consequences (at least by modern standards) often stand out. Forced removal of entire populations, sieges that decimated entire cities, and wanton destruction of property were all tactics used by the various peoples of the ancient Near East against each other, but the Assyrians were the first people to make war a science.

Like a number of ancient individuals and empires in that region, the negative perception of ancient Assyrian culture was passed down through Biblical accounts, and regardless of the accuracy of the Bible’s depiction of certain events, the Assyrians clearly played the role of adversary for the Israelites.

The Assyrians, like their other neighbors in Mesopotamia, were literate and developed their own dialect of the Akkadian language that they used to write tens of thousands of documents in the cuneiform script. The Assyrians prospered for so long that their culture is often broken down by historians into the “Old”, “Middle”, and “Neo” Assyrian periods, even though the Assyrians themselves viewed their history as a long succession of rulers from an archaic period until the collapse of the neo-Assyrian Empire in the 7th century BCE.

When Nineveh was at its height, they controlled an empire that encompassed Egypt, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and parts of Iran. Eventually, the Assyrians overextended themselves and their enemies overthrew them and destroyed much of their cities.

In northern Iraq, on the banks of the Tigris River, lie the ruins of the ancient city of Aššur, the first capital and the most important religious center of the Assyrian Empire. Known today as Qal’at Sherqat, the city dates back to the 3rd millennium BCE. In that time period, the Assyrian army became the largest yet seen, and their warriors were both the greatest and cruelest in the land. Even the pharaoh of Egypt paid them tribute. No army had ever carried war so far.

The city of Nimrud was one of the Assyrians’ most important cities, and it has been known by many different names throughout its history. In ancient Assyrian, the city was called Kalḫu, a name first attested to in texts dating back to the 13th century BCE. The city has produced many glorious artifacts and provided countless insights into this ancient civilization, but the history of the city after the fall of the Assyrians has proven just as turbulent and interesting.