Nimrud was destroyed twice, first in and again in B. Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art. Curtis, John E. Reade, eds. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Ancient Near East c. London: Routledge, Visiting The Met? Cuneiform tablet case impressed with two cylinder seals, for cuneiform tablet Furniture support: female sphinx with Hathor-style curls.
Sickle sword. Cylinder seal and modern impression: winged horse with claws and horns. Human-headed winged bull lamassu. Human-headed winged lion lamassu. The city of Assur first gained its independence about 4, 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.
The timespan that each period covers is a source of debate among scholars. The "Old Assyrian" period generally refers to the time after Assyria first gained independence around 4, 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. 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, years ago and based himself not at Assur but at a site in Syria which is now called "Tell Leilan. 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 B. During the 14 th century B. 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. His successors further enlarged Assyrian territory.
Adad-nirari I reign ca. Adad-nirari I claimed that he "sowed salt over" the Mittani capital of Taidu and imposed labor obligations on the city's survivors. The powerful Assyrian army conquered its enemies city by city, as it excelled in siege warfare as well as battlefield tactics.
The Assyrians were the first army to contain a separate engineer corps. Assyrians moved mobile ladders and ramps right up against heavily fortified city walls. Sappers and miners dug underneath the walls.
Massive siege engines became prized Assyrian armaments. Successfully taking city after city, the Assyrians extended their empire throughout the Middle East and down the Levant coast. The final stage of the Assyrian empire began in B. Adad Nirari II and his successors used new warfare techniques to take over enemy cities one by one.
The Assyrians had several advantages that they had been developing for generations while other empires came and went. They were the first in the area to develop iron weapons, which were superior to the bronze weapons their enemies were using. Their skill at ironworking allowed them to make weapons and protective items more cheaply, so more soldiers could use them. In addition, they were the first army to have a separate engineering unit, which would set up ladders and ramps, fill in moats, and dig tunnels to help the soldiers get into a walled city.
They were also among the first to build chariots, which provided greater protection on the battlefield. These technological advancements allowed the Assyrians to go on the offensive and attack neighboring areas for the first time, which led to the expansion of their empire. The Assyrian Empire maintained power for hundreds of years.
But in the s B. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Tyson Brown, National Geographic Society. National Geographic Society. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service.
0コメント