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Although archaeological excavations reveal that
the land of the Assyrians had been inhabited as
early as 5000 B.C., it was not until the reign of
King Sargon of Akkad in 2371 B.C. that the
Assyrians first rose to glory. Under Sargon, the
kingdom rapidly expanded north to the city of
Ashur and as far west as the Mediterranean,
controlled by a central government based in
Akkad. By 1813 B.C., King Shamshi-Adad I
united the cities of Ashur, Nineveh, and Arbel
into one cohesive administrative unit. These
three cities, as well as Arrapkha and Kalhu (later
known as Nimrud), form the historical core of
the Assyrian Kingdom which would remain a
credible force throughout the Mediterranean
world for the next millennium. While various
parts of Assyrian territory were annexed for brief
periods of time by neighboring civilizations, this
core remained firmly intact. The Assyrians
experienced another Golden Age, lasting from
the 9th until the 7th Century B.C. (this period is
referred to as “Neo-Assyrian”). During this
period, the kingdom grew to its largest extent,
encompassing the lands from parts of modern
Iran to the Mediterranean, from Anatolia to
Egypt. However, it proved difficult even for the
powerful Assyrian monarchs to maintain control
over this vast territory for very long. By the end
of the 7th Century, the Assyrian Kingdom began
to collapse under the weight of assaults from the
Babylonians to the south and the newly founded
Medes Kingdom to the east. In 612 B.C., Nimrud
burned for the second time in three years,
followed by the sacking of Ashur and Nineveh,
effectively ending Assyrian control of the ancient
Near East.
This magnificent stone brick bears a dedication
to the Assyrian King Assurnasirpal II written in
cuneiform. Cuneiform writing, first used by the
ancient peoples of the Near East over 5000 years
ago, is composed of a series of wedge-shaped
incisions. While these marks may appear
obscure and mysterious to our eyes, scholars
have made much progress in deciphering
cuneiform after discovering inscriptions on the
Behistun Rock, a cliff in western Iran. Much like
the Rosetta Stone, the Behistun Inscription
contained the same text written in three
different languages (Persian, Babylonian, and
Elamite), all of which utilized the cuneiform
system of writing. Due to the resemblance of
these languages to modern ones, scholars were
able to crack to code. The inscription on this
marvelous brick can be translated as, “Palace of
Assurnasirpal, great king, mighty king, king of
the world, king of Assyria, son of Tukulti-
Ninurta, great king, mighty king, king of the
world, king of Assyria, descendant of Assur-
Nirari, king of the world, king of Assyria.” Upon
expanding the borders of his kingdom,
Assurnasirpal returned home, establishing his
capital in the ancient city of Kalhu, also known as
Calah (modern Nimrud). Today, numerous
monuments dedicated to Assurnasirpal have
been unearthed, making him one of the best-
known rulers of the ancient Near East.
- (PF.5522)
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