Gift Antique War Magazine Vol. V - 4 - Sieges and Terror Tactics

Ancient Warfare v.4, 2011

Topic: Sieges and Terrorist Tactics: The Assyrian Empire at War

Introduction: Mark Schwartz, 'Introduction to the Topic'.

In the field of warfare, the Assyrians were unrivaled in their innovations, new weapons, and institutional organization. Their military exploits were recorded in stone reliefs that once adorned the legendary palaces of Nineveh, Khorsabad, and Nimrud. Archaeologists and historians can draw on inscriptions, chronicles, and correspondence between Assyrian kings and their vassals to reconstruct the history of the empire.

Source: Edwin Clifford-Coupe, 'The Pazarcik Stele - Resolving a Boundary Dispute'

During the construction of the Pazarcik Dam in southern Turkey, an Assyrian stone stele was unearthed. It narrates the settlement of a border dispute between two Iron Age Anatolian kingdoms, arbitrated by two Assyrian kings between 805 and 775 BC. It was inscribed at two different times on the obverse and reverse in Akkadian cuneiform, the script and language of the great civilizations of Mesopotamia.

Subject: Nicholas Sekunda, 'Assyrian Infantry Tactics: Pairs of Shieldbearers and Archers'.

Historical evidence about the Assyrian army can be gleaned from a number of sources. Clay tablets written in cuneiform script are generally, though not exclusively, administrative documents. They can shed light on aspects of the way the Assyrian army was equipped, organized, and administered. Annals listing the achievements of various Assyrian monarchs and other historical documents can also be of great relevance, giving us an overview. They detail the way in which campaigns were fought, but are useful above all for

Your information on the strategic and operational functioning of the army.

Subject: Paul McDonnell-Staff, 'Assyrian Siege Machinery - Breaking Through the Defenses'

The rapid rise of the last of the Assyrian empires (the Neo-Assyrian Empire, which lasted roughly from 911 to 612 BC) appears to have been greatly aided by the development of advanced siege engines. The little we know about them comes from archaeology and, more importantly, from the iconography of various palace friezes. In the latter, the Neo-Assyrian kings proudly recorded the successes of this "new technology" in their palaces at Nineveh and Nimrud.

Subject: Gareth Williams, 'Assyrian Propaganda and the Siege of Jerusalem - Like a Bird in a Cage.' Illustrated by Johnny Shumate.

A walk through Room 10 of the British Museum might seem, at first glance, to confirm the generally accepted impression of the Assyrians. On display are bas-reliefs from the walls of Sennacherib's palace at Nineveh, depicting, in all their gory detail, the siege and fall of the Jewish city of Lachish in 701 BC. People are depicted being flayed alive, and impaled captives are displayed in front of the city walls. Others beg for mercy before the enthroned figure of Sennacherib, while the more unfortunate are put to the sword. These reliefs reinforce the received reputation of the Assyrians, who are often depicted as a martial and bloodthirsty society that gloried in combat while reveling in the savage destruction of its enemies.

Subject: Cliff Churgin, 'The Siege of Lachish, 701 BC - Taming the Judean Rebels'. Illustrated by Jason Askew

Assyrian Cavalry. In 701 BC, the Assyrian army launched a punitive campaign against the small kingdom of Judah, ruled by King Hezekiah. This campaign was one of many launched by the Assyrians and would be unremarkable except for the fascinating confluence of biblical texts and archaeology that have made this campaign an important case study of Assyrian warfare and a surprising insight into the Bible as history.

Subject: Tyler Hewell, 'Battle Tactics of the Neo-Assyrian Army: An Empire Forged in Blood,' illustrated by Johnny Shumate.

Assyria possessed one of the most warlike cultures of the ancient Near East. This brutal culture was greatly influenced by the constant bloodshed that followed the founding of its first cities, such as Nineveh and Ashur. As Assyria grew into an empire, the defensive posture weakened by constant attacks from its neighbors soon transformed into a need for offensive action. To undertake the massive campaigns that eventually extended the empire's borders from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf, the Assyrians formed the first truly professional army in history.

Characteristics

The Toledo Helmet: The Discovery: Murray Dahm, 'The Roman Helmet of Toledo - The Ring of Truth'.

The Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio houses a fascinating (and divisive) silver Roman helmet. The helmet is fascinating (and apparently unique) because of the material it's made from, and its circular crest is of a type not known to have survived but shown in several artistic representations. It is divisive because many consider the helmet to be a forgery.

Special: Christopher Matthews, 'Using Reenactment to Understand the Battle of Marathon: Testing Herodotus'.

The Battle of Marathon, fought in 490 BC, is one of those iconic events around which a significant legend has grown and which seems to mark the pages of history. The battle was the first major confrontation between the forces of the powerful Persian Empire in the east and the small, semi-independent Greek city-states in the west. It would produce repercussions that would influence the course of history for centuries to come.

The Debate: Duncan B. Campbell, 'Did Diocletian Revise the Roman Army? - Restorer of the World.' Illustrated by Ángel García Pinto.

It's usually difficult to identify the watershed that marks the demise of an old system and the birth of a new one, but the year 284 AD is an iconic example. In that year, the accession of Diocletian marked the beginning of a new style of Roman government in which the emperor's official title, until then Princeps (first citizen) or, more formally, Imperator Caesar (Caesar the Commander), became Dominus Noster (Our Master). Along with this change in attitude, scholars have tried to identify changes in politics, and it's common to attribute the beginnings of a new style of Roman army to Diocletian's reforming zeal. But was he really a reformer, or did he merely strive to restore a broken system? Was he really an innovator, or did he merely take the old system to its logical conclusion?
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