Review (PDF) Nineveh: The History And Legacy Of The Ancient Assyrian Capital
*Includes pictures*Includes ancient descriptions of Nineveh*Includes debate over whether Nineveh was home of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading*Includes a table of contents “I captured 46 towns...by consolidating ramps to bring up battering rams, by infantry attacks, mines, breaches and siege engines.” - Sennacherib 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. When the Assyrians are mentioned, images of war and brutality are among the first that come to mind, despite the fact that their culture prospered for nearly 2,000 years. 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. Indeed, Assyria (Biblical Shinar) and the Assyrian people played an important role in many books of the Old Testament and are first mentioned in the book of Genesis: “And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech, and Akkad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Out of that land went forth Ashur and built Nineveh and the city Rehoboth and Kallah.” (Gen. 10:10-11).Although the Biblical accounts of the Assyrians are among the most interesting and are often corroborated with other historical sources, the Assyrians were much more than just the enemies of the Israelites and brutal thugs. Among all the cities that thrived in the ancient Near East, few can match the opulence and ostentatiousness of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire for much of the seventh century BCE. During that time it became known for its mighty citadels, grand palaces, beautiful gardens, and even its zoos. In fact, the beauty of Nineveh, especially its gardens, impressed later writers so much that they assigned its gardens as one of the original Seven Wonders of the World, except unfortunately for Nineveh’s memory, the location was placed in Babylon. The confusion that assigned one of the Wonders of the World to Babylon instead of Nineveh is in fact a large part of Nineveh’s history – it was a great city during its time, but incessant warfare brought the metropolis to oblivion and eventually its history was forgotten or distorted. An examination of Nineveh demonstrates that in many ways it was the victim of the people who built it. 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. Nineveh became lost for centuries, only mentioned in fragments by classical Greek historians, but modern archaeological methods were able to bring the lost city back to life in the nineteenth century. Today, through a combination of archaeological reports, classical Greek accounts, and ancient cuneiform inscriptions, the chronology of Nineveh can be reconstructed. An examination reveals that Nineveh played a vital role in the religious and political history of the ancient Near East and despite suffering immense damage at the hands of the Assyrians’ enemies, continued to function as an important city for several centuries after the Assyrian Empire collapsed.Nineveh: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Assyrian Capital traces the history and legacy of one of the most influential cities of antiquity.
File Size: 1500 KB
Print Length: 65 pages
Publisher: Charles River Editors (January 18, 2016)
Publication Date: January 18, 2016
Sold by: Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B01ATHW9NE
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Not Enabled
Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #207,961 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #56 in Books > History > Ancient Civilizations > Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer #59 in Books > History > Ancient Civilizations > Mesopotamia #108 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Ancient Civilizations > Egypt
Length: Print, 65 pages; Audible, not available as an audiobook.Target Audience/Genre: This history of ancient Assyria is especially pertinent to historians and arm chair historians in light of the assault ongoing in the region. Sadly, though, there are far too few photographic reproductions of the antiquities themselves, which may all have been recently destroyed by radical terrorists in the area.What was the Rank on the date this review was published? 7,117 among free publications.Is this a book that I can read without having to read others first? Yes.Are there a lot of typos/misspellings, grammatical errors or other editing failures? This is one of the better edited briefs from Charles River Editors. I found no obvious typos.Is this a fast, easy read or is it more of a leisure read? This is a quick, easy, interesting read.What sort of language does this writer use to amplify the points made? English. No profanities.My biggest pleasure or disappointment was that this was a simple, straightforward discussion of an important capital of the ancient world.I’ve included a small excerpt below, so readers can peruse the style of presentation utilized by the author. Unfortunately, it does not include any of the excellent black and white photographs.EXCERPTSennacherib’s successor was one of his sons, Esarhaddon (680-669 BC), who came to the throne through a series of inauspicious events. Apparently one or more of Esarhaddon’s brothers conspired to assassinate Sennacherib in order to usurp the throne, but were then killed by the future king (Kuhrt 2010, 2: 522). The events are related in the cuneiform inscriptions that commemorate Esarhaddon’s coronation.
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