Myths of Babylonia and Assyria — 23 - Chapter 19: Assyria's Age of Splendour (Part 1)

We now enter upon the last and most brilliant phase of Assyrian civilization--the period of the Third or New Empire during which flourished Tiglath-pileser IV, the mighty conqueror; the Shalmaneser of the Bible; "Sargon the Later", who transported the "lost ten tribes" of Israel; Sennacherib, the destroyer of Babylon, and Esarhaddon, who made Lower Egypt an Assyrian province.

We also meet with notable figures of Biblical fame, including Ahaz, Hezekiah, Isaiah, and the idolatrous Manasseh.

Tiglath-pileser IV, who deposed Ashur-nirari IV, was known to the Babylonians as Pulu, which, some think, was a term of contempt signifying "wild animal".

In the Bible he is referred to as Pul, Tiglath-pilneser, and Tiglath-pileser.

[503] He came to the Assyrian throne towards the end of April in 745 B. C.

and reigned until 727 B. C.

We know nothing regarding his origin, but it seems clear that he was not of royal descent.

He appears to have been a popular leader of the revolt against Ashur-nirari, who, like certain of his predecessors, had pronounced pro-Babylonian tendencies.

It is significant to note in this connection that the new king was an unswerving adherent of the cult of Ashur, by the adherents of which he was probably strongly supported.

Tiglath-pileser combined in equal measure those qualities of generalship and statesmanship which were necessary for the reorganization of the Assyrian state and the revival of its military prestige.

At the beginning of his reign there was much social discontent and suffering.

The national exchequer had been exhausted by the loss of tribute from revolting provinces, trade was paralysed, and the industries were in a languishing condition.

Plundering bands of Aramaeans were menacing the western frontiers and had overrun part of northern Babylonia.

New political confederacies in Syria kept the north-west regions in a constant state of unrest, and the now powerful Urartian kingdom was threatening the Syro-Cappadocian states as if its rulers had dreams of building up a great world empire on the ruins of that of Assyria.

Tiglath-pileser first paid attention to Babylonia, and extinguished the resistance of the Aramaeans in Akkad.

He appears to have been welcomed by Nabonassar, who became his vassal, and he offered sacrifices in the cities of Babylon, Sippar, Cuthah, and Nippur.

Sippar had been occupied by Aramaeans, as on a previous occasion when they destroyed the temple of the sun god Shamash which was restored by Nabu-aplu-iddina of Babylon.

Tiglath-pileser did not overrun Chaldaea, but he destroyed its capital, Sarrabanu, and impaled King Nabu-ushabshi.

He proclaimed himself "King of Sumer and Akkad" and "King of the Four Quarters".

The frontier states of Elam and Media were visited and subdued.

Having disposed of the Aramaeans and other raiders, the Assyrian monarch had next to deal with his most powerful rival, Urartu.

Argistis I had been succeeded by Sharduris III, who had formed an alliance with the north Mesopotamian king, Mati-ilu of Agusi, on whom Ashur-nirari had reposed his faith.

Ere long Sharduris pressed southward from Malatia and compelled the north Syrian Hittite states, including Carchemish, to acknowledge his suzerainty.

A struggle then ensued between Urartu and Assyria for the possession of the Syro-Cappadocian states.

At this time the reputation of Tiglath-pileser hung in the balance.

If he failed in his attack on Urartu, his prestige would vanish at home and abroad and Sharduris might, after establishing himself in northern Syria, invade Assyria and compel its allegiance.

Two courses lay before Tiglath-pileser.

He could either cross the mountains and invade Urartu, or strike at his rival in north Syria, where the influence of Assyria had been completely extinguished.

The latter appeared to him to be the most feasible and judicious procedure, for if he succeeded in expelling the invaders he would at the same time compel the allegiance of the rebellious Hittite states.

In the spring of 743 B. C.

Tiglath-pileser led his army across the Euphrates and reached Arpad without meeting with any resistance.

The city appears to have opened its gates to him although it was in the kingdom of Mati-ilu, who acknowledged Urartian sway.

Its foreign garrison was slaughtered.

Well might Sharduris exclaim, in the words of the prophet, "Where is the king of Arpad?

where are the gods of Arpad?"

[504] Leaving Arpad, Tiglath-pileser advanced to meet Sharduris, who was apparently hastening southward to attack the Assyrians in the rear.

Tiglath-pileser, however, crossed the Euphrates and, moving northward, delivered an unexpected attack on the Urartian army in Qummukh.

A

fierce battle ensued, and one of its dramatic incidents was a single combat between the rival kings.

The tide of battle flowed in Assyria's favour, and when evening was falling the chariots and cavalry of Urartu were thrown into confusion.

An attempt was made to capture King Sharduris, who leapt from his chariot and made hasty escape on horseback, hotly pursued in the gathering darkness by an Assyrian contingent of cavalry.

Not until "the bridge of the Euphrates" was reached was the exciting night chase abandoned.

Tiglath-pileser had achieved an overwhelming victory against an army superior to his own in numbers.

Over 70,000 of the enemy were slain or taken captive, while the Urartian camp with its stores and horses and followers fell into the hands of the triumphant Assyrians.

Tiglath-pileser burned the royal tent and throne as an offering to Ashur, and carried Sharduris's bed to the temple of the goddess of Nineveh, whither he returned to prepare a new plan of campaign against his northern rival.

Despite the blow dealt against Urartu, Assyria did not immediately regain possession of north Syria.

The shifty Mati-ilu either cherished the hope that Sharduris would recover strength and again invade north Syria, or that he might himself establish an empire in that region.

Tiglath-pileser had therefore to march westward again.

For three years he conducted vigorous campaigns in "the western land", where he met with vigorous resistance.

In 740 B. C.

Arpad was captured and Mati-ilu deposed and probably put to death.

Two years later Kullani and Hamath fell, and the districts which they controlled were included in the Assyrian empire and governed by Crown officials.

Once again the Hebrews came into contact with Assyria.

The Dynasty of Jehu had come to an end by this time.

Its fall may not have been unconnected with the trend of events in Assyria during the closing years of the Middle Empire.

Supported by Assyria, the kings of Israel had become powerful and haughty.

Jehoash, the grandson of Jehu, had achieved successes in conflict with Damascus.

In Judah the unstable Amaziah, son of Joash, was strong enough to lay a heavy hand on Edom, and flushed with triumph then resolved to readjust his relations with his overlord, the king of Israel.

Accordingly he sent a communication to Jehoash which contained some proposal regarding their political relations, concluding with the offer or challenge, "Come, let us look one another in the face".

A contemptuous answer was returned.

Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle.

Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home, for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?

But Amaziah would not hear.

Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh [city of Shamash, the sun god], which belongeth to Judah.

And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to their tents.

Jehoash afterwards destroyed a large portion of the wall of Jerusalem and plundered the temple and palace, returning home to Samaria with rich booty and hostages.

[505] Judah thus remained a vassal state of Israel's. Jeroboam, son of Jehoash, had a long and prosperous reign.

About 773 B.

C.

he appears to have co-operated with Assyria and conquered Damascus and Hamath.

His son Zachariah, the last king of the Jehu Dynasty of Israel, came to the throne in 740 B. C.

towards the close of the reign of Azariah, son of Amaziah, king of Judah.

Six months afterwards he was assassinated by Shallum.

This usurper held sway at Samaria for only a month.

"For Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in his stead."

[506] Tiglath-pileser was operating successfully in middle Syria when he had dealings with, among others, "Menihimme (Menahem) of the city of the Samarians", who paid tribute.

No resistance was possible on the part of Menahem, the usurper, who was probably ready to welcome the Assyrian conqueror, so that, by arranging an alliance, he might secure his own position.

The Biblical reference is as follows: "And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.

And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria.

So the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land."

[507] Rezin of Damascus, Hiram of Tyre, and Zabibi, queen of the Arabians, also sent gifts to Tiglath-pileser at this time (738 B. C.

).

Aramaean revolts on the borders of Elam were suppressed by Assyrian governors, and large numbers of the inhabitants were transported to various places in Syria.

Tiglath-pileser next operated against the Median and other hill tribes in the north-east.

In 735 B. C.

he invaded Urartu, the great Armenian state which had threatened the supremacy of Assyria in north Syria and Cappadocia.

King Sharduris was unable to protect his frontier or hamper the progress of the advancing army, which penetrated to his capital.

Dhuspas was soon captured, but Sharduris took refuge in his rocky citadel which he and his predecessors had laboured to render impregnable.

There he was able to defy the might of Assyria, for the fortress could be approached on the western side alone by a narrow path between high walls and towers, so that only a small force could find room to operate against the numerous garrison.

Tiglath-pileser had to content himself by devastating the city on the plain and the neighbouring villages.

He overthrew buildings, destroyed orchards, and transported to Nineveh those of the inhabitants he had not put to the sword, with all the live stock he could lay hands on.

Thus was Urartu crippled and humiliated: it never regained its former prestige among the northern states.

In the following year Tiglath-pileser returned to Syria.

The circumstances which made this expedition necessary are of special interest on account of its Biblical associations.

Menahem, king of Israel, had died, and was succeeded by his son Pekahiah.

"But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house, ...

and he killed him, and reigned in his room."

[508] When Pekah was on the throne, Ahaz began to reign over Judah.

Judah had taken advantage of the disturbed conditions in Israel to assert its independence.

The walls of Jerusalem were repaired by Jotham, father of Ahaz, and a tunnel constructed to supply it with water.

Isaiah refers to this tunnel: "Go forth and meet Ahaz ...

at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field" (_Isaiah,_ vii, 3).

Pekah had to deal with a powerful party in Israel which favoured the re-establishment of David's kingdom in Palestine.

Their most prominent leader was the prophet Amos, whose eloquent exhortations were couched in no uncertain terms.

He condemned Israel for its idolatries, and cried: For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me and ye shall live....

Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.

[509] Pekah sought to extinguish the orthodox party's movement by subduing Judah.

So he plotted with Rezin, king of Damascus.

Amos prophesied, Thus saith the Lord....

I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which will devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.

I will break also the bar of Damascus ...

and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir....

The remnant of the Philistines shall perish.

Tyre, Edom, and Ammon would also be punished.

[510] Judah was completely isolated by the allies who acknowledged the suzerainty of Damascus.

Soon after Ahaz came to the throne he found himself hemmed in on every side by adversaries who desired to accomplish his fall.

"At that time Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah ...

came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him."

[511] Judah, however, was overrun; the city of Elath was captured and restored to Edom, while the Philistines were liberated from the control of Jerusalem.

Isaiah visited Ahaz and said, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be faint-hearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal: Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.

[512] The unstable Ahaz had sought assistance from the Baal, and "made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen".

[513] Then he resolved to purchase the sympathy of one of the great Powers.

There was no hope of assistance from "the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt", for the Ethiopian Pharaohs had not yet conquered the Delta region, so he turned to "the bee that is in the land of Assyria ".

[514] Assyria was the last resource of the king of Judah.

So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up and save me out of the hand of Syria and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.

And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.

And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir[515] and slew Rezin.

[516] Tiglath-pileser recorded that Rezin took refuge in his city like "a mouse".

Israel was also dealt with.

In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon and Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.

And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.

[517] Tiglath-pileser recorded: "They overthrew Paqaha (Pekah), their king, and placed Ausi'a (Hoshea) over them".

He swept through Israel "like a hurricane".

The Philistines and the Arabians of the desert were also subdued.

Tribute was sent to the Assyrian monarch by Phoenicia, Moab, Ammon, and Edom.

It was a proud day for Ahaz when he paid a visit to Tiglath-pileser at Damascus.

[518] An Assyrian governor was appointed to rule over Syria and its subject states.

Babylon next claimed the attention of Tiglath-pileser.

Nabonassar had died and was succeeded by his son Nabu-nadin-zeri, who, after reigning for two years, was slain in a rebellion.

The throne was then seized by Nabu-shum-ukin, but in less than two months this usurper was assassinated and the Chaldaeans had one of their chiefs, Ukinzer, proclaimed king (732 B. C.

).

When the Assyrian king returned from Syria in 731 B. C.

he invaded Babylonia.

He was met with a stubborn resistance.

Ukinzer took refuge in his capital, Shapia, which held out successfully, although the surrounding country was ravaged and despoiled.

Two years afterwards Tiglath-pileser returned, captured Shapia, and restored peace throughout Babylonia.

He was welcomed in Babylon, which opened its gates to him, and he had himself proclaimed king of Sumer and Akkad.

The Chaldaeans paid tribute.

Tiglath-pileser had now reached the height of his ambition.

He had not only extended his empire in the west from Cappadocia to the river of Egypt, crippled Urartu and pacified his eastern frontier, but brought Assyria into close union with Babylonia, the mother land, the home of culture and the land of the ancient gods.

He did not live long, however, to enjoy his final triumph, for he died a little over twelve months after he "took the hands of Bel (Merodach)" at Babylon.

He was succeeded by Shalmaneser V (727-722 B. C.

), who may have been his son, but this is not quite certain.

Little is known regarding his brief reign.

In 725 B. C.

he led an expedition to Syria and Phoenicia.

Several of the vassal peoples had revolted when they heard of the death of Tiglath-pileser.

These included the Phoenicians, the Philistines, and the Israelites who were intriguing with either Egypt or Mutsri.

Apparently Hoshea, king of Israel, pretended when the Assyrians entered his country that he remained friendly.

Shalmaneser, however, was well informed, and made Hoshea a prisoner.

Samaria closed its gates against him although their king had been dispatched to Assyria.

The Biblical account of the campaign is as follows: "Against him (Hoshea) came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.

And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt,[519] and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; therefore the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.

"Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years."

[520] Shalmaneser died before Samaria was captured, and may have been assassinated.

The next Assyrian monarch, Sargon II (722-705 B. C.

), was not related to either of his two predecessors.

He is referred to by Isaiah,[521] and is the Arkeanos of Ptolemy.

He was the Assyrian monarch who deported the "Lost Ten Tribes".

"In the ninth year of Hoshea" (and the first of Sargon) "the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes."

[522] In all, according to Sargon's record, "27,290 people dwelling in the midst of it (Samaria) I carried off".

They (the Israelites) left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven (the stars), and served Baal.

And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.

Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.

And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof....

And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth (Cuthah) made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharites burnt their children in fire to Adram-melech and Anam-melech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

A number of the new settlers were slain by lions, and the king of Assyria ordered that a Samaritan priest should be sent to "teach them the manner of the God of the land".

This man was evidently an orthodox Hebrew, for he taught them "how they should fear the Lord....

So they feared the Lord", but also "served their own gods ...

their graven images".

[523] There is no evidence to suggest that the "Ten Lost Tribes", "regarding whom so many nonsensical theories have been formed", were not ultimately absorbed by the peoples among whom they settled between Mesopotamia and the Median Highlands.

[524] The various sections must have soon lost touch with one another.

They were not united like the Jews (the people of Judah), who were transported to Babylonia a century and a half later, by a common religious bond, for although a few remained faithful to Abraham's God, the majority of the Israelites worshipped either the Baal or the Queen of Heaven.

The Assyrian policy of transporting the rebellious inhabitants of one part of their empire to another was intended to break their national spirit and compel them to become good and faithful subjects amongst the aliens, who must have disliked them.

"The colonists," says Professor Maspero, "exposed to the same hatred as the original Assyrian conquerors, soon forgot to look upon the latter as the oppressors of all, and, allowing their present grudge to efface the memory of past injuries, did not hesitate to make common cause with them.

In time of peace the (Assyrian) governor did his best to protect them against molestation on the part of the natives, and in return for this they rallied round him whenever the latter threatened to get out of hand, and helped him to stifle the revolt, or hold it in check until the arrival of reinforcements.

Thanks to their help, the empire was consolidated and maintained without too many violent outbreaks in regions far removed from the capital, and beyond the immediate reach of the sovereign."

[525] While Sargon was absent in the west, a revolt broke out in Babylonia.

A Chaldaean king, Merodach Baladan III, had allied himself with the Elamites, and occupied Babylon.

A battle was fought at Dur-ilu and the Elamites retreated.

Although Sargon swept triumphantly through the land, he had to leave his rival, the tyrannous Chaldaean, in possession of the capital, and he reigned there for over eleven years.

Trouble was brewing in Syria.

It was apparently fostered by an Egyptian king--probably Bocchoris of Sais, the sole Pharaoh so far as can be ascertained of the Twenty-fourth Dynasty, who had allied himself with the local dynasts of Lower Egypt and apparently sought to extend his sway into Asia, the Ethiopians being supreme in Upper Egypt.

An alliance had been formed to cast off the yoke of Assyria.

The city states involved Arpad, Simirra, Damascus, Samaria, and Gaza.

Hanno of Gaza had fled to Egypt after Tiglath-pileser came to the relief of Judah and broke up the league of conspirators by capturing Damascus, and punishing Samaria, Gaza, and other cities.

His return in Sargon's reign was evidently connected with the new rising in which he took part.

The throne of Hamath had been seized by an adventurer, named Ilu-bi´di, a smith.

The Philistines of Ashdod and the Arabians being strongly pro-Egyptian in tendency, were willing sympathizers and helpers against the hated Assyrians.

Sargon appeared in the west with a strong army before the allies had matured their plans.

He met the smith king of Hamath in battle at Qarqar, and, having defeated him, had him skinned alive.

Then he marched southward.

At Rapiki (Raphia) he routed an army of allies.

Shabi (?

So), the Tartan (commander-in-chief) of Pi´ru[526] (Pharaoh), King of Mutsri (an Arabian state confused, perhaps, with Misraim = Egypt), escaped "like to a shepherd whose sheep have been taken".

Piru and other two southern kings, Samsi and Itamara, afterwards paid tribute to Sargon.

Hanno of Gaza was transported to Asshur.

In 715 B. C.

Sargon, according to his records, appeared with his army in Arabia, and received gifts in token of homage from Piru of Mutsri, Samsi of Aribi, and Itamara of Saba.

Four years later a revolt broke out in Ashdod which was, it would appear, directly due to the influence of Shabaka, the Ethiopian Pharaoh, who had deposed Bocchoris of Sais.

Another league was about to be formed against Assyria.

King Azuri of Ashdod had been deposed because of his Egyptian sympathies by the Assyrian governor, and his brother Akhimiti was placed on the throne.

The citizens, however, overthrew Akhimiti, and an adventurer from Cyprus was proclaimed king (711 B.

C).

It would appear that advances were made by the anti-Assyrians to Ahaz of Judah.

That monarch was placed in a difficult position.

He knew that if the allies succeeded in stamping out Assyrian authority in Syria and Palestine they would certainly depose him, but if on the other hand he joined them and Assyria triumphed, its emperor would show him small mercy.

As Babylon defied Sargon and received the active support of Elam, and there were rumours of risings in the north, it must have seemed to the western kings as if the Assyrian empire was likely once again to go to pieces.