Assyria: A Brief History

1) Where did they come from?

Descendants of Ham, through Cush and Nimrod (Genesis 10:6-11)

Initially composed of non-semitic Northern people (Mitanni) and semitic tribes of Amorites

many early high priest bear Mitannian names

These people were overran around 2500 BC by Babylonians (Genesis 10:10 -Nimrod) and adopted Babylonian religion, law, customs, scripture, and language.

2) What were they like?

Assyrian culture was a heavily influenced by whoever held control over their territory from roughly 2500 BC until around the 14th Century B.C., when Assyria would produce Asshur-ubalit, a shrewd prince whose reign marked the beginning of their rise to power in the region.

Once they came into their own, culturally speaking, the Assyrians developed a unique reputation for torturing and executing their enemies. Impaling, flaying, pyramids of heads, forcing captured nobles to grind the bones of their own ancestors to dust… These are just the sorts of things that they chose to brag about!

“The nobles [and] elders of the city came out to me to save their lives. They seized my feet and said: ‘If it pleases you, kill! If it pleases you, spare! If it pleases you, do what you will!’”

“I felled 50 of their fighting men with the sword, burnt 200 captives from them, [and] defeated in a battle on the plain 332 troops. … With their blood I dyed the mountain red like red wool, [and] the rest of them the ravines [and] torrents of the mountain swallowed. I carried off captives [and] possessions from them. I cut off the heads of their fighters [and] built [therewith] a tower before their city. I burnt their adolescent boys [and] girls.”

“In strife and conflict I besieged [and] conquered the city. I felled 3,000 of their fighting men with the sword … I captured many troops alive: I cut off of some their arms [and] hands; I cut off of others their noses, ears, [and] extremities. I gouged out the eyes of many troops. I made one pile of the living [and] one of heads. I hung their heads on trees around the city.”

While there is some speculation that these sorts of inscriptions and artwork were primarily a form of intimidation, it does seem likely that the Assyrians also lived up to their grisly reputation. They make ‘an eye for an eye’ seem like something out of Mr. Rogers!

When you imagine justice delivered to the cruel people of Assyria, what do you see? Honestly, does it resemble the Assyrian’s own idea of justice executed against their enemies?

What would you think if God told you to go and preach repentance to these people?

3) Where did they Go?

Regional tensions escalated both outside of the Assyrian kingdom and within it. Successive campaigns were of mixed success and political ambitions within the Assyrian nobility soon saw many of its kings assassinated by their own families or underlings. example within scripture: Tiglath-Pileser captures most of Israel (2 Kings 15:29) and suddenly dies (729 BC), Shalmaneser besieges Samaria (2 Kings 17:4-5)…dies (722 BC), Sargon captures Samaria that same year and carries in inhabitants into captivity. Who do we even give credit for that? How do we factor events like these against our own notions of justice?

Note: This culture of betrayal and avarice is also apparent within the governmental bodies of Israel and Judah at this time (Pekah---->Hoshea). The same sin existed in Israel, though its influence was very apparently mitigated by the influence of God on his people)