The last of the Mesopotamian empires we will look at is that of the Assyrians, who had previously existed as a people under the rule of Babylon, and became a military empire that rose in the first millennium. The last notable Assyrian ruler was Ashurbanipal, whose library was discussed in today's reading. Other sources emphasize the military feats, as well as their reputation for cruelty, among those they conquered. Regardless, they provide the perfect opportunity for us to discuss thinking like a historian, which Rampola equates with avoiding obvious bias and value-laden judgments. Our question is how should we assess the Assyrians based on Hunt's article on Ashurbanipal's Library. Is it objective? Is it biased? Is it value-laden?
Ashurbanipal's Hunting Lions Video Tutorial from Dr. Harris and Dr. Zucker (5:54)
Lamassu from the Citadel of Sargon II Video Tutorial from Dr. Harris and Dr. Zucker (5:08)
The empire of the Assyrians was destroyed in 612 BCE when the Medes and New Babylonians (Chaldeans) forged an alliance and overtook Nineveh, resulting in the burning of the library you read about in Hunt's article, which ironically served to "bake" the clay cuneiform tablets and better preserve them. Many began to be unearthed around 1849 CE.
Ishtar Gate and Processional Way, Babylon, 575 BCE Video Tutorial (6:49)
Pillaging of
archaeological sites and cultural repositories to destroy irreplaceable
cultural heritage and to disperse rare and important artifacts is
reprehensible. This has caused
irreparable damage to the heritage of the people of Iraq and humanity worldwide.
- Archeological
Institute of America’s Joint Statement.
This quarter we have introduced you to a
number of ancient artifacts that shed light on early river valley
civilizations. When we looked at
Gilgamesh, we paired it with our analysis of the lion-taming statue that
depicted divine and royal power. When we looked at the Standard of Ur, we
learned of the necessity of examining the place and context in which an
artifact was found, along with which other artifacts it was found. Unfortunately, the geographic
region from which artifacts of the Ancient Near East originate have seen
instability, revolution, and war in the last decade. Many have worked tirelessly, and even
sacrificed their own lives, to save archeological artifacts. Archeological artifacts have been looted,
sold, even purposefully destroyed. Some
have suggested 3D printing of all wonders of the ancient world to prevent the wholesale
loss of priceless objects, while others note that a virtual version does not
serve as an adequate replacement. Nor
are the artifacts of any of the civilizations we have examined this quarter entirely
free from potential harm, whether found in Iraq, or Syria. During this
21st century CE, the U.S. invasion in 2003 endangered Iraqi
artifacts, with immediate looting of Iraq’s museums, and ISIS purposefully
destroys (and sells other) artifacts today.
All
of these artifacts hold a special importance to those of us at University of
Chicago. The Oriental Institute houses
both Egyptian artifacts and Assyrian artifacts and has reacted strongly to the
destruction of artifacts, noting that their collections of artifacts from Iraq
have seen their “counterparts” destroyed. http://oi.uchicago.edu/about/statement-cultural-destruction-iraq.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/02/150227-islamic-militants-destroy-statues-mosul-iraq-video-archaeology/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150414-why-islamic-state-destroyed-assyrian-palace-nimrud-iraq-video-isis-isil-archaeology/
