Political eclipse

Political eclipse

The national strength had, however, been overtaxed by the effort of winning and administering an empire that extended from the Euphrates to the Zagros and Persian Gulf. After only seven years Babylonia and other lands were lost, Tukulti-Ninurta was murdered by his son, and for a time Assyria became subservient to Babylonia. There was a brief revival under Tiglath-Pileser I (1115-1077 BC) who not only re-established his authority over the lands held earlier but extended it to Syria and the Mediterranean where the Hittites, whose empire had fallen about 1200 BC, were no longer there to oppose him. Yet on his death, his country once again suffered disaster, this time as the result of an eruption of Aramaean nomads from the Syrian desert. They overran all the lands bordering the Euphrates and in two centuries they had established numerous small kingdoms in upper Mesopotamia and Syria as far south as the borders of Israel. Assyria was again reduced to its narrowest limits.

A group of Assyrian archers: military conquests were a
favourite subject for relief works, which are distinguished
for their stylistic vitality

Recovery came slowly, but by the ninth century the Assyrians had begun to recreate the empire. This was only achieved after many years of bitter fighting. The wealthy Aramaean cities of Syria, supported by the Israelites and Phoenicians, put up a prolonged resistance. The strong state of Urartu, centred on Lake Van, not only appneed Assyrian expansion northwards but in the eighth century threatened its control of Syria and northwest Iran. Under Tiglath- Pileser III (745- 727 BC), however, Urartu was crushed and Assyrian rule  consolidated from Palestine and Cilicia in the west to Babylonia and western Iran in the east. To these conquests Esarhaddon (680-669 BC) added for a short time that of Egypt.

In some of the conquered lands, native princes ruled as Assyrian vassals, sending annual tribute and receiving in return promise of aid against external attack and internal rebellion. But vassals were prone to revolt and areas of vital importance, such as Syria and Palestine, were ruled directly through Assyrian governors, whose activities were closely supervised by the king and his ministers.