Fit for a king

Anyone interested in the history and archeology of the ancient Middle East will find this collection of the lifetime studies of the late Prof. Hayim Tadmor invaluable.

By ALEXANDER ZVIELLI
A relief depitcting Assyrian archers 521 (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
A relief depitcting Assyrian archers 521
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Assyrian kings understood that once they were gone, their monuments and inscriptions would remain and tell of their glory forever. Few of them knew how to read or write, but they all had highly respected scribes, sometimes two or more, who accompanied them on their battles and with whom they shared their ideas and messages for future generations. Thus the kings extended their fame into posterity, leaving behind treasures of literary, historical and religious inscriptions.
Anyone interested in the history and archeology of the ancient Middle East, from Hammurabi of Babylon to the Persian Darius, in relation to ancient Israel will find this collection of the lifetime studies of the late Prof. Hayim Tadmor (1923- 2005) invaluable. A professor of Assyriology at the Hebrew University and one of the leading historians of ancient Mesopotamia and Israel in his time, Tadmor authored Assyria, Babylon and Judah, Studies in the History of the Ancient Near East, The Inscriptions of Tiglath-Pileser III, King of Assyria and many other publications.
A committee composed of Shmuel Avituv, Joseph Amiram, Mordechai Cogan (professor emeritus of biblical history at the Hebrew University and the editor of this volume), Israel Ephal, Lawrence Stager and Miriam Tadmor collected within a single volume Tadmor’s extensive research, indispensable to all students of ancient Israel and the Near East. The daunting task of gathering, translating and editing articles from his original research, scientific journals and other sources have resulted in this marvelous collection, With my Many Chariots I Have Gone up the Heights of the Mountains.
For Tadmor, a master of ancient languages and dialects, it was not sufficient to “crack” and translate an ancient inscription. Rather, he sought to find its true message. Having translated an inscription, he ascertained its literary context and historiographical dimension, proceeded to test its value as an expression of the royal ideology, and finally discussed its worth in a particular historical setting and in connection with Israel. Assyria dominated Judah for centuries and Tadmor’s research frequently proved the accuracy of the biblical text.
Many Assyrian kings made extravagant claims, as was noted by Isaiah who criticized Sennacherib for his overweening pride: “With my many chariots I have gone to the head of the mountain” (II Kings 19:23; Isaiah 37:34).
Forty-five chapters, each one a separate study, begin with the history of Assyria and the translation of the Assyrian royal inscriptions and their literary compositions. Photographs of the original inscriptions, written or engraved in cuneiform, are first transcribed into Latin characters, then followed by an English translation and an extensive commentary.
The author describes the expanding horizons of the Assyrian Empire, specifying the role of monarchy and the elite. Separate studies deal with the development of royal cities and temples in ancient Assyria and Babylonia. An interesting chapter deals with the role of the chief eunuch (such as Rabsaris in II Kings 18) and the place of eunuchs in ancient societies. Another chapter describes the progressive Aramaization of Assyria and the entire Near East.
The chapter on treaties and oaths in the ancient Near East shows a close affinity to the Bible. The history of Hezekiah’s surrender to Sennacherib (701 BCE) explains the identity of the “urbi,” the Israelite soldier who brought Hezekiah’s 30 talents of gold, male and female singers to Nineveh “to do obeisance.” Assyrian kings hoped by their literary efforts to assure their subjects of the legitimacy and the smooth order of their succession. These autobiographical apologies are reminiscent of similar episodes in Samuel and Kings.
We move on to learn the chronology of the First Temple, the story of Sennacherib’s campaign in Judea and the confrontation between Ahaz and Tiglath Pileser in the Book of Kings. Separate studies refer to the people and the kingship in ancient Israel, the history of Samaria and the role of political institutions in the biblical period. The final chapters deal with the author’s personal views on Assyriology and the nascence and development of this subject at the Hebrew University.
Tadmor was a most erudite scholar, well able to explain challenging subjects in simple terms and contributing to our better understanding of the history of the Near East and the Bible. In his personal notes he admits that once the founding fathers of the Hebrew University were shocked to hear the phrase “Who needs Assyriology?” that had surfaced throughout the years and still surfaces from time to time. Today the subject is treated with the worldwide respect that it richly deserves. There can be no doubt that he played a major part in this achievement.
The well-bound and printed volume would do better with a general index, Tadmor’s photograph and more personal information.