Sennacherib S Palace Without A Rival

Best known today from biblical accounts of his exploits and ignominious end, the Assyrian king Sennacherib (704-681 B.C.) was once the ruler of all western Asia. In his capital at Nineveh, in what is now northern Iraq, he built what he called the "Palace without Rival." Though only scattered traces of this magnificent structure are visible today, contemporary written descriptions and surviving wall reliefs permit a remarkably detailed reconstruction of the appearance and significance of the palace. An art historian trained in ancient Near East philology, archaeology, and history, John Malcolm Russell marshals these resources to investigate the meaning and political function of the palace of Sennacherib. He contends that the meaning of the monument cannot be found in images or texts alone; nor can these be divorced from architectural context. Thus his study combines discussions of the context of inscriptions in Sennacherib's palace with reconstructions of its physical appearance and analyses of the principles by which the subjects of Sennacherib's reliefs were organized to express meaning. Many of the illustrations are published here for the first time, notably drawings of palace reliefs made by nineteenth-century excavators and photographs taken in the course of the author's own excavations at Nineveh.

This book is a critical study of the role played by architecture and texts in promoting political and religious ideologies in the ancient world. It explains a palace as an element in royal propaganda seeking to influence social concepts about kingship, and a text about a temple as influencing social concepts about the relationship between God and human beings. Applying the methods of analysis developed in built environment studies, the author interprets the palace and temple building programs of Sennacherib, King of Assyria, and Solomon, King of Israel. The physical evidence for the palace and the verbal evidence for the temple are explained as presenting communicative icons intended to influence contemporary political and religious concepts. The volume concludes with innovative interpretations of the contributions of architectural and verbal icons to religious and political reform.

The Royal Inscriptions of Sennacherib, King of Assyria (704-681 BC), Part 2 (Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period 3/2) provides reliable, up-to-date editions of 195 texts of Sennacherib, as well as 26 other late Neo-Assyrian inscriptions that might belong to this king and 2 inscriptions of his family (including one of his wives, Tashmetu-sharrat). The volume contains historical inscriptions on bull and lion colossi from Nineveh, rock reliefs, stone horizontal prisms, and clay cylinders and prisms from other cities under Sennacherib's authority (especially Ashur and Tarbisu); epigraphs on reliefs; and inscriptions on bricks, threshold slabs, door sockets, wall panels, stone blocks, beads, metal plating (including door bands); and drafts and copies of historical and building inscriptions written on clay tablets. Each text edition (with its English translation) is supplied with a brief introduction containing general information, a catalogue containing basic information about all exemplars, a commentary containing further technical information and notes, and a comprehensive bibliography. RINAP 3/2 also includes: (1) a general introduction to the corpus of inscriptions and Sennacherib's numerous building activities in Assyria (especially construction at Ashur); (2) several photographs of objects inscribed with texts of Sennacherib; (3) indices of museum and excavation numbers and selected publications; and (4) indices of proper names (Personal Names; Geographic, Ethnic, and Tribal Names; Divine, Planet, and Star Names; Gate, Palace, Temple, and Wall Names; and Object Names). The RINAP Project is under the direction of G. Frame (University of Pennsylvania) and is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Sennacharib had evidently long since made up his mind as to the manner in which Babylonian pride was to be handled. He did not take the hand of Marduk as viceroy, but he had himself proclaimed king of Babylon, and and this without using a second name as Tiglath-pileser had done. Nor does he seem to have taken the trouble to honor Marduk by calling on him in his temple. --from Chapter 2 Sennacherib, the great king, the mighty king, king of the universe, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters; the shepherd, favorite of the great gods, guardian of the right, lover of justice; who lends support, who comes to the aid of the needy, who turns to pious deeds; . . . the god Assur, the great mountain, an unrivaled kingship has entrusted to me, and above all those who dwell in palaces, has made powerful my weapons; from the upper sea of the setting sun to the lower sea of the rising sun, all the black-headed race he has brought in submission at my feet and mighty kings feared my warfare. --from the Oriental Institute Prism

In his palace at Nineveh, Assyrian King Sennacherib immortalized his campaign against Jerusalem with a series of sculptures. Russell presents photographs and drawings of the sculptures, and proposes standards for the preservation of artifacts.

The last fifty years have seen a dramatic increase of interest in the wisdom literature of the Bible, as scholars have come to appreciate the subtlety and originality of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes as well as of Sirach and Wisdom of Solomon. Interest has likewise grown in the wisdom literatures of the neighboring cultures of Canaan, Egypt, and especially Mesopotamia. To help readers understand the place of biblical wisdom within this broader context, including its originality and distinctiveness, this volume offers a collection of essays by Assyriologists and biblicists on the social, intellectual, and literary setting of Mesopotamian wisdom; on specific wisdom texts; and on key themes common to both Mesopotamian and biblical culture. --From publisher's description.

A critical resource for students and scholars of the ancient Near East and the Bible Josette Elayi’s Sennacherib, King of Assyria is the only biography of Sargon II’s famous son. Elayi traces the reign of Sennacherib in context in order to illuminate more fully the life and contributions of this warlord, builder, innovator, and social reformer—a unique figure among the Assyrian kings. Elayi offers both an evaluation of this royal figure and an assessment of the Assyrian Empire by interpreting the historical information surrounding the decisive events of his reign. Features: Exploration of why Sennacherib did not seize Jerusalem or remove Hezekiah from the throne An extensive investigation of annals, royal inscriptions, letters, palace reliefs, clay tablets, and excavation reports Maps and tables