Calliope articles from September 2004

Calliope archives from September 2004

Musings.(ancient Assyria)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
September 1, 2004... If the king does not pay heed to justice, his people will be overthrown, and his land shall be brought to confusion. --From a tablet uncovered in the Royal Library at Nineveh "FEARED AND DESPISED!" For centuries, these were the...

Time line: all dates are B.C.(the rule of Kings in ancient Assyria)(Brief Article)(Chronology)(Illustration)
September 1, 2004... TIME LINE All dates are B.C. 883-859 Ashurnasirpal II 744-727 Tiglath-pileser II 721-705 Sargon II 704-681 Sennacherib 680-669 Esarhaddon 668-627 Assurbanipal

Who were the Assyrians?(ancient civilization)
September 1, 2004... More than 4,000 years ago, on the northern reaches of the Tigris River, there arose a group of people we know today as Assyrians. The name comes from their main city, Assur, which was, in turn, named for their chief god. The Assyrians are best...

Nimrud's Northwest Palace.(ancient Assyria)(King Ashurnasirpal)
September 1, 2004... I, Ashurnasirpal, king whose glory is mighty, took Kalhu and changed its ancient mound.... A palace of boxwood, mulberry, cedar, cypress, pistachio, tamarisk, and poplar... for my royal dwelling and for my lordly pleasure I founded...

Whose tombs?(Nimrud)(ancient Assyria)(www.IraqMuseum.org)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Some of the most exciting discoveries made at the site of Nimrud occurred as late as 1988 and 1989. Iraqi archaeologists were carrying out excavation and restoration work in the Northwest Palace when they realized that the floor was uneven in...

A commanding presence.(ancient Assyria)(King Tiglath-pileser )
September 1, 2004... Assyria had little political influence in the mid-eighth century B.C. For almost 40 years, it had been governed by weak kings who had left the country with little power, crippled by plague, and divided by internal disagreement. By 750 B.C.,...

Palace of Sargon, king of the universe.(ancient Assyria)
September 1, 2004... I planned day and night how to settle that city and how to raise its great shrines, the dwellings of the great gods, and my royal residential palaces. --from one of Sargon's royal inscriptions In 722 B.C., Sargon II, whose name means...

Build the treasure box of Nimrud.(Activity)(ancient Assyria)
September 1, 2004... From priceless jewels to crowns made from solid gold, the kings of Assyria owned many treasures. How did they keep these riches safe? Fortunately, the clever craftsmen of Assyria invented the perfect solution: the lock and key. Now you can...

Assyrian gods and their symbols.(Fun With Words)(ancient civilization)
September 1, 2004... ADAD was the Assyrian storm god. His powers could be both frightening, bringing thunderstorms and floods, and beneficial, bringing rain for farming, in a region where weather was often unpredictable, with little rainfall and irregular river...

'We are Medes'.(ancient Assyria)
September 1, 2004... We are Medes. Our ruler, whose father and grandfather ruled our fathers and grandfathers, calls himself a "city lord." To us, he is a big man. We are only a few thousand strong, and our territory stretches just to the end of our volley. When...

The importance of trade.(ancient Assyria)
September 1, 2004... Like all ancient economies, Assyria's was based on its ability to produce food. Without food, people cannot survive and a nation cannot function. Most Assyrians were engaged in raising plants and animals for food. But the Assyrians were...

Women in business.(ancient Assyria)(Shammuramat or Semiramis)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Women played a key role in the Old Assyrian trade network. Although wealth was passed down along the male line, Assyrian men were not always considered the most capable at managing business affairs. In one letter, the father of a trading family...

The King's Road.(ancient Assyria)
September 1, 2004... Ruling the Assyrian empire was not an easy task. Ensuring that it was governed effectively required that the king be able to communicate with officials everywhere quickly and efficiently. To facilitate this, an elaborate system of roads was...

'Palace without a rival'.(Nineveh, Assyria)(King Sennacherib)
September 1, 2004... Located on the east bank of the Tigris River, Nineveh was the last great capital of the Assyrian empire. It was also one of the oldest cities we know in northern Mesopotamia. Even though earlier kings had built at the site, Nineveh did not...

The reign of Assurbanipal.(King of ancient Assyria)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The last great king of Assyria was Assurbanipal. He came to the throne in 668 B.C., after the death of his father, Esarhaddon. Because Esarhaddon had had a difficult time securing his own claim to the throne, he planned very carefully to ensure...

The king and his library.(excavations at Nineveh)(King Assurbanipal)
September 1, 2004... Assurbanipal was not only an ambitious king well skilled in the art of war, but he was also trained as a scholar. Excavations at Nineveh revealed that he had a library of more than 5,000 cuneiform tablets. Included among them were all the major...

Ask Calliope.(the Pillars of Hercules, quinoa and spices)(history)(Brief Article)(Column)
September 1, 2004... [?] What are the Pillars of Hercules? --Emma, 13, Web post [!] According to Greek mythology, the Pillars of Hercules referred to the two promontories that separate the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The Greeks traced the...

Magic and demons.(ancient Assyria)
September 1, 2004... The Assyrians believed in many gods and considered each of them responsible for a specific part of the cosmos or a particular aspect of daily life. Together, these deities guided the Assyrians throughout most of their lives. The gods, however,...

Legacy of an empire.(ancient Assyria)
September 1, 2004... At the height of its power, Assyria ruled a vast empire that stretched from Egypt to Iran and from Turkey to the Persian Gulf. In 650 B.C., its superiority was unmatched. But by 610 B.C., it was gone. The reasons for the sudden collapse can be...

Ancient Civilizations.(Books)(Book Review)(Brief Review)
September 1, 2004... Ancient Civilizations (Grolier Publishing, 2000, http://publishing. grolier.com) is a 10-volume set that is excellent, both visually and content-wise. The entries are alphabetical, with a "See Also" box at the end of each. Assyrian topics...

Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East.(Books)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
September 1, 2004... Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East, by Michael Roar (Facts On File, 2000, www.factsonfile.com), enhances its retelling of the history of the area with clear, detailed maps; special features on historic sites; and such...

Warfare in the Ancient World.(Books)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
September 1, 2004... Warfare in the Ancient World, edited and introduced by General Sir John Hackett (Facts On File, 1989, www.factsonfile.com), includes a well-researched and well-organized chapter on the Assyrians, complemented by images of uncovered artifacts, a...

On the net.(Off the Shelf)(ancient Assyria)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... For virtual reality images of the Northwest Palace from the State University of New York at Buffalo, go to: www.vrlab.buffalo.edu/protect_vmuseum/ vmuseum.html and www.learningsites.com For images, accompanied by descriptions, of...

Let's play '58 holes'.(Activity)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The Game of 58 Holes was very popular in Assyria. Examples of stone game boards have been found at many sites. Kings may even have played it. At Nimrud and Nineveh, some very finely carved boards were inscribed with the name of King Esarhaddon....