Assyrian Warfare

Abstract

Sources of information on how Assyrians conducted wars include cuneiform texts of various kinds on stone and clay, stone panels carved in low relief, cylinder seals, and various kinds of excavated material. At the beginning of the first millennium (Iron Age) the Neo-Assyrian army inherited from its predecessors a warrior ethic based on elite chariotry, a system of provincial governors who raised local levies, and reliance on mass deportation to break up centers of resistance. The new developments consist of the gradual introduction of iron for weaponry and armor, and the increasing use of cavalry which eventually relegated chariotry to a mainly ceremonial role, perhaps as early as the reign of Sargon II. Siege warfare is the subject of several groups of bas-relief panels, of which one of the largest shows Sennacherib's siege of Lachish in Judah. Bas-reliefs show that temporary military camps were carefully designed with tents and collapsible furniture.

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