Complete the assignment using the PDF document (shared with you on Google Drive). You will post your answer/s in the comment box. I highly recommend that you draft your answer in a google document and then copy and paste your answer into the comment box.
Forum #1 “The Assyrian Military Machine”
Read and Contextualize: The Assyrian Empire - What was important for military success? - CHQ
Read Document: “The Assyrian Military Machine”
Answer Questions: Based on their own descriptions, what did Assyrian kings believe was important for military success? Do you think their account may be exaggerated? Why?
Follow the Forum Instructions and Grading Guide located in your Google Drive. You also have a hard copy of this handout.
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ReplyDeleteThe Assyrians Kings believed that brutal methods help maintain a better rule for their customs (doc 1h a) Not only that but gains control on many territories and allowed them to have their own private military campaigns (doc 1g b). Military success allows leadership and a well-organized empire (Doc1g c). With greater control in power it led to complete access with the resources, being able to create systems for life to be more efficiently and easier (doc 1g d). Their military leaders and fighters were outstanding thanks to the help of many years of practice. A very organized and disciplined army could accomplish anything the size of the army didn’t matter (doc 1e-f). Weapons and tactics was all they needed. For example iron metal, waging guerrilla in mountains and heavy wheeled siege towers (doc 1g e1-f-g). The Assyrians were highly intelligent when it came to war letting everybody know they don’t mess around with their harsh deaths, weapons and strategies (doc 1g h-h1-i). As a result of all of this they always stood strong which is why they believed the importance of military success.
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DeleteI agree , i think the Assyrian kings did believe that brutal methods help maintain a better rule for their customs and weapons and tactics was all they needed because thats what made their stategies better
DeleteI agree and disagree with your response. When you say that the size of the army didn’t matter, I don’t think that is what they were trying to say in the article. Size did matter, without size how where they suppose to conquer if they didn’t have enough soldiers? In the article it says “size alone was not decisive” (Doc 1, F) meaning that even though it was needed it was the only thing that made them victorious. Without the large numbers they couldn’t have done been able to conquer so many land and so many cities.
DeleteI totally agree with the statement you made about "military success allows leadership and a well-organized empire." This is true because if there was no leadership, there would be no military success and no organization, just like you stated.
DeleteI completely agree with everything you said. But, Sonia made a good point and I agree with what she said. Although they had amazing war tactics, size still made a difference. If they didn't have a big army, they would've had a lot harder time winning wars and conquering enemy castles/homelands. Their kings knew what they were doing and knew how to win wars.
DeleteKasey Ridings WHAP 1Alpha
ReplyDeleteIn the Assyrian empire, violence and brutality was the biggest tactic and it clearly was successful. The Assyria kings believe some of the keys to military success were control, communication and weaponry. Having leadership is a big role as well because without a ruler, the society would be unstable like it states here, "...Assyrian empire was ruled by kings whose power was considered absolute. Under their leadership, the empire became well organized." (doc1, C) A fear tactic was a necessity as well, and the Assyrians were professionals in this. "The Assyrians became famous for their terror tactics," (doc1, H) this statement tell us how their military got a head start on their opponents. The military began by "destroying towns, setting crops on fire, and cutting down trees," this probably terrified the villagers and caused the town to be hectic and unprepared for war. The accounts may be slightly exaggerated but the definitive answer may never be known, because we cannot physically view the battles between Assyria and whoever else necessary.
I one hundred percent agree with your points. The Assyrian empire was big on three things. they were big on leadership they believed without a strong role model no one could lead an empire. The second thing that you also stated was the fact they were very brutal. The kings believed if they were brutal people wouldn't want to fight them. And the third and final point you stated is their tactics. They were so far ahead of everybody else in tactics and weapons.
DeleteI agree with you.The Assyrian empire's military became so successful because of the absolute power of the kings and the brutality and the organization they had withing there armies.
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ReplyDeleteAshley Fawcett WHAP 1Alpha
ReplyDeleteThe Assyrian kings believed many things were important for there military to be an success. They needed military leaders and fighters, because you can't fight a war without fighters, and without a leader it would be really unorganized and unsuccessful. The size of the army is very important too, the more the better. And the greater chance you have at winning. it says that "The Assyrian army was extremely well organized and disciplined." (doc1, c). I also think horses and transportation were a important thing to have in war, because you could move or get away faster if needed. One thing the Assyrians did was use different types of tactics which is a smart thing to do because you are prepared and a step ahead in a way. Now I think this is the most important thing you need to have which is weapons. Without weapons you couldn't kill anybody and the whole point of a war.
I agree with you that a leader is probably one of the most important thing at a army needs to be successful. Without a strong leader the army would very likely be confused, out of order, and fall apart. The leader is the one that controls everything so without one you would have a very weak army. I also agree that different military tactics are what made their military so successful. There different tactics gave them an edge and helped them stay organized.
DeleteI agree with you , the transportation and horses are important part wars. Not only does it help with getting away from the enemy. The horses are used to travel to the next fighting destination and to send messages between the king. During the wars soldiers tried not to kill the horses because the want to take the horses with them. With the animals the Assyrian wouldn’t be able to do half the things they could do. Horses were a good source of transportation during wars.
DeleteMycah Carter WHAP 1Alpha
ReplyDeleteThe Assyrian kings believed that a successful military needs to be brutal , organized, and different military tactics. The armies needed to be brutal so the they could conquer any one they attacked. If you were the strongest you would lose. Organization was important for an army to be powerful. By taking away the responsibilities of the nobles and giving them to the kings, the Assyrians king had more control over the resources of the empire ( doc 1, B). Their military tactics were brutal and very successful. They would cut off city’s supplies so that if they couldn’t be conquered they would be starved into surrendering ( doc 1, F). They also used fear as a tactic, which is what they are famous for. To create fear among the people in the cities they would smash dams, loot and destroy towns, set crops on fire, and cut down trees ( doc 1, G). I think that their accounts weren’t exaggerated, because some of those thing have happened in other wars. They’re military tactics aren’t impossible they are things that could be done easily.
I disagree with you, I think the it is exaggerated. Yes thing like that can happen in other wars but rarely. King Sennacherib said “ I transfixed the troops of the enemy with javelins and arrows. . . I cut their throats like sheep. . . .”(doc1,i). Javelins and arrows aren’t used in wars anymore. Nowadays, injuries mostly happen within a distance.
DeleteI agree with you and disagree with Asia. I liked how you said if you weren't the strongest you would lose. This statement is true especially during this area when everyone wanted to have a great empire. So the Assyrians inflicted fear in people to keep them away and if the fear didn't work they could fall back on like you said their tactics and organized/disciplined army.
DeleteI completely agree with you. Since war was one of the ways people could gain power I think they kings did what they had to do to maintain power. I don’t think they had a lot of mercy for anyone, I don’t think the kings were exaggerating at all. They felt control over the people if they could show them how easily they could take the life of another. The more gruesome the better, it would create more fear among the people.
DeleteI agree with you that the kings needed power in order to have a well ruined empire. By doing what they did to the empires that were conquered by them showed that they did have power and that they showed mercy. The kings didn't exaggerate at all on what they would do. It shows that the strongest and the most brutal would win any battle and show no mercy to the other empires. As well as they gave fear to other people, so more and more empires were afraid of them.
DeleteThe Assyrian Empire was a very large empire, and had a large and victorious army. The king was very interested in battle strategies and had a large army. They were a very ruthless army, they had took over twelve cities. I think they did have a great weapons and machinery. The article says "The army was capable of waging guerrilla warfare in the mountains and set more battles on open ground as well as siege to cities." The king's methods were very ruthless, he had described himself killing his foes. This might be exaggerated by how they explained every little detail about what had happened.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I think that the quotes of the king explaining how he killed people may have been exaggerated. They could have been changed and reworded over time. People may have add some more descriptions to make the quotes more interesting. Also some parts of the quotes could have been lost over time of them being written and rewritten by different people. When the quotes were being copied down at that time the king could have changed some of his description to make him seem more intimidating to others.
DeleteI liked how you talked about the different strategies that the Assyrians used to go in for battle. It shows they could change the way that they work for the empire that they were attacking. They did have many tactics useful for different kinds of battles and were very good at each one of them, and were able to preform them well. As well as what the king had done I don't think that he exaggerated that, the Assyrians were brutal and ruthless they gave no mercy and by doing that showed just how officiant their military was.
DeleteAlejandra Nuñez WHAP1 Bravo
ReplyDeleteThe Assyrian kings believed multiple things were important for military success. I think the most important ones were being organized and having many tactics. Under the rule of the empire, the people were kept under a strict organization. They had “common language and religion” and “an efficient system of communication” which meant their ideals were very similar and that meant there was order and discipline between the military and the rest of the people (doc1 bcd). The Assyrians were known for their use of military tactics and being well organized and disciplined (doc1 efi). Many of their tactics included the weapons used within the large armies, for example, cavalry and horse-drawn war chariots, mobile platforms for shooting arrows, and iron weapons (doc1 klmn). Not only did they have good sources of weaponry, but the way they used their weapons was also important. The Assyrian military used “terror tactics” as a way to intimidate their rivals (doc1 p). Those terror tactics included “fighting, smashing dams, looting and destroying towns, setting crops on fire, and cutting down trees” (doc1 q). They intimidated the enemy so that other rivals would know that the Assyrians were not the ones to mess with. Although the Assyrian military was intelligent in developing tactics to achieve success, i think their account was exaggerated. They caused fear and intimidation on others to maybe boost their ego and make them seem “bigger and scarier” than they really were. In reality, the Assyrian military was like any other military based of strength, their use of tactics and emotional fear was what could have brought them their success.
I agree with you Alejandra, I also think the most important thing to have is being organized and having many tactics. just because without being organized everything would pretty much just fall apart and you chances of winning that war is at a lower chance. By having many tactics there a step ahead of there enemies in way. And having the fear tactic was a good idea to because it would scare there enemies making them think they have no chance on winning this war.
DeleteI agree with you as well Alejandra, that military tactics were important because without these they would be unorganized and not successful in war. I also agree that their intimidation skills got them far.
DeleteAle, you need to submit your answer to the correct page, WHAP 1 Bravo. You can leave your post here because two students responded to you, but you need to copy and then paste your answer to the correct page.
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ReplyDeleteThe assyrian kings believed some of the keys to military success needed to be organized,brutal,and different military tactics.if things were not organized then they would go to war unprepared and the ones they compete with will win.They need to be brutal becuase it is obviously the military and they are there to fight.They needed different military tactics in order to improve.I think their account exaggerated a little when they explained and used quotes of how the king killed people. (Doc 1 a,d,j)
ReplyDeletei agree with you on you opinion. The Assyrian were well organized and disciplined when it came to military success. They had different types of tactics when they fought, they used iron weapons giving them an advantage.
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ReplyDeleteAsia Rose 1Alpha
ReplyDeleteAssyrian Kings believed that brutal techniques would make their military successful. For example, “A final factor in the effectiveness of the Assyrian military. machine was its ability to create a climate of terror as an instrument of warfare”( doc1, h). They destroyed cities and burned the enemies food supply. Causing them to not have any shelter and not enough food to eat. All the Assyrian kings explain their conquest. Another example, King Ashurbanipal quotes “ I fed their corpses, cut into small pieces, to dogs, pigs, . . . vultures, the birds of the sky and also to the fish of the ocean” (doc1, j). The kings is explain what they did after the kill. I do think their account may be exaggerated. The way they explained the killing was remarkably descriptive (doc1, i and j).
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ReplyDeleteThere were three things kings believed were important for military success. The first, being brutal (Doc. H b).The kings during this time period showed mercy on no one. If you rebelled against the Assyrian empire the king would spread your skin out on the walls of the kingdom (Doc H k). The second thing the Assyrian kings did to try and get a successful army was there tactical and weapon advantages (Doc.H f, i). The Assyrians were famous for their Guerrilla warfare and their siege warfare. Not only were there tactics advanced but their weapons as well because they were iron (Doc.H i). The last and final thing the Assyrian kings believed they needed to have were strong leaders. They needed someone as a role model that his army could follow behind. Thats why the kings were so brutal and merciless so his army would be as well. Overall i don't believe the kings exaggerated the needs to have a successful army. I say this because the people during this era wanted everything and the way to get it was to do what the kings did.
ReplyDeleteMadelyn Calderon WHAP 1 Alpha
ReplyDeleteThe Assyrian had an advantage that most empires did not have, they had a brutal, organized, and a well tactic military. Now in order for their military to be successful they needed a strong ruler who knew what he was doing and his motives were what the Assyrians wanted (Doc #1, C). Now forming these military's were the part that they needed to be experts in. They would have campaigns for men to come and join their army's. One thing that made the Assyrians military larger would be that they were not afraid to racially or linguistically mix their men for their military (Doc #1, F,K). Another good trait that they have for their successful military is having organization and discipline (Doc #1,G). One thing that they had and other empires didn't have just yet would be iron weapons (Doc #1,H). Now in order to be unpredictable the Assyrians had many different kinds of tactics to use. Wither they would just barge into a city or actually surround the whole city they always had tactics (Doc #1, I). The last part that made them successful in military would be their beliefs. They believed that discipline, brute force, and toughness were the key elements that were valued for the Assyrians military monarchy (Doc#1, L).
Sonia Canahui WHAP Alpha 1
ReplyDeleteAssyrians kings based on their descriptions believed that religion, organization, and creating a “climate of terror” were important for military success (Doc 1, B). The kings believed in the god Ashur for assistance in battle (Doc 1, A). They also had organized military force; they had different military techniques that let them conquer many cities and making their empire bigger and bigger. Techniques used such as cutting off supplies in cities; if the cities didn’t fall to them they would starve into submission (Doc 1, D, H). Their armies were cruel when they conquered a city so that they could create fear. By creating fear they would ensure that cities wouldn’t rebel against them, if someone was to rebel they would suffer extreme consequences (Doc 1, B). I don’t believe that the king’s account was exaggerated. I really do think that they did all of those cruel things such as tearing out tongues and flaying the nobles and spreading their skins out in piles (Doc 1, B, D). I do think Assyrian kings were that cruel and they were proud of it.
I agree with you that the Assyrians believed in the God Ashur for assistance and had many techniques for war. There armies were cruel but it was for protection so i also believe they didn't over exaggerate.
DeleteI completely agree with your response. Organization, and creating a "climate of terror" were important for military success. They believed in the god Ashur for assistance during the war whiched pushed them to fight harder and stronger and win more wars. Due to all of this and their cruelty in war, they won wars with ease although they may have lost many troops.
DeleteThe Assyrians were ruthless and showed very little to no mercy at all. Their kings didn't care for anyone that opposed the Assyrian rule. If people rebelled, their corpses would be piled up in front of the cities gates and their skins would be spread out in piles. Then, when it came to war, they knew how to win wars. Before the war even started, they would put fear into their enemies, causing their enemy defenses to falter. As they were fighting, they would also lay waste to the land and completely destroy their enemies homeland. When it came to taking over an enemy castle, once they broke through their defenses, they would slaughter everyone,including civilians, showing no mercy at all. If they managed to take people captive, they would torture them and eventually kill them. Over time, the Assyrians become known for having a mighty and victorious military machine. They used a variety of military tactics and were known for using guerrilla warfare against their many enemies. Although they seemed to have very many enemies, they seemed to conquer them all with their tactics and and ferocious warfare.
ReplyDeleteThe most important thing for the military was, a leader because without a leader who would lead the army? Another important thing was to use different kinds of military tactics, the army was capable of waging guerrilla warfare in the mountains and set battles on open grounds. The last important thing was effectiveness of the Assyrian military machine was its ability to create a climate of terror as an instrument of warfare. The Assyrians became famous for their terror tactics, although some historians believe their policies were no worse than those of other Near Eastern conquerors. (doc 1, A, B, E)
ReplyDeletei agree with you with the statement which Assyrian had different kinds of tactics. The most important one was they were brutal and there scary tactics, they destroyed towns and set stuff on fire.
DeleteI really liked how you mentioned a leader as the most important thing of a military. If their is not a leader, than a military is disorganized and has no chance of winning a battle. I agree with your statement about the Assyrian terror tactics. Without their tactics of terror, the Assyrians would probably not have been feared as much as they were and therefore would not have been as successful.
DeleteThe Assyrian believed in multiple things for military success. They organized military campaigns almost every year, reestablishing control over Mesopotamia (Doc 1,D). They had leaders and fighters in training over the years to help them (doc 1, M).The Assyrian army was extremely well organized and discipline (doc 1,n). It included a standing army of infantry as its core (doc 1, e), accompanied by cavalry and horse-drawn war chariots that were used as a mobile platforms for shooting arrows ( doc 1, p). Moreover, the Assyrians had the advantage of having the first large armies equipped with iron weapons (doc 1,k) Another factor in the Assyrian Army's success was its ability to use different kinds of military tactics (Doc 1, Q). And last, the Assyrian military machine was its ability to create a climate of terror as an instrument of warfare (doc 1, s). The Assyrian became famous for their terror tactics (doc 1, t) The Assyrians were good at fighting, smashing dams, looting and destroying towns, setting crops on fire, and cutting down trees (Doc 1, u)
ReplyDeleteThe Assyrian Empire believed that complete brutality was the key to military success (doc 1 a). They thought that violence and brutality was the only way to ensure complete control over the people they controlled (doc 1 b). Not only did they use brutality in battles, but they had superior military tactics. There soldiers were well disciplined and combat ready (doc 1 d), and they were the first to use iron weapons (doc 1 f). They had their infantry as the core of their army, which were accompanied by horse drawn chariots that were used for long range (doc 1 e). The Assyrians were known for their siege warfare, using massive siege towers with battering rams that broke through the city walls and sappers dug tunnels under the walls foundations, caused the walls to collapse and let the Assyrians invade the city (doc 1 g). And if they couldn't break down the cities defenses, then they would cut off their supply lines, and starve the people into surrender (doc 1 h). But the Assyrians were truly known for their brutality not only in battle, but to their prisoners of war (doc 1 i).”I fixed up a pile of corpses in front of the city’s gates. I flayed the nobles, as many as had rebelled, and spread their skins out on the piles…. I flayed many within my land and spread their skins out on the walls” -King Ashurnasirpal II. The brutality they had any anyone in their way brought terror in their enemies, and their own people, is what they believed was key to military success.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. The Assyrians were so cruel and created so much terror to their foes. Everything they did in battle was cruel and brutal. The Assyrians were not afraid to slay anyone that got in their way, even if the people they slayed were members of their own empire.
DeleteThe Assyrian kings believed in and used several things in order to achieve military success. One of these things was religion (doc. 3, g). The Assyrians had a strong belief in the god Ashur and turned to him in their times of battle. Another thing which was important for military success was weapons (doc 4, j). According to the article and the descriptions of the kings, weapons were crucial in battle and the Assyrians used some of the most advanced weapons of the time to slay their foes in different ways. The last and possibly most important thing for military success was different military tactics. The Assyrians were known for using several tactics such as guerrilla warfare, or laying siege to cities (doc 3, h). One of the most effective tactics was creating a climate of terror (doc 4, k). I think the Assyrian kings’ accounts were exaggerated, as they described every detail they could. However, their exaggeration helped someone reading their accounts to better visualize and understand the battles.
ReplyDeleteThe Assyrian kings believe that they could achieve anything because they were being commanded by their god.They believed to show no mercy and show as much brutality to the enemy as possible(doc.1 A).They kings believed that military advancements like the chariots or the battering ram would help them conquer lands(doc.1 B).The kings made people from the lands they conquered join there army,this is how the Assyrian army became so vast.The kings thought that an overpowering number of troops would also lead to success.(doc.1 C)To me I think that the Assyrian kings accounts were really exaggerated,I really doubt that the kings did things like that because their god told them.I also doubt that kind of brutality was needed to appease their god.
ReplyDeleteThe king believed that a military success needs a good attack strategy(doc3 H). This military uses different military tactics to ensure their success(doc3 K). Also to have military success you need a great leader. The leader was a brutal conqueror(doc3 A). The ruler of this time was considered absolute which means he had total control over everything(doc3 F). The next thing you need to have military success is more land and organizations(doc3 C&M). The more land the military gets the bigger the territories get(doc3 D). The last thing a military needs is greater weaponry and decent soldiers(doc3 L&I). The more gadgets and weaponry to use in battle the better chance of being a successful military. With all these things the Assyrian Empire reached the height of its power(doc3 C)
ReplyDeleteAssyrians focused mainly on leadership, organization, terror tactics. To become successful in war they needed a ruler to tell the fighters orders and how to carry out missions. Rulers like Ashurbanipal gained control of large territories and private military capaigns to show great rule. (doc 1, B) Kings that knew how to use their power and knowledge were able to organize their empire. A system had to be present for their tactics to be good enough to work. This works because it's effectiveness was able to communicate with anyone in the empire. (doc 1, G) Assyrians were most known for scaring off other empires and communities for their torturous activities towards their enemies. They'd do anything, such as burning down entire cities, ramming a citie's walls,or tearing out tongues to succeed. (doc 1, H) Having a reputation for a military machine is how the Assyrians destroyed other civilizations. (doc 1, F)
ReplyDeleteThe Assyrian kings believed that in order for a military to be successful in battle, they had to attack on many different fronts. They used mines, battering rams, and they attacked on foot. The Assyrians believed that you had to be a fierce fighter, and show no mercy. The kings would completely slaughter whoever it was they were fighting. Based on their descriptions, I think the kings believed that it would be easier to conquer a city if that city was scared of their attackers. The Assyrian army was very organized and well-disciplined. Their military leaders were fearless in the way they fought their enemies. They would show no mercy and no regrets. The kings were monsters in what they did to those they conquered. They would cut their throats, and some would even feed the bodies to street animals.
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