What was important for military success?
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.
This is Ms. Giles' example to show you how to respond to your classmates.
ReplyDeleteAll responses must be 75 words. also must respond to 2 student in you block
DeleteThe Assyrian kings believed that the god Ashur was important for military success. This is not that exaggerated because if the troops believed that Ashur would help them then they didn't fear their enemies. Another important belief of the kings was their soldiers and weapons. This in not exaggerated because in order to have military success you need to have troops and weapons. They needed battering rams to destroy the walls and infiltrate the city. Foot soldiers were needed to kill the enemies troops. An important belief was to destroy the towns and kill the citizens this is exaggerated because you do not need to kill the citizens to have military success you might have to kill the soldiers so they don't fight back but not the civilians.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI agree with your statements. If the troops didn't have the faith in the Ashur god, they might have not have had the morale to move in and attack. I also agree with your view on that the king viewed his soldiers and weapons as important, as without them, how can he build an empire? But, I do not agree with you on the important belief on killing citizens, razing towns though, I agree with. I don't agree with your thought of them needing to kill citizens because they really didn't. A good majority of citizens were deported back to Assyria. Which is why the empire had such a diverse culture. (Some Mistakes in the original XD)
DeleteI agree with your last few sentences, Fabian. The kings were truly TOO cruel. You don't really have to destroy every single person in the city. The women didn't have any military skills to fight back, nor did children, and animals or talented craftspeople could have proven useful to the Assyrians. I think they could have got much more out of their military campaigns if they hadn't slaughtered so much. Civilians could have also been used as slaves, rather than treated horribly.
DeleteI agree with Fabian, about the whole Assyrian Kings believing that Ashur was important for their military success. Ashur was their god and they believed he was the reason for them being successful at their conquering. Like I’ve mentioned before they took Ashur their god very serious to a point that they would even take the life of anyone who, didn’t believe in him. “I tore out the tongue of those whose with slanderous mouths had uttered blasphemies against my god Ashur and had plotted against me his god-fearing prince; I defeated them completely”(Doc 1, C).
DeleteI agree with you Fabian because many of their actions were not very exaggerated, the only thing that was, was their cruelty toward their enemies. The Assyrian military did not care the extreme measures that they had to reach to become the most well structured military in their time. Religion was of course a very important thing to them because they seeked guidence and protection from them. Many people today worship something or someone so it is not anything alien to us.
DeleteI agree with your statement. If the military didn't have a strong belief in their god ashur it might have weaken their faith in their ability to go out in battle and win. In addition to their belief in their god Ashur, I also agree with you on the kings view towards weapons due to the simple fact weapons are obviously needed when one goes into battle. In addition, I agree that killing harmless civilians is quite drastic for the Assyrians, but many of those civilians were deported back to Assyria which contributed to the vast diversity of that civilization.
DeleteI agree with your first two statements about Ashur and the soldiers and weapons because they are vallid and true points. I just dont agree with the last statement about not needing to kill the civilians to a certain extent. You are right about them not needing to kill them because they arent a threat but they would have to kill some for military success because of the fact that they might try and overthrow them later on causing even more death than if they killed them in the beggining.
Deletei agree with you to a certain extant. I agree that their soldiers and weapons are not exaggerated, because those things are essential for war.I also agree with you in that it was exaggerated to kill all of those civilians for no reason, but to strike fear,which is not essential for war. I disagree with you in that their worship for Ashur was not exaggerated, because king Ashurbanipal tore the tongues of those who talked bad about their god.
DeleteFrom what I could gather from the text, the Assyrian kings had an obsession with the God Ashur (The Assyrian Military Machine, 48). They believe that if they have his blessing, they can have the victory they needed. This account of them winning due to gaining Ashur’s blessing is most likely exaggerated; they were winning due to their brilliant military tactics for that time, and being masters of siege. We also know that the Assyrians were superior in military tactics and weaponry. So, those accounts of slaying millions of enemies may not be exaggerated at all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statements. The slaying of millions could have been justified by their military. Although, Ashur was only used in order to create an illusion that they were stronger when they worshipped him. It may have assisted them, but it was not the only thing that allowed them to dominate in their military feats. They also had several advantages over the enemy, such as iron weapons, larger armies, and better tactics. This lead to many successful battles for the Assyrian's and therefore also aided them in their bouts.
DeleteI would have to disagree with you on your last statement, concerning the slaying of millions. I disagree with this because I have a hard time believing that there were enough people alive to repopulate any of those civilizations. However, I do believe that during the great reign of the Assyrian Empire, that in total, they might have killed at least a million. However, I agree with your statement on Ashur's "blessing" on the Assyrians, they did win battles due to there extraordinary tactics.
DeleteI agree with the beginning of your statement regarding the exaggeration of Ashur, and I agree with the Assyrians having outstanding weapons, but I have to disagree with your last statement. By disagreeing, I am not saying the Assyrian military didn't kill many people during their time, I just believe some of their accounts on their wars were a bit exaggerated because they did use fear to scare off enemies, and I believe this is one of those examples.
DeleteI do not agree with the statement that says they were obsessed with their god ashur but they did worship ashur a lot. I do agree with what you said about the military tactics because that was necessary for success. I also agree with the statement that says that they did slay a lot of enemies. That was not exaggerated because they had to slay people in order to take control of their enemies home land.
DeleteI agree with you to a certain extant. i agree that they were abscessed with their god Ashur. king Ashurbanipal would tear out the tongues of those that would talk bad about Ashur. They took their beliefs to a extreme level. I disagree with you that their cruel military tactics was an exaggeration. They would not only kill a huge number of soldiers, but also kill huge number of civilians just to strike fear.
DeleteBased on the kings’ personal accounts of war, I can conclude that their motives and main values were brutality, discipline and toughness (doc 1, K). Defeated peoples and prisoners were punished cruelty or killed viciously, especially if they insulted the kings’ gods (doc 1, B, I, J). Military strength, size, and tactics were vital. A huge standing army of infantry, charioteers, and spearmen and archers was the base of warfare. Iron weapons were used (doc 1, A, C, D).The Assyrians used different types of warfare, such as siege and guerrilla, as well as cutting off supplies of surrounded cities (doc 1, E, F). Terror tactics and mass destruction made the Assyrian empire famous (doc 1, G). Cities and towns were burned, and crops and trees were destroyed (doc 1, G, H). Captives were slaughtered in horrid ways; body parts were cut off, and people were burned or skinned (doc 1, I, J). It was almost like a game to these cruel leaders. Assyrian military functions helped the huge empire grow.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I believe that the accounts were exaggerated. They even went as far to describe the horror and panic of the people the kings conquered. The accounts were overly poetic, as if to glorify the victories. It was a little overdone in the section about King Ashurbanipal smashing and cutting apart people who "uttered blasphemies" against his god. I have a feeling that the conquered men didn't even have the time to insult Ashur, considering their cities were being destroyed(doc 1, B).
DeleteI agree with you Sierra, the accounts were very much exaggerated. I feel as though it was unnecessary for the Assyrian army to attack like they did, it was just extremely cruel. I understand their wanting for conquering but they could have handled it in a different manner. For example, “I fed their corpses cut into small pieces, to dog, pigs,vultures, the birds of the sky and also fish of the ocean (Doc 1, C). Cutting up bodies and feeding them to animals were not necessary, they’re already dead.
DeleteI agree with Sierra because much of the center of The Assyrians military success was a cruel core. In order for people to recognize you as a very cold-blooded military, you had to have done things that we now consider awful. Many of the activity that the Assyrian military performed did not have to be done, but they did it for a reputation. For example cutting the already dead bodies into pieces and feeding it to animals did not have to be done, and we recognize that as cruel, so because of their reputation they are cruel people in our POV.
DeleteI agree with you Sierra, many of the Assyrian's tactics were very exaggerated. Although, I believe these actions may have been justified in this time period. One of Assyria's tactics was to create fear in order to make themselves seem tougher than they may have actually been. This was done in order to strike the enemy with the sense that they had the strongest military in the world. This in turn made their military seem impossible to beat in battle therefore giving them a mental advantage over their enemies.
DeleteI agree that they believed in brutality because they mutilated the enemies corpses, and punished them for insulting their gods. I also agree that military strength and tactics were necessary for success They did use iron for weapons. The weapons that they used included charioteers, spears, bows and arrows, and shields. They did use terror and destruction as terror tactics that helped them achieve all their accomplishments. Military size was an advantage because they overwhelmed their enemies.
DeleteI find myself at an irregular crossroads with you, Sierra (in comparison with the general meaning of the idiom); I agree and disagree with your conclusion of the text. I do agree that it was sick for the Assyrians to mutilate the cadavers of their fallen enemies; however, my bias means nothing in the face of fact: The Assyrians, not unlike other civilizations of their time, had such “rituals” as mutilating their war trophies to honor their god. I do not find this concept far-fetched; every religion had a ritual, and they have all had one since.
DeleteAlso, the Assyrians were the about the only society who practiced mutilating their enemies for their god; however, many religions have/had rituals along the same lines. Take the Mayans. They would sacrifice one of their own just to ensure that the sun would rise on the morrow.
DeleteThe Assyrians won a reputation of having a “ Mighty Military Machine”. They were able to use a variety of military tactics and were very successful whether they were employing guerrilla warfare, fighting set battles, or laying siege to cities (Doc 1, D, E,). The Assyrian Kings believed that Ashur was important for military success because, he was their god that they worshiped. They believed that if it wasn’t for their god Ashur they wouldn’t have conquered like they did they took Ashur very serious. “ I tore out the tongue of those whose with slanderous mouths had uttered blasphemies against my god Ashur and had plotted against me his god-fearing prince; I defeated them completely”(Doc 1, C).
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Ajani. I suppose they did work hard to earn that reputation of being the "mighty military machine" but it was done through a cruel, uncivilized manner. Also if it wasn't for Ashur they probably wouldn't have been as successful. Ashur gave them something to believe and fight for. He was their driving force and motivation. However they did tend to be gruesome, the whole "tore out the tongue of those" quote proves that.
DeleteI agree with the both of you guys. Because they did have to work in order to earn their reputation of being the " Mighty Military Machine''. But if it wasn't for the god( Ashur) they wouldn't have been successful because he did give them something to believe and they had to fight for it. He was the one that motivated them and gave them the force and power.
DeleteAssyrian kings believed that there were many aspects to being a successful, if not the most successful military. However the overall aspect was a cruel military(Doc1,B,C). In order to have such a successful military that everyone was alarmed by, they must have no mercy to the people that they are at war with(Doc 1, C). The military must be a tough, and not care about the persons family or personal beliefs (Doc 1, B) They must also come in large numbers (Doc 1, D), this was important because they needed several people to do several jobs and positions (Doc 1, F). The Assyrian military was also extremely well disciplined and organized. However discipline was not the only thing that set them apart from others, they were also equipped with Iron weapons (Doc 1, G). Overall i think that the accounts might be exaggerated to our generation now, but perhaps it was completely normal to the Ancient people of Assyria. Yes killing millions of people and feeding them to animals is very cruel to us but in a time where war might have been the main focus of someones life, especially if there was military competition, killing men was probably not as much of a big deal back then, as it is now (Doc 1, C).
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI concur with your assessment, Esmeralda. In today's society, we have no particular need for such extreme measures in war as the Assyrians took; however, as you rightly state, their society was much different than ours, therefore making their behaviour seem more barbaric than what we seem to consider "civilized". To them, it was perfectly civilized; it was their right, as servants of the god Ashur, to conquer other civilizations. This seems absurd to us, as we worship gods like, Allah, God/Jesus, Buddha(In his case, follow the teachings of ), etc., or are agnostic or atheist. None of these religions (excluding Atheism and Agnosticism, as they are not religions, but still don't:) teach to go out and kill, so in our age, that is cruel. (Previous had rude implications. I really ought to read these things thoroughly before posting. :/ )
DeleteThe Assyrians believed that in order to have military success, they had to please the war god, Ashur. My personal opinion is that, yes, this is a far-fetched and exaggerated idea; war prowess, to me, is all dependant on skill. However, they believed by worshipping Ashur, they were granted that skill. So, I suppose, it could be argued either way. Another aspect of Assyrian culture that they (the Assyrians) considered crucial to victory on the battlefield was the soldiers and the weapons they carried. This is not farfetched, because in a battle of strength, the stronger man has the advantage. The Assyrians also believed that they needed to be harsh to their captives. This is also an exaggerated idea; that is clearly shown by the defeat of the Assyrian Empire. The people rose up against their oppressors, and freed themselves from their clutches. All in all, the Assyrians ideas of exactly what made them successful were a little over the top, but, in the end, they helped them become one of the greatest military minds in history.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment. It /was/ a little far-fetched that the Assyrians believed their god Ashur was practically their military leader: “At the command of the god Ashur, the great Lord, I rushed upon the enemy like the approach of a hurricane….” They based their military actions off Ashur’s orders, apparently. I suppose religions at the time were a little more controlling. King Ashurbanipal even called himself Ashur’s “god-fearing prince”. The Assyrians king also “smashed alive” people with statues of other deities. Gods seemed to have a large part of war for the Assyrians.
DeleteThe Assyrian's believed that in order to have military success they must unite their empire under a higher power. This was demonstrated by having kings who were considered to be absolute (Doc 1, A.) This allowed them to have more control over their resources. With controlled resources they could focus on building a stronger military. Strategy was also an important part of what lead them to military success. By having a well organized and disciplined military they could control their army even more so than before (Doc 1, F.) Assyrians also had the advantage of having a variety of military tactics. This allowed them to be unpredictable in their military suits. The Assyrians also used fear as a strong tactic (Doc 1, I.) They used fear in order to scare the enemy. If the enemy wasn't confident in battle, they would be weaker. This was a tactic that they focused on. This account may seem exaggerated in today's time, but back then it may have been totally justified. People were not as forgiving in those times so the world was a much different place.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment Triston. It did seem that there military must be united with a higher power. When the Assyrian military became one with the god of war, Ashur, they had a lot more confidence than they would without there god. I also agree with the fact that they used scare tactics to frighten away the enemies. Personally, if I saw some random guy bathing in one of my comrade's blood, this would make me turn and run, and never stop, ever.
DeleteThe Assyrians were a very cruel empire; and there emperors were no different. There military was very brutal, and they always had to over do things. King Sennacherib was very cruel, he described a battle in very vivid detail, but did all things because he wanted to please his god of war, Ashur; He explained that he charged in like a hurricane, and cut there throats like sheep, and dove into their blood as if it was a river. This is so over the top, but it did indeed scare there enemies. However, I believe that this description of the battles he was in were exaggerated. The Assyrians believed that a strong military could do whatever they want because people feared them. Which is false, because a lot of people feared them, but they never backed down from a fight that threatened there nation. This meant nothing the Assyrians however, because they would fight back, and win!(Most of the time)Which goes to show that the Assyrians had one of the greatest militaries of all time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you believing that the description of the battles he was in were exaggerated. I agree because the kings didnt like people getting in their way so people would be scared to attack a king that does such gruesome things to people so I believe it was to keep enemies from waging war against them and having people respect the empire out of fear of those things happening to them and their people.
DeleteI completely agree with you Max, the Assyrians really were one of the greatest militaries of all time. Next time make sure you cite for support from the text. I also liked where you explained that the Assyrians torturing technique was over the top. I completely agree with pretty much everything you said here. You did a great job.
DeleteWell I know they were fearless warriors in a powerful nation with advanced millitary weapons, but I wouldn't say the best army of all time. I'd say there were a few powerful soldiers that can take them on. Then again, I'd rather not wish to met one. I mean the Assyrian's were bad enough, I don't want to find out what's worse.
DeleteThe Assyrians had high expectations when it came to military success. They believed in Ashur, the god of war. The empire was ruled by kings who had total power, which provided an organized government. They had a strong beliefs when it came to their military. The assyrians wanted to be the most powerful and feared military. They proved it with their weapons and strategies. However some of their decisions were over exaggerated, they killed off anyone that got in their way, whether it was soldiers or innocent children and women. They didn't care what happened to the non-asher believers, they just wanted to be the best careless of the effects.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there treatment to non Ashur followers was over exaggerated. They were extremely gruesome to others. The strategies they used were also quite smart and helped their military. When they would dig under the walls and then break them down because they were weak proved to be quite effective. I don't think that the king had full control over the entire empire but he had some "right hand men" that were there to help them along with the god Ashur. You really pretty much said what I was thinking when I did my own blog. The Assyrians were ruthless, unforgiving, and feared.
DeleteBased on the text, Assyrian kings believed in many things to have a successful military. One way the king believe would help to have a successful military stemmed from a brutal military method. To show their brutal military, they had cruel torture methods for their enemies they captured and an even more cruel torture method for those who betrayed the Assyrian empire, they also used fear as a form to keep all in check. In addition to the brutal military, they were also able to use different forms of military tactics and had a very large military. Another key belief the Assyrian king had to keep a successful army was the belief in the god Ashur. The king was the human representative of the god which served as a blessing to wars and served as a final unifying focus for the Assyrians (doc 1, a, o, n, b, h, q). Assyrians were undeniably a force to be reckoned with, with that, I do believe some of the accounts they have recorded do have exaggeration to them. The Assyrians used fear as a form to keep others in place so an attack doesn't happen, but while they do this, I believe they exaggerate them to scare enemies off (doc 1, c, d, e, f).
ReplyDeleteBased on the their own descriptions, the Assyrian kings believed in a few things for military success. They believed in their god Ashur to lead them to victory. They had full belief that their god would give them the knowledge or just aid them to defeat the enemy. They also believed in using terror to scare the people into not getting in their way and if they still did they would just kill them (doc 1,J,E)I do believe that their accounts are exaggerated. I believe they are to glorify themselves and to put fear in the hearts of their enemies.
ReplyDeleteI agree. They surely did use fear, but most of their terror was a bit over exaggerated. But whether it was exaggerated or not, the still ran one heck of an empire. You probably wouldn't want to mess with an Assyrian soldier in a dark alley. Especially with the torture they used on their victims.
DeleteBased on the document, the Assyrians believed there were many pieces needed to become a complete, successful military. The first, and probably most important part was having a leader. While Assyria was under the ruling of Tiglath-Pileser I, their military was expanding. After his death the Assyrians were unable to extend the military strength (Doc 1,B). The ruler had to keep a belief in Ashur, the great lord (Doc 1,C) In order to show their dominance and ruthlessness, the Assyrians would use numerous methods of torture (Doc 1,I). With a military there is a big need for troops and military tactics as well, and the Assyrians had those (Doc 1,G H). The Assyrians excelled at striking fear into their enemies.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most important things for military success for the Assyrians was to be organized. Their leadership and the empire was very organized (Doc 1, c). Religion was also important. They believed that their god, Ashur, helped them with their military success. (Doc 1,G). The Assyrians were able to create a climate or terror for a technique for warfare. The Assyrians were very brutal (Doc1, E). Their rulers felt that expanding the empire was important, so they use battle to conquer cities. (Doc 1, B). The Assyrians were very cruel with battles. They would burn and destroy cities (Doc 1, D). What also made the Assyrian military so good was that they could maintain a large empire. They were able to deploy thousands of troops. (Doc 1, d). The army was very disciplined and organized. The Assyrian military had a reputation for being a mighty military machine (Doc 1,c).
ReplyDeleteThe Assyrian Empire was a great and powerful Empire. But it's military success was based o pun the success of many factors such as large armies, horse men, two wheeled chariots, iron weapons and battle field tactics. Though this brought them much success, it didn't start out that way. I used to be a small country in Mesopotamia and now it was a glorious empire that span from parts of Asia to Greece.
ReplyDeleteThough they were a glorious empire at the time, their accounts might of been a bit over exaggerated. Especially since that their might of been other countries at later times that were described in the same way.Though maybe not the best throughout all time, they were clearly a force to be recon with. Even if it was a bit exaggerated.
Based on the document assyrian kings believed that Ashur ,a god, was very important for military success. In a way I don’t think that their belief and dependency wasn’t that exaggerated only because their beliefs in Ashur pushed not only the king but their soldiers as well. It also kind of gave them hope and confidence going into war, it was like the god, Ashur, was protecting them while they were fighting in battle. Other things that kings believed were important for military success were weapons and training. I don’t think that their belief that weapons and training were necessary for military success were exaggerated at all. They would need alot of training to get prepared for going into battle and kind of expect what would happen. As for weapons thats a key role for anytime people would go into war. The more efficient your weapons were and depending how well you knew how to use them then it would make it that more easier to go into battle and win.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statements. Ashur did give all the soldiers someone to believe in and fight for. It was their god and you can't really say religion was over exaggerated. However, you didn't mention how brutal the Assyrians were to those who didn't believe in the god, Ashur. I thought that was pretty exaggerated. They also, did work hard in their training and had advanced weapons. The efficiency of their weapons did give them benefits when it came to battle.
DeleteI agree with Cynthia's statements. Because Ashur did give the soldiers someone to believe in and they had to fight for it. It was the god of the Assyrian King and they can't really say that the religion was over exaggerated because it wasn't. But the only thing that you did not mention was how brutal the Assyrians were to the people that didn't believe in Ashur the god. The efficiency of there weapons gave them the benefits when it came it came to battle.
DeleteI agree with the statement where you said that it was there god and that's not something over exaggerative to believe in, but alexa made a good point. The brutality of the Assyrians did play a key part in how they rose and fell. They over exaggerated how they punished people. Another thing that could have helped the Assyrian kings was the tactics they used like cutting off their enemies resources. If they didn't think that tactics would help then why would they continue to use it?
Delete“At the command of the god Ashur, the great Lord, I rushed upon the enemy like the approach of a hurricane”(Sennacherib, doct 1, a). The kings obviously believed that the god Ashur was very significant to military success. I do not feel as this is exaggerated because they had plenty of faith upon the god Ashur. The faith and trust they had on him was practically tangible through their accounts. The god Ashur made the whole military sure of itself and more confident to winning their next battle.The kings might of not exaggerated their devotion to the god Ashur, but they did exaggerate the cruel they were to others. “ I tore out the tongues of those whose slanderous mouths had uttered blasphemies against my god Ashur, and had plotted against me”(Ashurbanipal, doct 1, c). Now the kings are not only killing the enemy but also anyone who was there, like the civilians. Overall the kings worshipped the god Ashur, but went too far with the punishment of others.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with this because i believe that the kings did not exaggerate what they did and how they tortured there enemies. I believe everything they said was true because we all know that even the laws for a town were cruel. In Mesopotamia if anyone stole they'd be put to death. If someone falsely accused someone they'd be put to death. So I'm sure there military tactics were just as gruesome.
DeleteBased on their own descriptions, Assyrian Kings believed that their god Ashur, and showing no mercy to their enemies including cruel punishments was important for military success (The Assyrian Military Machine, 48). King Sennacherib said he "filled the plain with corpses of their warriors like herbage¨. King Sennacherib believed that rushing into war, and killing everyone on the battlefield was important in showing no mercy (The Assyrian Military Machine, 48). King Ashurbanipal was even more cruel in his tactics, and believed, and worshiped the god Ashur to a higher extent. He “tore out the tongues of those whose slanderous mouth had uttered blasphemies against [his] god Ashur and had plotted against me, [their] god fearing prince”(The Assyrian Military Machine, 48). They were both merciless kings in their tactics. Based on the reading i think their accounts are exaggerated, because of all of the cruel punishment they enforced.
ReplyDeleteBased on the document, the Assyrians believed there were many pieces needed in order to become a successful and complete military. The most important thing in order to become a successful military was to have a leader. As Assyria was under the ruling of Tiglath-Pileser, there military was expanding. After the death of Tiglath-Pileser the Assyrians were unable to extend the strength of there military(Doc 1,B). Tiglath-Pileser had kept belief in Ashur, the great lord(Doc 1,C) And in order for them to show there ruthlessness and dominance the Assyrians had to use numerous methods of torture(Doc 1,I). In order for a military this big there is a need for troops as well as military war tactics, and the one who had those were the Assyrians. They had excelled at striking fear onto all of there enemies(Doc 1, G H).
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, about how after Tiglath-Pileser died the Assyrian army didn't strengthen at all. This really shows how much a leader really is needed. Without leaders people don't have direction. Just like traffic likes. They guide people in the same way a king guides his warriors.
DeleteBased on their own descriptions, Assyrian kings had many beliefs on what was important for their army to be successful. Probably the most important was being extremely brutal, well organized, and having multiple tactics. King Sennacherib "rushed upon the enemy like the approach of a hurricane," which means he was quick and wanted things done fast. "I cut their throats like sheep..my prancing steeds, trained to harness, plunged into their welling blood as into a river," King Sennacherib testified. I think being a king of an army you had to be terrifying and strike fear into people, otherwise the enemy would not take you seriously. King Ashurbanipal was probably the most brutal. In his testimony he states,"I tore out the tongues of whose slanderous mouths had uttered blasphemies against my god Ashur and had plotted against me." He also says,"I fed corpses, cut into small pieces, to dogs, pigs...vulture, the birds of the sky and also the fish of the sea." So these terrifying kings probably had to set rules and standards for there warriors to follow. Their reputation had to be built up, also. The ability of the Assyrians to create a climate of terror, wherever they were, was one of there biggest tactics. Do I think these kings over-exaggerated their testimonies? Maybe just a little, but I doubt it. I believe this because back then, nothing was clean; and if you wanted something done you had to do it for yourself and you could't let anyone take that away from you. King Sennacherib and King Ashurbanipal took what they wanted and people let them because there army was so feared. Therefore they had excelled at striking fear onto all there enemies.
ReplyDeleteThe Assyrians Kings believed that brutal methods help maintain a better rule for their customs (doc 1h a). With control in power it led to complete access with the resources, being able to create systems for life to be more efficiently and easier (doc1 g, d). Having leadership is a big role as well because without a ruler, the society would be unstable like it states, "...Assyrian empire was ruled by kings whose power was considered absolute. Under their leadership, the empire became well organized" (doc1 c). Their military success allowed leadership and a organized empires (doc1 g, c). With great 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 strong because of 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). 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.
ReplyDeleteAs a result of all of this they always stood strong which is why they believed the importance of military success.
The Assyrian kings probably believed that weapons, religion, fear and violence were necessary for military success. Their weapons such as the chariots and iron arrows and javelins really helped their success and conquering of many places because they were a lot better to use with iron then other metals which were very important and not over exaggerated (1I: C). Along with the category of good weapons they had skillfully thought out there game plan like when the battery rammed the gates open (1I: B, F). Religion was also a major part of their strategy (1I: G). The Assyrian rulers worshipped and listened to the gods (1I: G). they mainly worshipped ashur, god of war and other god which wouldn’t have been exaggerative because that’s who they put faith into and believed in (1i:G).if anyone bad mouthed or displeased ashur the Assyrians would be sent to conquer them so the Assyrians could be right with them(1I:G).also another reason they may have had great military success when they conquered was they made sure that everyone feared them. They were very intimidating and they proved that everyone should be fearful. Whenever somebody wouldn't obey he would try and conquer them and usually he succeeded (1I: E). The main reason the Assyrian kings might have thought was the great reason behind their military success was how violent and unremorseful they were. The Assyrians were gruesome, they would tear out tongues of their enemies who dishonored Ashur and fed the corpses of their enemies to the animals (1I: D, E).how violent and fearful they were may have been over exaggerative though. You may not have to do some gruesome and horrible things so that people won’t mess with you or to get a message across.
ReplyDeleteThe Assyrians kings believed in many things to have a successful military such as strong belief in there god, brutality, and powerful weapons. They believed that the god of war (Ashur) would lead them to victory. The faith they had in that god was undeniable. Also they thought showing no fear or no mercy would lead them to success. which it did because it put fear in many other people. lastly having powerful weapons lead them to success. The Assyrians were the first military equipped with iron weapons. That gave them a huge advantage over everyone else. I believe the Assyrians had a good structure to conquer. Being able to have such faith in a god, showing no fear, and powerful weapons can bring you military success. (doc1,f,g,h,i)
ReplyDeleteBased on their descriptions the kings believed that Ashur (their God) and strong military tactics were important for military success. All the kings talked about how they did the things they did in the name of God and "at the command of the God Ashur,". (Doc 2 A) The kings used tactics like large scale attacks "rush upon the enemy like the approach of a hurricane"(Doc 2 D),inflicting fear "in their terror they scalding urine and voided their excrement into their chariots." (Doc 2 D), and advanced technology "conquered them by means of well-stamped earth ramps, and bettering-rams near the walls... with foot soldiers, using mines, breaches as well as sapper work."(Doc 2 C). I think some of the events happened but some were exaggerated. The kings make themselves sounds all mighty just as their Gods.They made their enemies seem like nothing saying like animals "[cutting] their throats like sheep."(Doc 2 D) They "fed their corpse, cut into small pieces to dogs, pigs,.."(Doc 2 D) it seems exaggerated to do something like that, but one of their tactics was to inflict fear into others.
ReplyDelete