Balancing and Balancing Failure in Biblical Times: Assyria and the Ancient Middle Eastern System, 900–600 BCE

Abstract

On the first floor of the British museum stands a 3,000 year old monument known as the ‘Kurkh Stele.’ It portrays the Assyrian King Shalmaneser III above an inscription written in his voice, which includes this passage:

I approached cities of Irhulenu, the Hamatite … I razed, destroyed and burned Qarqar, his royal city. An alliance had been formed of these twelve kings: 1,200 chariots, 1,200 cavalry, 20,000 troops of Hadadezer, the Damascene; 700 chariots, 700 cavalry, 10,000 troops of Irhulenu, the Hamatite; 2,000 chariots [and] 10,000 troops of Ahab the Israelite; … [and others]. They attacked to war and battle against me (Grayson, 1996: 23).

1 The authors are grateful to Professors Mario Liverani and J.A. Brinkman for thoughtful comments and bibliographical advice.