Eckart Frahm (1) (1967–)

Not quite everything you ever wanted to know about the Assyrians, but didn't know where to start, Frahm's virtue is that where our existing knowledge is thin, he is forthright about saying so. What really concerns him is the subtitle, as he works on building up his argument that the Assyrian state was the first empire, and an inspiration to those that followed. Where Frahm might be weak is when it comes to military history, as while the Assyrians very much intended to make war pay, and were ultimately brought down by military action, Frahm does remarkably little to integrate this aspect into his story. Even if the nuts and bolts of army organization and military strategy are not a matter that Frahm is comfortable with, I would have liked to have seen his critique of our existing understanding of what made the Assyrian military special, as they get great credit for creating cavalry units and for their skill at conducting siege warfare. Be that as it may, after the collapse of the Assyrian state, Frahm spends a significant amount of time musing on the long twilight of Assyrian culture and the Assyrian people, and what that means today.… (more)

This appears to be a comprehensive history of the Assyrian Empire" its growth, changes and destruction. I would have wished for more information about everyday life--the legal code, daily routines, economic levels and effects on health, illness and its treatment, marriage and family law and so forth. Divorce is mentioned, but with no details. Could either party initiate a divorce? Could women inherit, own and manage property. In short, this book adheres in large part to the old-fashioned list of kings and battles model. The epilogue did include an interesting analysis of the way that the archeological monuments and recovered art were used in the shaping of secular nation states such as Iraq caused ISIS to regard the destruction of these remains as an important step in their vision of an international Islamic empire.… (more)