ah 1
mien his majesty commanded to expel all the foreigners who dwelt in the temple of Neith.. ..His majesty commanded to purify the temple of Neith and to restore to it all its people...and the hourly-priests of the temple. His majesty commanded that offerings should be given to Neith, the Great One, the Mother of God, und to the great gods who are in Sais •as it v,ras earlier in iti.,.
Autobiographical Inscription of Udjahorresnet
Autobiographical Inscription of Udjahorresnet: Title
Autobiographical Inscription of Udjahorresnet (modern)
Autobiographical Inscription of Udjahorresnet: genre
Autobiographical inscription (tomb inscription).
Behistun Inscription: What should we call this source? Is this an original title, or one assigned by a modern editor?
Behistun Inscription (modern)
I founded my sovoroign residenco within tho palace amld celebration gnd EBJoIclng, Marduk, the great lord, best0N0d on me as my desllny the groat o! one who loves Babylon, gnd I ovory day sought him out in awe. 24. My vast troops were marching pooceably in Babylon. and the whole Of (Sumorl and Akkad hod nothing to fear. 25. I sought the safety ot the city of Babylon ond all its sanctuaries. AS ror the population of Babylon w)ho as If without dlvUne Intentlonl had endured a yoko not docrocd [or thorn. 26, | soothed lhelr wqarlnuss; I freed thorn from tholr bonds (7). Marduk. the groat lord, roJoIced ot [my good] deods.
Cyrus Cylinder
Cyrus Cylinder Title:
Cyrus Cylinder (modern)
Cyrus Cylinder Context
Cyrus fought Nabonidus outside of Babylon; as such, he was able to enter Babylon peacefully.
Cyrus Cylinder Author
Cyrus was both author and subject.
Behistun Inscription: Who was the author? What is the subject?
Darius is both the author and subject.
A Statement of the Ideals of Persian Kingship: Context
Darius was not Cambyses son and was thus not in line for the throne, so he had to convince the people that he was chosen by Ahuramazda and that he was the ideal king.
Behistun Inscription: CONTEXT: What was happening at the time these events took place (and at the time the source was written, if different)? What background knowledge will help us understand the source?
Darius won a civil war to become king. Since he was not in the line of Cyrus/Cambyses, it was really important for him to make himself seem legitimate to the Persian people.
Ahuramazda (Ahura-Mazda)
Darius' main god, the Zoroastrian god.
Behistun Inscription: When did the events described take place? When was the source written?
During the reign of Darius (522-486) for both. The events described took place near the beginning of his reign.
Cyrus
Founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Between 550 and 530 B.C.E. he conquered Media, Lydia, and Babylon. Revered in the traditions of both Iran and the subject peoples.
Who was Udjahorresnet? How did he help Cambyses (Cyrus' son) to establish his control over Egypt after the initial conquest? As far as you can tell, why did he help him?
He introduced the refurbishing of temples to earn the support of the people. He was the chief physician to Cambyses. He helped him to rebuild Egypt.
Autobiographical Inscription of Udjahorresnet CONTENT
Udjahoressnet recounts how he instructed Cambyses in the worship of Egyptian deities.
Autobiographical Inscription of Udjahorresnet: Author
Udjahoressnet was an Egyptian officer who fought the Persians but later became an advisor and chief physician to Cambyses.
Autobiographical Inscription of Udjahorresnet: purpose
Udjahorresnet helped bring Egypt back to its glory by telling Cambyses to expel foreigners from the temples and restore them back to the people.
Autobiographical Inscription of Udjahorresnet: CONTEXT
Udjahorresnet was an Egyptian high officer and naval commander during the conquest of Egypt by Cambyses This was written during the conquest. (530-220) B.C.E.
Statement of the Ideals of Persian Kingship: Dates
Used repeatedly; 550-330 BCE.
Statement of the Ideals of Persian Kingship: Purpose
Written to extol the virtues of the ideal king of the kings of Persia. Darius is appealing to the Persian god Ahuramazda to make himself seem chosen by Ahuramazda by the Persian people.
Prism of Sennacherib: DATES
Approximately 700 BCE (for both events and writing)
Sennacherib
Assyrian king who burned Babylon and ordered its residents killed
Cyrus Cylinder
an inscription from the time of Cyrus of Persia, saying that Cyrus sent the peoples who had been exiled by the Babylonians back to their homelands and ordered them to rebuild the temples of their gods.
Autobiographical Inscription of Udjahorresnet: dates
c. 525 BCE (for both events and writing)
Ninveh
capital of the assyrian empire
Udjahorresnet Inscription
depicts Cambyses as an Egpytian Pharaoh; the 'King of Upper and Lower Egypt'; restores order and purified a temple to an Egyptian god.
Cyrus Cylinder genre
official proclamation
Sennacherib Prism
the clay prism that recounts the siege of Jerusalem during the reign of Hezekiah; states that Hezekiah was locked inside of Jerusalem like a caged bird, but city not taken b/c of Hezekiah's devotion to Hebrew god written in Akkadian; found in Nineveh
Nabonidus
unpopular king who ignored Marduk (patron God of Babylon) in favor of Sin (moon god)
Cambyses
A Persian king, named after his father Cyrus, expanded the Persian empire by conquering Egypt.
3. What similarities do you see between the methods of Persian imperial rule described in the Cylinder and those described in the Inscription?
- Both make food offerings for the gods
According to the Kingship Inscription (Statement of the Ideals of Persian Kingship), what are the characteristics of the ideal Persian king?
- Controlling anger - Controls impulses - Martial skills -only followed one religion and enforced it throughout the kingdom
Using the Prism, describe Assyrian methods of warfare. How and why did they use terror? How and why did they use deportation?
- Killed enemies to deport their goods back to Assyria - destroyed cities with flames - captured kings would be forced to surrender and hand over their riches when they were deported by the Assyrians
According to the Cylinder, how did Cyrus gain the loyalty of the Babylonian priesthood and the Babylonian people?
- Marduk chose Cyrus to be the "rightful" king of Babylon. - Increased offerings - Rebuilt sanctuaries
Using the Behistun Inscription, what would you identify as the characteristics of the ideal Persian king? How would you compare them with the characteristics described in the Kingship Inscription?
- Military prowess in both - justice in both - both emphasise that the king is fighting against lies.
Why did the Assyrians describe rebels as "sinners"?
- Rebels were those who did not believe in Ashur.
Prism of Sennacherib: CONTEXT:
- people captured were required to hold Ashur above their own gods -Worshipped many gods but Ashur was the supreme -Masters of siege craft -Deportation, terror
Prism of Sennacherib; PURPOSE
- propaganda for the king - record of the kings accomplishments that boasts his power -kings campaign
Cyrus Cylinder DATES
539 BCE (for both events and writing)
Marduk
A Mesopotamian deity, chief god of the city of Babylon
Prism of Sennacherib: Genre
Official proclamation
Statement of the Ideals of Persian Kingship: Genre
Official proclamation
Behistun Inscription: GENRE: What type of document (such as official record, private letter, or work of literature) is this source?
Official proclamation.
Statement of the Ideals of Persian Kingship: Content
Persian kings proclaim their virtues, invoking Ahuramazda.
But. Sidka, king of Ashkelon, who had noi submitted to my gods of his father-house, himself, his wife, his sons; his daughters, his brothers, the seed of his father- house, I tore away and brought to Assyria. Sharru-lu-dari, son of Rukibti, their former king, I set over the people of Ashkelon ånd I imposcd upon him the payment of tribute (in the form of) prcscnts to Iny majesty. He accepted (lit.- bore) my yoke. Iii the course of my campaign, Bet9-Dagon, Joppa, 64 Palt j: Near F.asterr' Civilizations Banaibarka, Asuru, Cities of Sidka, who had not speedily bowed in submission at my feet, I besieged, I conquered, I carried off their spoil.
Prism of Sennacherib
Prism of Sennacherib: Title
Prism of Sennacherib (modern)
Prism of Sennacherib: Author
Sennacherib was both author and subject.
by the favour of Ahuramazda I am of such a kind that 1 am a friend to what is right, I am no friend to what is WTong. It is not my wish that to the weak is done wrong because of the mighty, it is not my wish that the weak is hurt because of the mighty, that the mighty is hun because of the weåk. What is right, that is my wish.. I am no friend of the man who is follower of the lie. I am not hot-tempered. When I feel anger rising, I keep that under control by my thinking powei. I control firmly my impulses.
Statement of the Ideals of Persian Kingship
Statement of the Ideals of Persian Kingship: Title
Statement of the Ideals of Persian Kingship (modern)
Prism of Sennacherib: Content
The Assyrian king Sennacherib describes his conquests and his treatment of conquered peoples.
This is what I have done, by the grace of Ahuramazda have I always acted. Whosoever shall read this inscription hereafter, let that which I have done be believed. You must not hold it to be lies.
The Behistun Inscription
difference between the Statement of the Ideals of Persian Kingship and the Behistun Inscription
The Behistun inscription recounts all of Darius' battles and victories, while the statement describes the ideal king (either Darius or Xerxes)
Cyrus Cylinder Content
The Persian king Cyrus, in a proclamation to the Babylonian people, gives his account of his conquest of Babylon.
Behistun Inscription: CONTENT: Summarize the source's content in no more than four sentences. Who did what, where and when?
The Persian king Darius I explains how he took power and put down rebellions.
Statement of the Ideals of Persian Kingship
The Persians followed a monotheistic religion called Zoroastrianism, which recognized only a single deity named Ahura Mazda. Based on the teachings of the Persian prophet Zoroaster, this was the official religion of the Persian Empire, although conquered peoples were allowed to practice their own religions Despite their reputation as conquerors, life under the Persian Empire was typically characterized by peaceful trading and economic prosperity. The Persian rulers were quick to re-establish government in areas they invaded and did not use terror to keep their subjects in line.
Behistun Inscription
The famous Behistun inscription was engraved on a cliff about 100 meters off the ground. Darius tells us how the supreme god Ahuramazda choose him to dethrone an usurper named Gaumâta, how he set out to quell several revolts, and how he defeated his foreign enemies.
Statement of the Ideals of Persian Kingship: Author
The kings (Darius and Xerxes) were both subjects.
What did Assyrian kings believe that Assur (pronounced Ashur) wanted of them? How did their beliefs affect their treatment of conquered peoples?
The kings believed Ashur wanted food, so they stole that from the conquered people.
Behistun Inscription: Purpose
The purpose was to make Darius seem legitimate by saying that the gods chose him. This may have made the stories exaggerated.
Cyrus Cylinder purpose
This source was written for the people of Babylon and this captured in Babylon. This document glorifies Cyrus as being the great king because he freed Babylonian slaves.
