The Assyrians And Their Histor Essay Research — страница 2

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officer that mediated; and settled the disputes. These officers were called Eunuchs . These Eunuchs were praised as being trustworthy, and they were present at all the upper levels of the bureaucracy. The Assyrian government was one with a strong king who delegated power to others. This form of government is even seen in some countries today. This government seemed to work well for the strong Assyrian Empire. Many factors attributed to the rigorous life of the people. People under this rule were in a very identifiable class system. This social hierarchy started with the king and worked its way to the bottom with the slaves. Women were not included in this hierarchy. They weren t even considered to be citizens. They were considered just to be servants of their father, brothers or

husband. Their job was to please the man in their life. This social class system was conservative and the solid element in the Assyrian civilization. Assyrian s basic social unit was the family and after that the tribe. Most of the population lived in cities. A man s family decided his social rank (Nemet 109). The poorer classes in Assyria were the bulk of the population. They lived in humble dwellings and in small villages. Some landowners and workers owned their own land, with estates about 250 acres or more. A well to do landlord might own several estates, with nice houses with servants (Hunter 65). These are just some characteristics of a very harsh daily life of the Assyrian people. Also these people cared much about their looks. Their king, for example, wore a long flowing

garment to the ankles. These garments were embroidered and edged with fringe and tassels. This was used to signify that he was the wealthiest of men in his territory and that he was the ruler. Like most kings a large head garment or tiara was warn, signifying the chief of government. Even his subjects had a great appeal to wear luxury apparel. They wore long elegant robes that were considered traditions of beauty. They also cared for their hair. The most elegant form was plated. They plated their hair and beards. Usually their hair was very long so the plating could be extravagant. Unlike other people of the day they wore beautiful jewelry, which was considered ornaments of beauty (Glubok 106-108). These colorful people also had an extensive economy, which is mostly based around

their agriculture. This was pleased by the lush hills and meadows, which were great for growing crops. They also used animal hushandry and foreign trade to bring in money for the empire. Although growth in cities depended on food production from the provinces, exchange of goods was also an economic tool. This barter system was a strong influence on other Mesopotamian civilizations. Assyrian economy was a strong backbone for a developing empire. Another strong backbone to any civilization or empire is religion. During this time in history many religious beliefs were present in Mesopotamia. Most of which feared the after life for they feared death. In Assyria belief was in many gods, but one king of all gods , named Ashur. There were many large temples built in the city for Ashur.

They were enormous and complex structures, which are an important part in the daily life of all Assyrians. The Babylonians had a big influence on Assyrian religion, as was the trend in Mesopotamia. Many civilizations borrowed from others before them. Two main gods under Ashur were popular one of which were Marduk and the other Nabu. Temples were built for them as well. Although they believed in powerful gods, literature discovered supports that the popular religion took the form of magic and sorcery. This was not a usual belief for people in the area. In most Mesopotamian civilizations gods were found in ever day objects such as the sky, sun, and moon (Cotterell 107-108). Another important factor in religious daily life was the fear of devils and evil spirits. They also feared

the chance of offending the gods, but this not as much as devils and evil spirits. Due to their magic beliefs it is common to fear the black magic or voodoo of evil spirits. The Assyrians were not as religious as other empires around them (Hooke 73). Religion, for the most part in Mesopotamia was used to explain life. This is a very unique way of thinking for a civilization during that time in history. By far the most important factor in the civilization of the Assyrian Empire was its military. Known as a militaristic state, the Assyrians were the most successful imperial power the world had ever seen. Most of the army consisted of infantry and the footmen did most of the fighting. Battles were fought using planned military systems, because the Assyrians possessed disciplined and