I'nder the succes.sors of Ramman-nirari, Shal- »»<nic.ier ///. B.C. 782-773), Ansur-tlaii Iff. (B.C. 772-705), and A.i.inr-niriin II. (Itf. 754-745), Assyria was always losing more territory to the Arnienians. Armenia was ruled at this time by
• From Uohohonm to llie Rl.xth vear uf llozeklnli tliepo nru 2(l't years. whilt) from.Icrolxniin i. tn l)(ishen(r<ini|iu-Ht (ifSninarln) Itii-re are only '241. .\n n mutter of fact. IVoiii the denth of Solomon to h'.c. ""22 there are only 2IS vears. The mistake niiset* with rejjanl to Pekah. Innlead of Pekahlah '2 years. iV-kah 20 years, we oiijrht stinply to read I'ekah 2 years. I'ekahlah Is only the fuller form of the name I'ekah.
the mighty kings Argistis (c. H.c. 780-700) and Sardu'arri II. (B.C. 700-730), and ultimately all ' the lands of Na'iri ' to the north of the Tigris, from Melitene to Lake Urmia, came into its po.ssession.
This period of deepest eclip.se (whilst Israel flourished at the same time under .Jeroboam li.) was followed by an era of prosperity, which lasted for a long time without a break under the usurper Pulu or (to give him his official title) Tuklat-pal- isharra 111., called in the Bible Ti<ihUh-piles(fr (B.C. 745-727), who raised Assyria to a height unreached before, and may lliercfore be called, and with much reason, the real founder of the great A.ssyriau monarchy (in its largest sense). For the first time in history Tiglath-pileser brought Babylonia, where Nabu-nazir (Nabo- nassar) reigned from B.C. 747-732 and Nabu-nadin- zir from B.C. 733-732, directly under the sway of the Assyr. sceptre. He also reconcpiered the territories that had been lost to Armenia, and annexed to the Assyr. empire a great part of Syria, where before there had only been at the best of times some vassal states — -never any properly con.stituted provinces. In Unhylonin. Tiglath- pileser had next to deal w-ith the Arannean tribes on the frontiers of Babylon and IChim, among whom the Pukudu (PekOcl, Ezk 23*!, jg,. ,;jo21) and Gambulu played tlie chief part, an<l to whom also belonged the Nabatu,* who at later times emigrated to the north-west of Arabia. The in- stigators of this rebellion were jirobably the small states of the Iiakli, or Chahlivans, in the south and middle of Babylonia. The prime mover was a certain Ukinzir (Chinzeros) from Bit-Amukkan, who ultimately, in M.c. 731, .succeeded in seizing the Bab. throne. Already after the defeat of the Araiiueans in 745, Tiglath-pileser had assumed the title ' King of Snmer and Akkad,' but now, after his victory over Ukiii-zir, he got him.self crowned ' King of Babylon ' with great solemnity at the new-year festival of B c. 728.
In the year B.C. 744 Tiglath-pileser marched through the land of Namri (see above) right into the interior of Media to the Bikni mountains, to Demavend, that lies to the south of the Ca.spian Sea, in order to reassert Assyr. influence, wliich had been destroyed by the Armenians. He re- conquered also (B.C. 737) the provinces of Parsua and Bustus, that lie between Armenia and Media. In the North of Syria the Armenians had been driven out by Matiel of Jakhan (also written Akhan), who was called, in accordance with his descent. Prince of Bit-Agfisi. Tiglath-pileser besieged him in his royal residence at Arp.ad (Tell Erfud, north of Aleppo, the biblical Arpad), which, after three years' resistance, fell into his hands in B.C. 740. " He had previously (B.C. 743) repelled the Armenian army which tried to impede the siege of Ar|)ad, and had defeated it in a de- cisive battle on the I'jipcr Euphrates.
Tiglath-pileser was now able for the first time to advance into the inlerior of Syria. In the year B.C. 738 he coiKpiered the town of Kiiilaiil (Calno, Is U|9), which lies to the north of Hainath, and overpowered 'Asriya'u of .la'udi.' t Nineteen districts of Hamath fell before him and were captured, while Kullani, which was evidently the residence of Asriya'u, became the seat of an As.syr. governor. Thereupon all the indeiirndcnt kings of Syria who lived in the neighbcuiriiiL' regions (Kustxspi of Kummukh, Ila^unnu of Damascus,
•The .\rahlaii Xitfuii/i'iti mentioneil In Asstirhanlpal'slnserlp. tlon are a totallv illirerent neojite. They are the .\'ehitiol/i of the OT. The Nat.alu (Arab. 03:1, on the other hand, ore the wi-U-kiiown Nahata'ans. They wore of Arania'an orlffln, as the Nabala-an Inserlptlons Inform us.
t Not .luclah C'Ji'e) but n country In the north of Syria ^■'N*. as the Inscription of kln^ Panammii of Sam'al makes obvious.
186
ASSYRIA
ASSYRIA
Minikhimmi of Samirhia, Hiram of Tyre, Sibitti- Iji'il of Gebal, Urik of Ku'i, I'isiris of Carchemish, lui-el of Hamalli, Panammu of Sam'al, Tarkhulara of Gurgum), and some also who lived in more re- mote districts, viz. the princes of Milid (Malatiyeli) and Tabal (Tubal), and a North-Arabian (iiieuii, Zabibi,* came to do homage to the great king. .Vnother expedition to the West followed in the year it.C. TM, which was specially directed against Philistia, where king Khanunu (Hanno) of Gaza was defeated.
Tlie main campaign against Damascus and Israel, however, belongs to the yeare n.('. ~3ii and 732. In Israel, Pekah (Assyr. Pakakhu) had just succeeded Jlenahem on the throne. Kezin (Ka- zunnu), king of Syria, was defeated. Damascus was besieged (B.C. 733) and captured (B.C. 732). In Israel, Tiglath-pileser took a series of towns, in- cluding the whole land of Xaphtali (2 K 15-'), and I'ekah was compelled to pay a very considerable tribute. In the year B c. 731 he was murdered, and Hoshea (Assyr. AusVi'') was confirmed by Tiglath- pileser as king of Israel. After the fall of Damascus (B.C. 732), which forthwith became the seat of an Assyr. governor, the following princes, Sanib of Amnion, SalamHn of Moah, Mitinti of Ashkelon, JiCnkhazi (i.e. Joahaz = fuller form of Ahaz) of Judah, and Kaus-malak of Edoin, were compelled to pay tribute. Ahaz had some time previously called in Tiglath-pileser to protect him against Pekah and Kezin, who had robbed him of the harbour of Elath. The Arabian queen Samsi was also conquered by the Atsyrians, who took the opportunity of advancing into the north of Arabia for the first time. Thereupon certain Arab tribes, even the remote Sabfeans, sent him rich presents.