599 BCE/ 4154 AY
State of Affairs 599 BCE
Assyria's arrival in Jerusalem in 599 BCE, was to a landscape where Egypt had made a short term recovery. Namely, Egypt had re-secured Judah, frightened Yoshi-Dagon of Moab and defeated Puzur-Adad of the Protectorate (Southern) and drove him back into Edom. Necho II in a relatively stronger position, could not though seek peace and surrender his gains nor would Assyria accept any terms that did not include massive loot and payments to the treasury. Assyria however, cannot despite the position of Necho II, unable to make peace, will not simply be able to push through Judah without a fairly long siege and as such, Assyria did not press its advance after Damascus, rather, gathering reinforcements from Syria and Phoenicia, the Assyrians gathered thousands of infantry so as to increase their siege capability for the coming drawn out war in Judah and then distribute these foot soldiers across the recently recaptured lands as garrison before leading the primary force into Egypt to loot, pillage and destroy. This primary force would be the primary host of Assyria's king and would distribute retribution unto the land of Egypt.
"The Great King came upon Jerusalem, held by the camp follower, Necho II and his host of mongrels. He led an army of 45,000, armed and prepared for a siege, Lord Assur had led the charge surely, he was the ram and the hand that broke the gates of all cities. Look to Assur, for he is the God of victory and the Great King came to make amends for the land of his God had been threatened. Threats of all levels are treated with the flaying of skin, the trial of fire and the fury of a superior mace. Assur has rose the spear, Ninurta hears the call, He (!) strode forward saying:
'Behold ye denizen of deception, thine land of Egypt! The Great God Ninurta is I, a Man of War! Hark, for He hath entered the midst among a cloud of blood and veiled in the golden armor of the heavens with whom no man may touch! It is I, who will do battle with thee, the pillar of the Gods has stepped forward at the head of a host. Doth thine fear me? Doth your skin shrivel and your teeth clasp the tongue whence in the presence of the radiant aura of doom? Shall you fear not the crashing blow, yet fear for my Brothers and Sisters are eternal and they shall torment you and your family with curses. Shall we remind thee, that the Great Gods are Us, who lead man into bondage should they treat with the evil eye or make amends with Our enemies. Cursed is you, you shall taste the dirt and become flayed for Brother Nergal and your people shall be made into asses upon which the chosen, shall ride and you shall wait upon those whom we choose. Only whence you submit in fealty and slay yourselves, shall you be free. Listen not to your elected master or your gods, they will all be servile before us. Take your head for the sake of the Great Gods and may we bestow favor upon your family!'
Quivered in fear, the Egyptian force lost heart as the Great King did come. Verily, they are a most triumphant host! Those faces of Egypt, most disgusting and savage, doth they wear no shoes and cover themselves not in armor, may they become ashamed as we carry their women, children and men naked through the desert as lambs to the market. Let them know submission as their items are made for Assur and the gods they adhere to, become maids and servants in the temples of the Lords of Existence." -Kalhu Codex propaganda piece
As such, Sinbanipal and his army arrived at Jerusalem and was shortly joined by Yoshi-Ahaz, the heir to the throne of Judah. Yoshi-Ahaz upon entry into the Assyrian camp some 5 km from Jerusalem, arrived with the qepu of Judah who had hid him among the villages of Galilee and an envoy from Moab (under king Yoshi-Dagon, vassal of Assyria) describing in detail the events up till now. Yoshi-Ahaz was greeted by a stern guard of Assyrian guards:
"The King of Judah and true heir of the People of Israel, was led to the camp of Assyria. Guards looked upon him with the stern disposition of an errand boy. Most harshly doth all under Assyria; treated with a strong hand, for Assyria views other rulers in the view of strictness, they recognize Israel as servants and tools, though Hashem knows the best and protects our king even among the rule of the ritually unclean. Grasping ahold of the King of Israel, they did lead him to the midst of the young king, Sinbanipal and his generals, who sat upon a great golden chair encrusted with amber, rubies and images of idols of their lamassu common to the lands of the east. Sinbanipal held in his right hand a scepter and in his left a whip with golden embroidery. His legs were donning boots of orange and red, his clothing was multi-tiered and complex; of a red, orange and black color and around his neck was an assortment of golden jewelry from the lands of the north. His arms were decorated with jewelry of gold, with amber placed in sockets; in his ears was likewise rings of gold. His headpiece was a match to his outfit, he was a man who dressed as if he was to receive reception, not a man at war." -The chronicle of the later Jewish historian, Efra-Ayim (will be discussed much later)
Yoshi-Ahaz was led into the midst of Sinbanipal under strict guards, who held him tightly at his upper arms. They pushed him into the tent of the Great king, where the qepu whispered into his ears to perform submission and prostration, which was to be done a total of three times upon which his face was to touch the ground twice and his entire body touch the ground once. Yoshi-Ahaz performed these and then was ordered by the eunuch attendant of Sinbanipal to give accounts and speak his words of supplication. Yoshi-Ahaz proceeded to give submission and of the trials that befell him and his father who was placed upon a pike outside of the city and of his flight to a village where he had to live as a commoner for the past 7 years deprived of his birthright as Egypt placed a false-king Ilu-Kiyah as king of Judah, who he claimed, had intentions to restore the northern kingdom to Jewish rule, depriving Assyria of its lands.
Sinbanipal thus declared speaking as he pleased:
'I have heard your words and am disheartened as to your treatment. Rest assured, petty king, those who are loyal to the King of the Universe, even if their family is slain by the impious or they lose all of their wealth; verily, will I and my successors remember the devotion to the masters that your father gave and yourself, for you have lost your wealth and been shamed in the name of our Kingdom. May you be pleased, for we will place you upon the throne of Judah.'
Then striding forward, the eunuch at attend, spoke with a louder voice in a formalized Akkadian, resembling Old Akkadian of bygone eras:
'The King of the Universe hath spoke, the Representative of the great Gods and their mace upon which to smite the Lands of impiety is of finalized speech. We shall repeat to thine of poor function, the words of the Ideal Master, the Holy Progeny.... (proceed to repeat the words of Sinbanipal in louder and more archaic Akkadian).... You have heard, the Royal words, might you speak no more (to the visitors), seek rest for the King wishes his subjects to be of sound mind whence the morning comes.'
Regardless, during January, Assyria began its siege and assault upon Jerusalem
Meanwhile, in Tabal, the army of Dugul-Naboo recpatured most of the mountain fortresses in 600 BCE, securing these locales, his army followed Sadyattes into Cappadocia capturing various villages and townships including Ankuwa and other the ancient land of Hatti. Sadyattes crossed the Halys river in late 600 and made haste to Lydia. Dugul-Naboo crossed the river in 599 and placed a flag upon the shore on the other side declaring great victory for his army, before marching west with the guides of Greek and Cimmerian warriors among him.
Sadyattes fearing his position, decided to turn and do battle with Dugul-Naboo where they met at Gordium in the hill country for battle. There, Dugul-Naboo gained an inconclusive victory, but the substance of the battle, simply allowed Sadyattes to flee to the city of Gordium and garrison the city, gaining a tactical victory. The army of Sadyattes was bolstered by new Anatolian levies, who proceeded to cut Assyrian supply lines and harass the Assyrian force.
Dugul-Naboo in response would spend late 599-598 looting across eastern Phrygia and taking great numbers of slaves before marching back across the Halys in middle 598 BCE and marching to Ankuwa, began to create an administration there across from the Halys. Sadyattes had survived with his life, but his throne was increasingly in danger in Sardis where various court nobles began to speak of supporting his son Alyattes for the new king role. Dugul-Naboo thus was able to begin the creation of what in his mind, was his new avenue for power.... an eventual Northern Protectorate, which he could monopolize for his family.
Gaudama I passed away in the year 599 after having united most of Media under a revived kingdom of Media. He was succeeded by Gaudama II, who made a detente with Humban-Kittin I of Elam, who though keeping Tukulti-Ishtar under his protection, agreed to not support a restored Eastern Protectorate after the Gaudamids of Media who had restored much power in the recent years, proved their prowess by defeating the Elamo-Gambulu army at Ectbatana and along the Karun river. The Eastern Protectorate was fading from memory just as soon as it had been created and the defeated power of Media was reunited and empowered aside from a small Medo-Assyrian state in the Gilan region of Hyrcania which resisted the Gaudamid rule.
------
Assyria Smites Egypt
Sinbanipal began the siege of Jerusalem in 599 BCE, using the heir, Yoshi-Ahaz, mounted on a fine Scythian steed, he sent the king at the front to call out to the people and seek to find return. The people the next day rebelled against the Egyptian puppet and Ilu-Kiuyah struggled within the city with his Egyptian soldiers to control the situation. A struggle occurred in the Temple of Solomon, where the priesthood supported the riots and declared the return of the true king was supported by God and by a vision gifted to a prophet in the city named Nahum. This Nahum called out as a populist like figure and pleaded the people of Jerusalem to riot, resist and dethrone Ilu-Kiyah and regain the favor of God. Spreading riots ensued as people already looted by Egyptian soldiers, took to arms without fear for they had already lost much. The internal division allowed Assyrian forces to surge into the city after only a single month with only a minor force as the main force traveled to Beersheba where they engaged the Egyptian forces under Necho II who withstood the attacks but nevertheless fled to Philistinia where the populace was loyal and began to make mention of peace to Ipanqazzu, who promptly rejected the terms dubbed the Ashdod proposition.
Jerusalem's fall resulted in Ilu-Kiyeh's capture and the Assyrian forces proceeded to take his body and flay him alive tied to a pole outside Jerusalem.
"Ilu-Kiyeh was taken prisoner by the Great King, who devastated his force and with a strong hand, did crumble the transgressors. He, the Grandiose King, made a march tot he temple with the lord of the city, Yoshi-Ahaz, there the Great King stood upon the steps of the temple and made an offering the the God Adad, with whom he had been informed by his advisers, that said city's local god was the Great God Adad. Sinbanipal assured the subjugated lord, that he was the king of the city and declared that he shall give a donation to the city for its devotion, which shall be to construct a great pillar of victory, which shall declare the might of Adad. For the rebel, Ilu-Kiyeh, he was taken to the outer limits, stripped of his clothing, tied upon a stake and with the knife of Nergal, his skin was confiscated. His body then devoid of its skin, was burned as an offering of Nergal. The skin of the rebel was made appeared upon a great lift placed before the city of Jerusalem as reminder. Hundreds of Egyptians were captured by the Great King, those of the captains, were placed outside the city and watched alongside their soldiers the cutting of skin. The soldiers who were of lower rank, were then informed, of the command of the ideal masters: they were to with a club, beat their captains to death outside the city, any soldier who refused, would be flayed alive. These captains were beaten to death and their bodies thrown into a small ditch created by the lower soldiers and the pit was set ablaze for the God Nergal who burns all things which are evil. These lower soldiers were thus taken into bondage, their arms twisted into a knot behind their back and tied. Stripped of their clothing, they were marched naked, barefoot and shamed to be led to Assyria and devoted to the Great Gods. Fear the Great Gods and their appointed mouthpiece, the Great King, lest you come upon sure destruction."
Sinbanipal thus in middle of 599, attacked Philsitinia which resisted the Assyrian occupation. Gaza, Ashdod and Ashkalon were defended by Necho II and Saibes, all of whom had distributed their forces. At Ashdod, the Egyptian army fought fiercely alongside the Philistine militia. One Philistinian even pouncing upon the wall challenged all Assyrian warriors who may face him. Waiting for a return, an Assyrian warrior clamored to face the Philistine; the two met upon the front of the city gates as the warrior was let down by a rope. The duel turned in favor of the Philsitinian warrior who through a the swiftness and eagerness of a young hand, was able to slash the enemy who had dropped his armor for the duel. After gaining his victory, the young brave stood victoriously, before a thunder of arrows was unleashed upon him, striking him in six places.
"Assur respects not the duels and games of the lesser creatures. The Great Gods decree only victory, matters not how an enemy is slain and for every one of us slain, so too shall they be brought low. No honor is greater than victory for the sake of the Great Gods. Our mission is the dominance over others and their foolish rites, respect only those whose rites are mandated by the Gods; those not of us, breach their rites." -Kalhu Codex, nullifying this famous event, essentially stating, if Assyria loses a duel, simply fire arrows upon the enemy
The warriors of Ashdod began to create a chant after this horrendous display of honor:
'Take heart Warriors of the Land and their allies. Beat thine swords into a call of war, remember the quick blade of our scorn. Fear not the arrows, powerful acts preserves us in dark valleys. God Baal shall resound our blade, our honor shall be our horn.'
For the entire year of 598 and early 597, the Philistinian and Egyptian armies proceeded to block the Assyrians. At Gaza, a short bridge allowed the Assyrians into the city, but this was protected by a group of warriors from Abyssinia who accordingly, described as those whose skin resembled ebony, were chained together, carrying large swords, spears and axes, proceeded to block the Assyrian force from entering. This held for several days as the Assyrian force had struggled to get to this place and were denied. Only whence a great cavalry charge was sent upon them did the chain locked warriors begin to step back, as the lancers retreated and permitted the Assyrian heavy infantry to push forward and cut past the breaking chain line which was then hurried in the back by Egyptian soldiers with long pikes imported from Europe who stopped the Assyrian advance once more. Arrow fire from Assyria and the Gazan warriors was then exchanged before the city of Gaza broke the bridge by fire. The next year, in early 597, Assyria calling greater soldiers was able to with force of arrow fire and soldiers breaching the tight moat and ditch to create a line of protection, built a rapid bridge which allowed the Assyrian army to strike Gaza closely and scale the walls and captured the city in July of 597. The prior month, Ashkelon fell as Necho II moved south. In Ashdod, Saibes was slain while battling the Assyrian forces in the city. The fall of the major Philstine cities, led to Necho II finally fleeing into the Sinai and hurrying towards Egypt. Assyria was slow to follow.
Following the victory in Philistine, a great destruction and deportation was to be enacted upon the populace of Philistinia, which shall be covered in the next update! As we see, the Jewish people have been spared of destruction and the destruction is to be given to their neighbors, the allies of Egypt, the Philistines, this of course has massive effect upon the Levant...