During the first half of the eighth century BC, Egypt, Babylonia and Assyria all struggled against the forces of entropy and decline. In the absence of the Aramean threat, Israel and Judah resumed their perpetual struggle. Urartu expanded its regional influence at the expense of […]
Author: Scott C.
Episode 14 – In the Midst of the Seas
“I received the tribute of the kings of the seacoast – namely, the lands of the peoples of Tyre, Sidon, Byblos, Mahallatu, Maizu, Kaizu, Amurru and the city of Arvad, which is in the midst of the seas – silver, gold, tin, bronze, a bronze […]
Episode 13 – Civil War
“My brother Ashur-danin-apli, in the time of Shalmaneser, his father, acted wickedly, bringing about sedition, rebellion, and wicked plotting, caused the land to rise in revolt, prepared for war, brought the people of Assyria, north and south, to his side, and made bold speeches, brought […]
A Few Updates
Hi TAW listeners! You may have noticed that I’ve passed the dozen episode mark and still have a few hundred years and a lot of history to cover before I reach 500 BC. In a nod to reality, I’ve changed the blog subtitle from “(around) […]
Episode 12 – Legacies of East and West
The Olmec of Mesoamerica and the Chavin of Peru laid strong cultural foundations that would influence regional civilizations down through the first European encounters with the New World. The longest-lasting Chinese Dynasty, the Zhou, bore witness to eras of unity and conquest, the devolution of […]
The Results Are In!
First, let me say that you guys are awesome! Over a hundred of you voted in the Baddest Assyrian Ruler Name poll. For awhile it was a real (saddle-less, paired-rider) horse-race, but in the end the decision was clear. Without further ado, here are top […]
Episode 11 – The Rise of Assyria
“I slew 14,000 of their warriors with the sword. Like Adad, I rained destruction on them. I scattered their corpses far and wide, and covered the face of the desolate plain with their wide-spreading armies. With my weapons I made their blood to flow down […]
First Ever TAW User Poll*
The Kings of Assyria were a group of very bad men. Not “Shaft” bad – just really, truly bad. But they also had some pretty crazy-cool names. In this first-ever TAW user’s poll, I wanted to give you, the listener, the chance to lord over […]
Episode 10 – Picking Up The Pieces
At the dawn of the first millennium BC, the collapse of the great Near Eastern powers allowed the cultures of Canaan to flourish. While the Phoenicians embarked on a bold new era of maritime expansion, the Hebrews and Arameans carved out new Iron Age kingdoms […]
Another Message to Listeners
Hi! Well, a little over a month has passed since I posted the last episode, and what a busy month it has been. The longed-for tapering off I’ve been hoping for has yet to transpire, but I’m still working hard toward my self-imposed deadline of […]