Settle in for a HEFTY episode, folks! This week, Amber and Anna examine the world of the Neo-Assyrian empire. This means some substantial time spent context-setting, thanks to the complex nature of early Mesopotamian politics, religion, warfare, and state propaganda. Then we look further at that carefully crafted state propaganda and its influence on Assyriology. THEN we get into a bit of archaeology, and finally, discuss the Neo-Assyrian legacy and descendant communities. What a ride! Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot! [https://www.paleoimaging.com/about-the-paleoradiography-course] Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimaging [https://twitter.com/Paleoimaging] Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info. [https://zen.ai/thearchaeologyshow] *LISTENER NOTE* We discuss some pretty graphically violent art in this episode, starting around time stamp 35:00. Content warning for war crimes and sexual assault--skip ahead about 25 minutes. Links * Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East (via WorldCat) [https://www.worldcat.org/title/cultural-atlas-of-mesopotamia-and-the-ancient-near-east/oclc/185921530] * Ideology and Propaganda in Assyrian Art (Power and Propaganda: A Symposium on Ancient Empires) [https://faculty.uml.edu/ethan_spanier/teaching/documents/readeassyrianart.pdf] * The Assyrians — The Appalling Lords of Torture (Medium, cn illustrations of graphic violence) [https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/assyrians-torture-60fabb7a9642] * Assurnasirpal II, king of Assyria (r. 883-859 BC) (Nimrud: Materialities of Assyrian Knowledge Production) [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/nimrud/ancientkalhu/thepeople/assurnasirpalii/index.html] * Object: The Banquet Scene (The British Museum) [https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1856-0909-53] * Assyria: Lion hunts, Siege of Lachish and Khorsabad (The British Museum) [https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/galleries/assyria-lion-hunts#rooms&gid=1&pid=2] * Ancient salmu and the (Post-) Modern Scholar (JAGNES, via Academia.edu) [https://www.academia.edu/1514224/Ancient_salmu_and_the_Post-_Modern_Scholar_Review_of_Bahrani_Z._The_Graven_Image_2003_] * Early Excavations in Assyria (Metropolitan Museum of Art) [https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/rdas/hd_rdas.htm] * A History of the Ancient Near East (via WorldCat) [https://www.worldcat.org/title/history-of-the-ancient-near-east-ca-3000-323-bc/oclc/927961206&referer=brief_results] * Cuneiform Texts and the Writing of History (via WorldCat) [https://www.worldcat.org/title/cuneiform-texts-and-the-writing-of-history/oclc/949524756&referer=brief_results] * Marxist Historiography and the Ancient Near East (What's Left of Marxism: Historiography and the Possibilities of Thinking with Marxian Themes and Concepts, via Google Books) [https://books.google.com/books?id=N47_DwAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA121#v=onepage&q&f=false] * Ancient near Eastern History from eurocentrism to an Open World (ISIMU: Revista sobre Oriente Próximo y Egipto en la antigüedad 2) [https://repositorio.uam.es/handle/10486/3352] * Approaching ancient Assyria through archaeology leads to new insights (Universiteit Leiden) [https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2020/03/approaching-ancient-assyria-through-archaeology-leads-to-new-insights] * Arc [news.com/archaeology/assyrian-style-leather-armor-10352.html">http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/assyrian-style-leather-armor-10352.html]