796
edits
Changes
no edit summary
===Ancient Mesopotamian Historiography===
[[File: Babylonia_God_Nabo.jpgpng|300px|thumbnail|left|Statue of the Ancient Mesopotamian God of Writing and Knowledge, Nabu]]
Ancient Mesopotamia developed contemporaneously with ancient Egypt and although there were many differences between the two civilizations – such as the fact that many different ethnic groups ruled over and influenced ancient Mesopotamia throughout its history as opposed to Egypt being fairly homogenous – both societies viewed and recorded history in a similar manner.
“The officials, nobles and people of Ekron, who had thrown Padî, their king, bound by (treaty to) Assyria, into fetters of iron and had given him over to Hezekiah, the jew (Iaudai), – he kept him in confinement like an enemy, – they (lit., their heart) became afraid and called upon the Egyptian kings, the bowmen, chariots and horses of the king of Meluhha (Ethiopia), a countless host, and these came to their aid. In the neighborhood of the city of Altakû (Eltekeh), their ranks being drawn up before me, they offered battle. (Trusting) in the aid of Assur, my lord, I fought with them and brought about their defeat. The Egyptian charioteers and princes, together with the charioteers of the Ethiopian king, my hands took alive in the midst of the battle.” <ref> Pritchard, pgs. 287-8</ref>
The seeming arrogance displayed by the Assyrian kings in the annals is tempered by the fact that battlefield victories were granted by Assur/Ashur and the other gods. Therefore, the tone of Assyrian historiographical writing was the result of piety, not conceit, on the part of the king. <ref> Speiser, p. 67</ref>
===Mesopotamian Historiography after the Assyrians===
