Assyrian Historiography, by A.T. Olmstead

One of the funnier parts of this book, which is unexpected given the serious and esoteric nature of its contents, is the way in which the author cleverly denigrates the claims for much of Assyrian historiography to high claims of truth. Although the Assyrian texts are often used to critique the Bible, this book points out, even using the texts that were available in the early 19th century that were largely untranslated at the time, that the Assyrian rulers were not particularly honest when it came to only taking credit for their own conquests, but would routinely steal the glory from their fathers, from previous rulers of other dynasties, and even from their generals and provincial governors. Of interest is the way in which relatively honest chronicles in the beginning would be corrected as a reign went on and rulers needed more glory to demonstrate their legitimacy than they had fairly achieved on their own.

The book itself is designed in a chronological fashion, looking first at the sorts of written sources that count as Assyrian historiography, then taking a look at the most notable texts and textual problems for the major periods of Assyrian history, examining the basic unreliability and incomplete nature of the text, as well as the fact that many of the sources that have been found have simply not been translated and had not, at the time the book was written, been made generally accessible even to academic audiences. Among the most interesting cases is that of Ashurbanipal, who was himself a brutal scholar who nonetheless regularly stole the credit of his generals and even his father as he ruled an empire that was falling apart among constant internal and external conflict and the corruptions of luxury.

Although this book is fairly short, and could easily be longer were it written today, it has some major benefits to readers. For one, it shows a great respect for biblical sources as well as the best writings of antiquity. For another, it is honest, and humorously so, in a way that not only disarms the common praise for the lying chronicles of Assyrian kings, but also for the mentality in many official texts to lie in such a way as to dare politically impossible critique. For example, putting obvious lies in a palace room where no one would be foolish enough to point them out seems to be the prerogative of a corrupt “Oriental” monarch such as the Assyrian rulers were. The fact that even the Babylonians were much more trustworthy in their writing seems a particularly galling matter for those who study the Assyrian empire. This book goes a long way in pointing out that the heathen world of the Ancient Near East did not particularly value truth nor honest and critical accounts of its leaders. For that, we must seek out better historical sources.