Assyrian Historiography

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Title: Assyrian Historiography
Author: Albert Ten Eyck Olmstead
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ASSYRIAN HISTORIOGRAPHY A SOURCE STUDY

THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI STUDIES
SOCIAL SCIENCE SERIES VOLUME III NUMBER 1
ASSYRIAN HISTORIOGRAPHY
A Source Study By ALBERT TEN EYCK OLMSTEAD Associate
Professor of Ancient History

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I
Assyrian Historians and their Histories

CHAPTER II
The Beginnings of True History (Tiglath Pileser I)

CHAPTER III
The Development of Historical Writing (Ashur nasir apal and
Shalmaneser III)

CHAPTER IV
Shamshi Adad and the Synchronistic History

CHAPTER V
Sargon and the Modern Historical Criticism

CHAPTER VI
Annals and Display Inscriptions (Sennacherib and Esarhaddon)

CHAPTER VII
Ashur bani apal and Assyrian Editing

CHAPTER VIII
The Babylonian Chronicle and Berossus


CHAPTER I
ASSYRIAN HISTORIANS AND THEIR HISTORIES
To the serious student of Assyrian history, it is obvious that we cannot
write that history until we have adequately discussed the sources. We
must learn what these are, in other words, we must begin with a
bibliography of the various documents. Then we must divide them into
their various classes, for different classes of inscriptions are of varying
degrees of accuracy. Finally, we must study in detail for each reign the
sources, discover which of the various documents or groups of
documents are the most nearly contemporaneous with the events they
narrate, and on these, and on these alone, base our history of the period.
To the less narrowly technical reader, the development of the historical

sense in one of the earlier culture peoples has an interest all its own.
The historical writings of the Assyrians form one of the most important
branches of their literature. Indeed, it may be claimed with much truth
that it is the most characteristically Assyrian of them all. [Footnote:
This study is a source investigation and not a bibliography. The only
royal inscriptions studied in detail are those presenting source problems.
Minor inscriptions of these rulers are accorded no more space than is
absolutely necessary, and rulers who have not given us strictly
historical inscriptions are generally passed in silence. The
bibliographical notes are condensed as much as possible and make no
pretense of completeness, though they will probably be found the most
complete yet printed. Every possible care has been taken to make the
references accurate, but the fact that many were consulted in the
libraries of Cornell University, University of Chicago, Columbia
University, and the University of Pennsylvania, and are thus
inaccessible at the time when the work is passing through the press,
leaves some possibility of error. Dr. B. B. Charles, Instructor in
Semitics in the University of Pennsylvania, has kindly verified those
where error has seemed at all likely.--For the English speaking reader,
practically all the inscriptions for the earlier half of the history are
found in Budge-Kjing, _Annals of the Kings of Assyria. 1_. For the
remainder, Harper, _Assyrian and Babylonian Literature_, is adequate,
though somewhat out of date. Rogers, _Cuneiform Parallels to the, Old
Testament_, gives an up to date translation of those passages which
throw light on the Biblical writings. Other works cited are generally of
interest only to specialists and the most common are cited by
abbreviations which will be found at the close of the study.]
The Assyrians derived their historical writing, as they did so many
other cultural elements, from the Babylonians. In that country, there
had existed from the earliest times two types of historical inscriptions.
The more common form developed from the desire of the kings to
commemorate, not