Introduction

The purpose of this introduction is twofold: it attempts to summarize some of the main features appearing in the epistolary texts that are often called the" Nimrud Letters" and to provide a background for the events depicted in these letters. Therefore, a short outline is provided of the historical events taking place in Assyria and her empire in the latter part of the eighth century BC, especially during the reign of Tiglath-pileser III. Our emphasis is on " new finds," i.e., topics that have not yet received much or any attention and to which the new editions of these letters add significant information. Some overlap has been unavoidable in the Introduction, but hopefully this makes things clearer.

In practice, the roles and activities of the leading people are brought to the fore. A section of the Introduction is dedicated to the influential figures of the letters, with a succinct discussion of their roles. It is desirable to gain more evidence on these high-ranking Assyrian officials, many of whom sent letters to the king of Assyria, so that we can study and better understand their role and importance in the Neo-Assyrian empire. Another section deals with the most frequent senders/writers of the letters in this volume (immediately below). However, though these are partly the same as the " influential figures," the two sections have different functions. Moreover, the section on some influential figures also contains individuals from whom we do not have any extant letters.

Mikko Luukko

Mikko Luukko, 'Introduction', The Correspondence of Tiglath-Pileser III and Sargon II from Calah/Nimrud, SAA 19. Original publication: Winona Laka, IN, Eisenbrauns, 2012; online contents: SAAo/SAA19 Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2021 [http://oracc.org/saao/saa19/introduction/]

 
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