Basen Górnego Tygrysu w okresie imperium nowoasyryjskiego

Abstract

The Upper Tigris basin between Diyarbekir and Cizre forms a natural geographical boundary between the Anatolian highlands and Upper Mesopotamia. During the late Assyrian period, this region became a political border of the empire, where the Assyrians created a buffer zone comprising both small political entities that were more or less dependent and new provinces, successfully keeping the northern archenemy – Urartu at bay in this region. The neo-Assyrian kings were also keenly interested in stabilizing the political situation in the Upper Tigris valley for economic reasons. They exploited the abundant natural and human resources, including the natural deposit stretching to the north beyond the Taurus Mountains. Relevant written sources speak volumes about the methods of this exploitation, which are also reflected in the archeological data collected from the excavations conducted recently on a vast scale by the rescue projects (due to the building of the dams on the Tigris and the Euphrates.) This article deals with the socio-economic situation in the area between Cizre and Diyarbakir during the reign of the Sargonids, focusing on the role of the Upper Tigris between the two towns as a thoroughfare of transportation. The river was undoubtedly the main artery for the Assyrians transport goods and (to a lesser extent) people down the river into the Assyrian heartland.