UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Transit Corridors and Assyrian Strategy: Case Studies from the 8th-7th Century BCE Southern Levant A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philisophy in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures by Heidi Michelle Fessler 2016 © Copyright by Heidi Michelle Fessler 2016 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Transit Corridors and Assyrian Strategy: Case Studies from the 8th-7th Century BCE Southern Levant by Heidi Michelle Fessler Doctor of Philisophy in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures University of California, Los Angeles, 2016 Professor Aaron Alexander Burke, Chair Several modern studies and the Assyrians themselves have claimed not only the extreme military measures but also substantial geo-political impact of Assyrian conquest in the southern Levant; however, examples of Assyrian violence and control are actually underrepresented in the archaeological record. The few scholars that have pointed out this dearth of corroborative data have attributed it to an apathetic attitude adopted by Assyria toward the region during both conquest and political control. I argue in this dissertation that the archaeological record reflects Assyrian military strategy rather than indifference. Data from three case studies, Megiddo, Ashdod, and the Western Negev, suggest that the small number of sites with evidence of destruction and even fewer sites with evidence of Assyrian imperial control are a product of a strategy that allowed Assyria to annex the region with less investment than their annals claim. ii Furthermore, Assyria’s network of imperial outposts monitored international highways in a manner that allowed a small local and foreign population to participate in trade and defense opportunities that ultimately benefited the Assyrian core. iii The dissertation of Heidi Michelle Fessler is approved. Elizabeth F. Carter Sarah P. Morris Aaron Alexander Burke, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2016 iv Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 2. Background of the Problem ........................................................................................................ 2 3. Statement of the Problem and Purpose of the Study................................................................... 9 4. Primary Research Question ....................................................................................................... 10 5. Research Design........................................................................................................................ 11 6. Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................. 17 6.1 Assyrian Warfare Strategy .................................................................................................. 18 6.2 Assyria and Its Frontiers ..................................................................................................... 22 7. Scope ......................................................................................................................................... 26 8. Overview of Study .................................................................................................................... 27 Chapter 2. Assyrian Magidu as a Transit Corridor 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 29 2. Location .................................................................................................................................... 30 3. Texts Relating to Megiddo........................................................................................................ 30 4. Boundaries ................................................................................................................................ 35 5. Brief History of Scholarship ..................................................................................................... 38 6. Survey of Architecture and Material Culture ............................................................................ 41 6.1 Destructions Associated with Tiglath-pileser III 733/2 Campaigns in the Southern Levant ................................................................................................................................... 41 6.2 Abandonment associated with Tiglath-pileser III 733/2 campaigns in the southern Levant ................................................................................................................................... 45 6.3 Assyrian Administrative Architecture ............................................................................ 47 6.4 Local Material Culture Alongside Assyrian Architecture .............................................. 54 6.5 Combined Data ............................................................................................................... 58 6.6 Overview of Sites ............................................................................................................ 59 7. Comparative Data ..................................................................................................................... 63 8. Analysis..................................................................................................................................... 68 9. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 75 v Chapter 3. Assyrian Strategy?: The Province of Ašdudu and the Problem of Ekron 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 77 2. Location .................................................................................................................................... 78 4. Boundaries ................................................................................................................................ 78 3. Texts Relating to Philistia ......................................................................................................... 80 5. Brief History of Scholarship ..................................................................................................... 88 6. Survey of Architecture and Material Culture ............................................................................ 93 6.1 Destructions Linked to Assyrian Campaigns ...................................................................... 94 6.2 Evidence of Settlement Changes during the Time of Assyrian Campaigns ....................... 96 6.3 Philistia in Assyrian Territory ............................................................................................. 97 6.3.1 Ashdod and Its Surroundings ....................................................................................... 98 6.3.2 Nahal Soreq and Ekron ................................................................................................ 99 6.3.3 Area surrounding Tell es Safi/Gath ........................................................................... 100 6.3.4 Ashkelon and Its surroundings................................................................................... 101 6.3.5 Northern Coastal Plain and Northern Shephelah ....................................................... 102 6.4 Assyrian Architecture and Material Culture ..................................................................... 106 6.5 Local Material Culture ...................................................................................................... 108 6.6. Summary .......................................................................................................................... 109 6.7 Combined Data ................................................................................................................. 110 7. Comparative Data ................................................................................................................... 112 8. Analysis................................................................................................................................... 113 9. Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 120 Chapter 4. The Western Negev, So-called “Assyrian Fortresses” and “Buffer Zones” 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 121 2. Location .................................................................................................................................. 122 3. Texts Relating to the Western Negev ..................................................................................... 123 4. Location in Provincial System ................................................................................................ 126 5. Brief History of Scholarship ................................................................................................... 126 6. Survey of Architecture and Material Culture .......................................................................... 129 6.1 Destructions Attributed to Assyria.................................................................................... 130 6.2 Survey