Before the Assyrian Conquest in 671 BCE: Relations Between Egypt, Kush and Assyria
Before the Assyrian Conquest in 671 B.C.E.: Relations between Egypt, Kush and Assyria* Silvie Zamazalová INTRODUCTION In 701 B.C.E., the Neo-Assyrian king Sennacherib (r. 704–681 B.C.E.) fought a battle against an anti-Assyrian coalition of Philistine city-states1 and their allies at Eltekeh, probably located north of the city of Ashdod (Kitchen 19862: 385 n. 815). The coalition was supported by Egyptian and Kushite forces, dispatched by the Kushite ruler Shebitku as a response to Philistia’s plea for help. An inscription of Sennacherib describes the encounter as follows: “They (i.e. Ekron and its allies) got help from the kings of Egypt, troops, archers, chariots and cavalry of the king of Nubia, a force without number... In the vicinity of Eltekeh, battle lines were drawn in front of me... With the help of Aššur, my lord, I fought with them and brought about their defeat. The charioteers and princes of Egypt, together with the charioteers of the king of Nubia, my hands took alive in the midst of battle...” (Melville 2006: 346) While the exact nature of the battle’s outcome is a matter of debate,2 it marked an important watershed in the relations between Assyria and Egypt/Kush. Egypt- ian involvement in Philistine affairs was not without precedent, but Shebitku’s open and unambiguous opposition to Assyria was new, as was as his ability to subjugate the Delta chieftains (the “kings of Egypt” referred to by Sennacherib) and thus create a relatively united political front (Redford 2004: 91). The confronta- tion at Eltekeh signalled openly hostile relations (Kitchen 19862: 155, §126) which would eventually culminate in Egypt’s conquest, and temporary integration into Assyria’s impressive empire, by Sennacherib’s successor Esarhaddon (r.
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