Ponchia Simonetta, Lanfranchi Giovanni B. The Neo-Assyrian Empire: A Handbook

De Gruyter, 2024. — 668 p.The ancient historians considered the Assyrian empire the crucial starting point of a new political system that was adopted by later empires. In modern historical research, this problem still needs to be investigated from a global perspective that studies the development of the imperial model through the ages. Abundant epigraphical and archaeological sources can be used in investigating the expansionistic tactics, the control structures, and the administrative procedures implemented by the Assyrians through a continuous effort of adaptation to evolving situations and changing needs. The book provides an updated outline of the history of the Assyrian empire and its neighbors, a detailed analysis of the technical and ideological aspects of the construction of the Assyrian empire, and its long-lasting legacy in the Near East and the West. For its broad theoretical framework, which includes the reference to studies of ancient and modern empires and imperialism, the book is intended not only for the specialists of Ancient Near Eastern history but also for a wider public of Classical and Medieval historians and of historians interested in world and global history.Simonetta Ponchia, University of Verona, Italy; Giovanni Battista Lanfranchi, University of Padova, Italy.