【帝国时代一】亚述文明在官方说明文件中的描述

注：英语原文取自最古老版本的帝国时代一的帮助文件中，关于历史的文本量相当巨大，但在win7系统更新后，以win95为基础的hlp文件被淘汰，如今已经很难找到打开hlp文件的方法。如有大佬能提供支援就好了。

注：因为原hlp文件并未随着罗马复兴资料片的更新而更新，所以这个系列不包含新增的罗马、迦太基、马其顿和巴尔米拉文明。

注：因为年代久远（1996年左右），很多记述可能已经与最新的考古发现有着显著的差异。

注：蹩脚英语，翻译腔，懒得润色的语句。

注：英语原文放在前面，汉语翻译放在后面。

更多资料： 世界地理历史小常识37——叙利亚（CV5221230）

Assyrian culture (1800 to 600 BC)

Lord 

Byron began his poem “The Destruction of Sennacherib”with “The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold.”At the height of their power, the Assyrians were very much like a wolf among sheep, although their reputation is enhanced by several references to them in the Old Testament and by the extensive battle scenes that were found on their ruins. For a period, they rose to the challenge of being surrounded by enemies and became the most powerful military force in the known world. Their legendary barbarity and fierceness was a deliberate policy intended to foster the submission of enemies and minimize the threat of revolt by vassals.

Location

Assyria was located in northern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) along the Tigris River. It was settled after Sumer to the south but was dominated by the Sumerians both culturally and politically during its early history.

Capital

The capital of Assyria was Ashur for most of its existence, but moved to other sites when kings built new palaces. Other important cities and capitals in the Assyrian homeland were Nineveh, Arbela, Khorsabad, and Nimrud.

Rise to power

Around 2000 BC Assyria was invaded by Semitic barbarians called the Amorites. By 1800 BC an Amorite king of the Assyrians had established control over most of northern Mesopotamia. Their power was short-lived in this period, however, due first to the rise of Babylonia under Hammurabi and then the rise of the Mitanni in modern Syria.The period 1363 to 1000 BC was the Middle Assyrian Empire. Several strong kings first reasserted Assyrian independence and then began encroaching on neighboring empires. The Assyrians avoided destruction during the catastrophe of 1200 BC, perhaps because they were already embracing the new military tactics and weapons that the older kingdoms were not. In the political vacuum of the ancient dark age, the Assyrians prospered. By 1076 BC Tiglathpileser I had reached the Mediterranean to the west.The New Assyrian Empire, 1000 to 600 BC, was the peak of their conquests. Their empire stretched from the head of the Persian Gulf, around the Fertile Crescent through Damascus, Phoenicia, Palestine, and into Egypt as far south as Thebes. Their northwestern border was the Taurus Mountains of modern Turkey. Other than the vestiges of what had once been the Minoan (Crete), Mycenean (Greece), and Hittite (Turkey) cultures, all areas of pre-catastrophe civilization in the West were ruled by Assyria.

Economy

The Assyrian economy was based on agriculture and herding, but the Assyrians also benefited by being situated astride some important trade routes. They are not remembered as traders in their own right, perhaps only as tax collectors on traders passing through. During the New Empire period, they profited from the taxes and tribute they collected from their various provinces and vassal states, including even Egypt for a few years.

Religion and culture

The Assyrian religion was heavily influenced by that of its Mesopotamian predecessors, mainly Sumeria. The chief god of the Assyrians was Ashur, from whom both their culture and capital take their names. Their temples were large ziggurats built of mud bricks, like their neighbors to the south.The principal activity of the rich was hunting from chariots, appropriate for such a war-like culture. Despite their fearsome reputation, the Assyrians embraced civilization. They wrote using cuneiform and decorated their cities liberally with reliefs, painted stonework, and sculpture.

Government

The king was the head administrator of government, supported by local provincial governors. The palace was the site of government. Advisors consulted the omens before important decisions were made.Provinces and vassal cities were required to pay taxes and tribute in the form of food, goods, gold, labor, military supplies, and soldiers for the army. An extensive network of roads and grain depots were built during the New Empire to speed communication and armies moving to trouble spots.

Architecture

The Assyrians built on a large and lavish scale, using mostly mud bricks, but also stone that was more readily available than it was farther south. Several New Empire kings built extensive palaces and decorated them with the booty of war and the tribute of vassal states. Palaces were also decorated with painted stone reliefs, extensive gardens, and man-made streams. A common decorative fixture was the lamassus' winged hybrid creature, part bull and part man.

Military

The first Assyrian armies were peasant spearmen. Following a series of military reforms around 800 BC, however, they employed a standing army of conscripts and professionals. This army was better armed, armored, and supplied than most of its enemies, giving it important advantages. The New Empire armies benefited from cheap iron used for improved swords and armor.The Assyrians were among the first to adopt the concept of the integrated army made up of an infantry core for shock, supported by light missile troops and a mobile wing of chariots, camelry, and cavalry. The army was capable of fighting on the plains where chariots and then cavalry were critical, as well as in rough terrain where horses and chariots had little use. They campaigned regularly to the north and east against barbarians that posed a threat. The elite of the army for many years were the charioteers, followed by the cavalry when chariots became obsolete.The Assyrians were accomplished at the art of capturing walled cities. Their historical records recount numerous city assaults and the brutality that followed. Cities that did not submit were often completely destroyed. Inhabitants were either killed or sent to another corner of the empire as slaves.

Decline and fall

The brutal policies of subjugation and exorbitant demands for tribute and taxes made the Assyrians unpopular masters. Despite the ferocity of their reprisals, vassal states continually revolted given an opportunity. Weaker kings were unable to hold the empire together in the face of internal and external pressure. In 612 BC the capital at Nineveh fell to a coalition of Babylonians and Medes. The Babylonians were in revolt (Babylon had been sacked in 648 BC) and the Medes (from modern western Iran) were seeking retribution for past Assyrian invasions of their lands.The last Assyrian army was defeated soon thereafter by the same coalition and the Assyrians as a separate culture disappeared from the world's stage.

Legacy

The Assyrians are remembered from their boastful inscriptions and biblical references as ferocious warriors. Whether they were significantly more brutal than was normal for the time is unclear.For several centuries, however, they were the greatest military power in the civilized world. Their armies were innovative, and they appear to have been among the first to use large bodies of cavalry effectively. They certainly influenced the Persian armies that followed them.They are not remembered for any significant advances in technology, philosophy, the arts, or science. Their cities have been piles of rubble for thousands of years now and have not given up fabulous treasures that can compare with those of Egypt and Greece.

亚述文明（公元前1800至公元前600年）

统治

拜伦用“亚述像一头狼来到了羊圈一般。”作为他的史诗《塞纳基里布的破坏》的开头。从亚述的力量来看，亚述人的确像是羊群中的狼，尽管他们的声誉在旧约中，以及他们自己的废墟中大量描绘战争场面的作品中得到了印证。在一段时期内，他们从被敌人包围的挑战中发展，转而成为已知世界上最强大的军事力量。他们传说中的野蛮和残忍是一种特殊的政策，来促使敌人倾向于投降，并且尽量减少附属武装的威胁。

位置

亚述位于美索不达米亚（现代的伊拉克）北部的底格里斯河畔。他们定居在南方的苏美尔文明旁边，但在早期历史中却被苏美尔人从文化政治各个角度统治着

首都

亚述的首都长期位于阿舒尔，但在国王建造新宫殿时，就会迁都至其他地方，例如其他省会：尼尼微、阿尔贝拉、霍尔沙巴德和尼姆鲁德。

发展到强盛

大约公元前2000年，亚述被闪族野蛮人阿摩利人入侵，到了公元前1800年，亚述的阿摩利人王国已经控制了北美索不达米亚的大部分区域，但是在这个时期的政权多数短命，这首先是由于汉莫拉比的巴比伦王国的兴起，其次是由于位于现代叙利亚的米坦尼王国的兴起。公元前1363年到公元前1000年属于中亚述帝国时期，许多强势的国王首先重申亚述是独立的，之后就开始入侵邻国。亚述在公元前1200年的海民入侵灾难中得以幸免，可能是因为他们已经采取了新的军事策略以及采用新式武器，而其他老王国并没有。在这之后的古黑暗时期的权力真空之中，亚述繁荣昌盛。公元前1076年，提格拉斯皮勒瑟一世向西开疆拓土到达了地中海。公元前1000年至公元前600年属于新亚述帝国时期，是他们征服活动的高峰。他们的帝国从波斯湾的头部向西，通过大马士革、腓尼基、巴勒斯坦周围的肥沃的新月之地，一直进入埃及，远达埃及的底比斯。他们的西北边界是现代土耳其境内的金牛山。除了曾经是米诺斯（克里特）、迈锡尼（希腊）和赫梯（土耳其）文明的区域之外，所有的西方灾前远古文明区域都由亚述统治。

经济

亚述的经济以农业和畜牧业为主，但是亚述也受益于过境的重要贸易路线。他们自己并不被当做贸易者被记住，也许是被当作贸易路线的收税者记住的。在新帝国时期，他们从各个行省、城邦包括埃及的税收和贡赋中获利许多年。

宗教与文化

亚述的宗教深受美索不达米亚的前辈影响，例如苏美尔。亚述人的主神是阿舒尔，他们的文明和首都的名字都由此而来。他们的寺庙是大型复杂曲折的泥砖制建筑，就像他们南方的邻居一样。富人的主要活动是在战车上狩猎，非常贴切这样的一个战争化的文明。亚述人有着可怕的名声，但是他们保护文明，他们用楔形文字书写，用浮雕、绘制石像和雕塑来装饰他们的城市。

政府

国王是政府的最高管理者，受到各地省长的支持。宫殿即为政府的所在。顾问在重大决策前会询问占卜。行省和附属城邦被要求以食物、商品、金子、劳工、军事支持以及士兵的形式支付税款和贡赋，在新帝国时期，建立了广泛的道路和粮仓系统，加快了消息传播和军队的转移。

建筑

亚述人使用泥砖来修建大型豪华建筑，主要是因为相对于遥远的南方而言，石砖难以获取。几个新帝国国王建立的几个宫殿，使用战争的战利品和藩属国的贡品来装饰。宫殿由绘制石质浮雕装饰，许许多多的人造喷泉、花园也用于装饰。还有一种常见的装饰是拉玛苏斯——混合了翅膀的动物形象，一半是牛形，一半是人形。

军事

第一批亚述军队是农民矛兵，然而，经过公元前800年左右的一系列军事改革，他们雇佣了常役军队和专业军人。这支军队更好地武装过，穿着装甲，这为他们提供了优势。新帝国军队受益于用来改进剑和盔甲的廉价的铁。亚述人也率先使用轻型弹道武器和快速移动的两翼战车支援的步兵核心综合军队概念，并引入了骆驼兵和骑兵。军队能够在平原上战斗，战车和骑兵是至关重要的。在马和战车难以发挥优势的崎岖地形，他们定期派遣军队来反制造成威胁的东部、北部野蛮人。多年来，军队的精英是战车兵，后来则是由骑兵来取代了过时的战车兵。亚述人完善了他们的的攻城技术，他们的历史记录了许多城市的沦陷和随之而来的屠杀。没有投降的城市往往被彻底摧毁，居民被屠杀或者被送到帝国的另一个角落作为奴隶。

衰落与灭亡

残酷的政策、奴役、野蛮的要求以及贪婪的对税收和贡赋的要求，使亚述人称为不受欢迎的主人。尽管会遭到凶猛的报复，但是附庸国却是持续地反抗，这给了他们机会。面对内外压力，较弱的国王无法将帝国统一起来。公元前648年，巴比伦已经被解放，公元前612年，尼尼微作为首都沦陷到巴比伦和米底联盟手中。巴比伦人起义，米底（现在的伊朗西部）正在寻求对亚述入侵他们土地的报复。最后的亚述军队随后被这一联盟打败，而亚述人作为一个独立的文明，消失在了世界舞台上。

遗产

亚述人因为自夸的题词和圣经的记录，被当做凶残的战士而记住，记忆中的他们是否比真实的他们更为残忍还不清楚，但是几个世纪以来，他们仍是历史上最伟大的军事力量。他们的军队总是创新的，他们似乎是第一个有效使用大型骑兵队的人。他们很明显的影响了后来的波斯军队。他们对技术、哲学、艺术或科学方面的成就已经被忘记，他们的城市也在数千年里堆满了瓦砾，只有这些瓦砾还守着可以与埃及和希腊相比的神话与宝藏。

这是帝国时代一相关文明说明文件翻译的第（4/12）部：

1.埃及：CV13647116 

2.希腊：CV13828033

3.巴比伦：CV13907052

4.亚述：本篇

5.米诺斯：

6.赫梯：

7.腓尼基：

8.苏美尔：

9.波斯：

10.商：

11.朝鲜：

12.大和：