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sections of broken treaties.^71 There is good evidence that the Assyrian
government was concerned to reduce civilian suffering even in mil-
itary actions against rebels^72 and that the Assyrian army carefully
refrained from atrocities in military operations rendered as aid to
friendly regimes.^734.2 Treatment of Foreign Nationals
4.2.1 Annexed territories
Inhabitants of territories annexed to the Empire as new provinces
became Assyrian citizens with full civil rights, subject to taxation,
military service (ilku) and labor duty (tup“ikku).^74 There is no evidence
that citizens of newly acquired territories were subject to any form
of racial, social, or religious discrimination vis-à-vis ethnic Assyrians.^75
The Assyrian political elite certainly constituted a privileged class,
but acculturized non-ethnic Assyrians were readily and routinely
incorporated into this power elite.^764.2.1.1 Deportees(galìtu,“aglû)
The reorganization of annexed territories usually involved large-scale
deportations, whereby large segments of population were moved to
another part of the Empire and resettled there, while people from
other parts of the Empire were moved in their place.^77 These mea-
sures had their justification in treaties previously concluded by the(^71) Cf. SAA 2 6: 292–95 and see the discussion in SAA 2, xxii–xxiii and xli; Vargyas,
“Le cylindre Rassam.. .”; Oded, War.. ., 41–43.
(^72) See, e.g., ABL 301 and 571 (letters of Assurbanipal to Babylonians before and
at the final phase of the Shamash-shum-ukin rebellion).
(^73) Cf., e.g., BM 132980 (unpub. letter of Assurbanipal to the elders of Elam),
10–17: “When Ummanigash came to grasp my feet and I sent my army with him,
and (when) they went and defeated Teumman, did we lay our hands on the tem-
ples, cities or anything? Did we take spoils of war? Did we not pour oil on blood
and become (your) benefactors?”
(^74) See e.g. Tadmor Tigl.III, Ann. 10:3–4 and 13:9–10; Lie Sar., Ann. 10, 17,
204, and 329; Postgate, Taxation...
(^75) The imposition of Ashur as the imperial god (see 3.4.7 above) did not exclude
the worship of other deities, which were regarded as names and attributes of the
supreme god.
(^76) People with foreign names are found in high offices of state from the ninth
century on, e.g., Yahalu, the state treasurer and eponym of years 833, 824, and
821, and commander-in-chief in 820–807; for further examples see Mattila,
Magnates... Many more individuals of foreign origin certainly held important state
office under assumed Assyrian names.
(^77) See Oded, Mass Deportations...
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