their usual occupations. The Assyrian victories thus rarely
produced the decisive results which are claimed for them; they almost
always left the conquered people with sufficient energy and resources
to enable them to resume the conflict after a brief interval, and the
supremacy which the suzerain claimed as a result of his conquests was of
the most ephemeral nature. A revolt would suffice to shake it, while a
victory would be almost certain to destroy it, and once more reduce the
empire to the limits of Assyria proper.

Tukultiabalesharra, familiar to us under the name of Tiglath-pileser,*
is the first of the great warrior-kings of Assyria to stand out before
us with any definite individuality.

* Tiglath-pileser is one of the transcriptions given in the
LXX. for the Hebrew version of the name: it signifies, "The
child of Esharra is my strength." By "the child of Esharra"
the Assyrians, like the Chaldaeans, understood the child of
Ninib.

We find him, in the interval between two skirmishes, engaged in hunting
lions or in the pursuit of other wild beasts, and we see him lavishing
offerings on the gods and enriching their temples with the spoils of
his victories; these, however, were not the normal occupations of this
sovereign, for peace with him was merely an interlude in a reign of
conflict. He led all his expeditions in person, undeterred by any
consideration of fatigue or danger, and scarcely had he returned from
one arduous campaign, than he proceeded to sketch the plan of that for
the following year; in short, he reigned only to wage war. His father,
Assurishishi, had bequeathed him not only a prosperous kingdom, but a
well-organised army, which he placed in the field without delay. During
the fifty years since the Mushku, descending through the gorges of the
Taurus, had invaded the Alzi and the Puru-kuzzi, Assyria had not only
lost possession of all the countries bordering the left bank of the
Euphrates, but the whole of Kummukh had withdrawn its allegiance from
her, and had ceased to pay tribute. Tiglath-pileser had ascended the
throne only a few weeks ere he quitted Assur, marched rapidly across
Eastern Mesopotamia by the usual route, through Singar and Nisib, and
climbing the chain of the Kashiara, near Mardin, bore down into the very
heart of Kummukh, where twenty thousand Mushku, under the command of
five kings, resolutely awaited him. He repulsed them in the very first
engagemen