Seven Kings: The Second King, Assyria

The Bible was written over a period of some 1,600 years. The Bible’s message is one of hope for an end to the suffering caused by human misrule. Its history and prophecy are linked to seven world powers. In this tour, we will discuss the Second World Power: Assyria. We will look at artifacts that speak to the Religion of the Assyrians and the oppression over Jehovah’s people. Another highlight of the tour is the impact that the Assyrians had on the origins of writing and cuneiform.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located in New York City in the United States. It is considered one of the most famous museums in the world. Its collection includes some 2,000,000 works of art and on average, the Museum would receive about 20,000 visitors per day. It would take us a full 4 years to spend one minute per artifact without stopping even for a break in order to explore the entire permanent collection.

None of the artifacts on this tour are reproductions. They are all original artifacts. We will also see some computer representations of Assyrian structures and the remains of them that are located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Relief fragment: cavalrymen along a stream in mountainous terrain: This relief was found in a palace in Nineveh. Here we see an example of how the Assyrian army invaded and captured cities. Hezekiah may have been aware of this battle strategy. Notice various details showing the Assyrian army in action.

Cuneiform Tablet: The Ancient Assyrians are often credited with being the ones responsible for the origins of writings. Although the Egyptians had writing during their time, the Assyrians included a more detailed and complex writing system. Jehovah has decided to also “speak to us to through writing.” We will highlight this communication that the Assyrians used and how it was so pivotal to future generations.

Lamassi: Inside of an Assyrian Palace he may have seen these intimidatingly massive sculptures, called Lamassi. These represented superhuman powers whose duty was to protect the King's palace. These sculptures highlight the Religion of the Assyrians and their oppression of God’s people.