Alterity in Ancient Assyrian Propaganda

Book excerpt: This book is a comprehensive analysis of the image of "enemy" in Assyrian state ideology, based on royal titles attested in Assyrian documents from Old Assyrian through Neo-Assyrian times, the narratives of Assyrian royal inscriptions, and Assyrian palace art. The main focus of the study is the creation of enemy images as a timeless and universal ruling technique embodied in postcolonial concepts such as "alterity" and "the Other." The data collected by the author make it possible to make interesting comparisons between the Old, Middle, and Neo-Assyrian periods and to isolate continuities and new trends in the development of Assyrian state propaganda over a period of more than 1400 years.