Un jour, Une Œuvre,
18/12
Reliefs of the Deportation of the Elamites AO 19906-07 Richelieu room 6 This collection of low-reliefs (3, 5-10)
was part of the wall decoration of
the Palace of Ashurbanipal,
the last great Assyrian sovereign.
Bas-reliefs of the Palace of Ashurbanipal and
policy of deportation
The conquest of cities brought about a policy of deporting civil populations. Providing precious manual labour, it also put an end to any idea of revolt. The Bible reports these forced movements of defeated populations.
Tiglath-Pileser III thus led
the inhabitants of “Gil´e·ad and Gal´i·lee,
all the land of Naph´ta·li, and
to carry them into exile in As·syr´i·a.”
(2 Kings 15:29). Also called ‘Pul’, he is the first Assyrian
king mentioned in the Bible by name. He was to make an incursion into
the Kingdom of Israel under the reign
of Menahem, before the latter paid
a tribute of a thousand talents so that
he withdraws. - 2 Kings 15:19,20
The Bible also speaks of forced displacement
His successor, Shalmaneser V, “[also] mounted against the whole country” and besieged its capital, Samaria. It nonetheless appears that Sargon II was the one to profit from this victory. The Bible says that the King of Assyria “led Israel into exile in As·syr´i·a and kept them dwelling in Ha´lah and in Ha´bor and in the cities of the Medes.” (2 Kings 17:5,6). The annals of Sargon mention the deportation of 27,290 Israelites. It is perhaps this king who “brought people from Babylon and Cu´thah […] and had them dwell in the cities of Sa·mar´i·a instead of the sons of Israel”. - 2 Kings 17:24.
Nergal (MNB 1905), sun-god of the summer solstice, violent and wrathful, known as ‘the one who burns’, was worshipped above all at Cu´thah. The inhabitants of this city, that the King of Assyria moved after the exile of the Jews, continued to revere this divinity (2 Kings 17:29, 30). According to Joseph, their descendants were called ‘Samaritans’. A227 Samaria biblePlaces.com
The disastrous end of the ‘rebel’ Samaria had been predicted by the Prophet Hosea. “Sa·mar´i·a will be held guilty […] By the sword they will fall. Their own children will be dashed to pieces, and their pregnant women themselves will be ripped up.” (Hosea 13:16). History has shown that the Assyrians were capable of such atrocities.
