Tiglath-Pileser III

Tiglath-Pileser III: stela from the walls of his palace ( British Museum , London ). Tiglath-Pileser III (from the Hebraic form of Akkadian : Tukultī-apil-Ešarra , "my trust is in the son of Esharra") was a prominent king of Assyria in the 8th century BC (ruled 745–727 BC) and is widely regarded as the founder of the Neo-Assyrian Empire . He is considered to be one of the most successful military commanders in world history, conquering most of the world known to the Assyrians before his death. Spelled as "Tiglath-Pileser" in the Book of Kings ( 2Kings 15:29 ) and as "Tilgath-Pilneser" in the Book of Chronicles ( 2Chronicles 28:20 ).

Tiglath-Pileser III: stela from the walls of his palace ( British Museum , London ). Tiglath-Pileser III (from the Hebraic form of Akkadian : Tukultī-apil-Ešarra , "my trust is in the son of Esharra ") was a prominent king of Assyria in the eighth century BCE (ruled 745–727 BCE) who introduced advanced civil, military, and political systems into the Neo-Assyrian Empire . Tiglath-Pileser III seized the Assyrian throne during a civil war and killed the royal family. He made sweeping changes to the Assyrian government, considerably improving its efficiency and security. The Assyrian army, already the greatest fighting force in the world since the time of Ashur-uballit I (1366-1330 BCE), now became the world's first professional standing army . Tiglath-Pileser III subjugated much of the known world at the time; to the south, his fellow Mesopotamians in Babylonia and Chaldea , and further south still, the Arabs , Magan , Meluhha , and Dilmunites of the Arabian Peninsula . In the south west, Israel , Judah , Philistia , Samarra , Moab , Edom , the Suteans and Nabatea fell. To the north, Urartu , Armenia and Scythia in the Caucasus Mountains , Cimmeria by the Black Sea , and Nairi were subjugated, and in the north west much of eastern and south western Asia Minor , including the Hittites , Phrygia , Cilicia , Commagene , Tabal , Corduene and Caria . In the west, the Greeks of Cyprus and Aram (modern Syria ), and the Mediterranean City States of Phoenicia / Caanan were subjugated. To the east he subjugated Persia , Media , Gutium , Mannea , Cissia and Elam , and later in his reign, Tiglath-Pileser III was crowned king in Babylonia. Tiglath-Pileser III discouraged revolts against Assyrian rule with the use of forced deportations of thousands of people all over the empire. He is one of the greatest military commanders in world history, conquering most of the world known to the Assyrians before his death. There are <ref group=Note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a template (see the help page ).

Tiglath-Pileser III (cuneiform: 𒆪𒋾𒀀𒂍𒈗𒊏 TUKUL.TI.A.É.ŠÁR.RA ; Akkadian : Tukultī-apil-Ešarra , meaning "my trust is in the son of the Ešarra "; Tiglat Pil’eser ) was a prominent king of Assyria in the eighth century BCE (ruled 745–727 BCE) who introduced advanced civil, military, and political systems into the Neo-Assyrian Empire . Tiglath-Pileser III seized the Assyrian throne during a civil war and killed the royal family. He made sweeping changes to the Assyrian government, considerably improving its efficiency and security. He created Assyria's first professional standing army . Tiglath-Pileser III subjugated much of the Near East region; to the south, his fellow Mesopotamians in Babylonia and Chaldea , and further south still, the Arabs , Magan , Meluhha , and Dilmunites of the Arabian Peninsula . In the south west, Israel , Judah , Philistia , Samarra , Moab , Edom , the Suteans and Nabatea fell. To the north, Urartu , Armenia and Scythia in the Caucasus Mountains , Cimmeria by the Black Sea , and Nairi were subjugated, and in the north west much of eastern and south western Asia Minor , including the Hittites , Phrygia , Cilicia , Commagene , Tabal , Corduene and Caria . In the west, the Greeks of Cyprus and Aram (modern Syria ), and the Mediterranean city-states of Phoenicia / Caanan were subjugated. To the east he subjugated Persia , Media , Gutium , Mannea , Cissia and Elam . Later in his reign he was crowned king in Babylonia. Tiglath-Pileser III discouraged revolts against Assyrian rule with the use of forced deportations of thousands of people all over the empire. He is one of the most successful military commanders in world history, conquering most of the world known to the Assyrians before his death.

8th-Century BCE Assyrian king, Neo-Assyrian Empire Tiglath-Pileser III ( Neo-Assyrian cuneiform : Tukultī-apil-Ešarra , meaning "my trust belongs to the son of Ešarra"), was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 745 BC to his death in 727. One of the most prominent and historically significant Assyrian kings , Tiglath-Pileser ended a period of Assyrian stagnation, introduced numerous political and military reforms and more than doubled the lands under Assyrian control. Because of the massive expansion and centralization of Assyrian territory and establishment of a standing army , some researchers consider Tiglath-Pileser's reign to mark the true transition of Assyria into an empire . The reforms and methods of control introduced under Tiglath-Pileser laid the groundwork for policies enacted not only by later Assyrian kings but also by later empires for millennia after his death. The circumstances of Tiglath-Pileser's rise to the throne are not clear. Because ancient Assyrian sources give conflicting accounts concerning Tiglath-Pileser's lineage and there are records of a revolt at around the time of his accession, many historians have concluded that Tiglath-Pileser was a usurper , who seized the throne from his predecessor Ashur-nirari V , who was either his brother or his father. Other historians postulate that the evidence could just as easily be interpreted as Tiglath-Pileser inheriting the throne through legitimate means and the debate remains unresolved. Tiglath-Pileser early on increased royal power and authority through curbing the influence of prominent officials and generals. After securing some minor victories in 744 and 743, he defeated the Urartian king Sarduri II in battle near Arpad in 743. This victory was significant since Urartu had for a brief time equalled Assyrian power; Sarduri had eleven years earlier defeated Tiglath-Pileser's predecessor Ashur-nirari. After defeating Sarduri, Tiglath-Pileser turned his attention to the Levant . Over the course of several years, Tiglath-Pileser conquered most of the Levant, defeating and then either annexing or subjugating previously influential kingdoms, notably ending the kingdom of Aram-Damascus . Tiglath-Pileser's activities in the Levant were recorded in the Hebrew Bible . After a few years of conflict, Tiglath-Pileser conquered Babylonia in 729, becoming the first king to rule as both king of Assyria and king of Babylon . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

8th-Century BCE Assyrian king, Neo-Assyrian Empire This article contains cuneiform script . Without proper rendering support , you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of cuneiform script. Tiglath-Pileser III ( Neo-Assyrian Akkadian : 𒆪𒋾𒀀𒂍𒈗𒊏 , romanized: Tukultī-apil-Ešarra , meaning "my trust belongs to the son of Ešarra", Biblical Hebrew : תִּגְלַת פִּלְאֶסֶר ‎ , romanized: Tiglaṯ Pilʾeser ) was the Neo-Assyrian emperor from 745 BC to his death in 727. One of the most prominent and historically significant Assyrian rulers, Tiglath-Pileser ended a period of Assyrian stagnation, introduced numerous political and military reforms, and doubled the lands under Assyrian control. Because of the massive expansion and centralization of Assyrian territory and the establishment of a standing army , some researchers consider Tiglath-Pileser's reign to mark the actual transition of Assyria into an empire. The reforms and methods of control introduced under Tiglath-Pileser laid the groundwork for policies enacted not only by later Assyrian kings but also by later empires for millennia after his death. The circumstances of Tiglath-Pileser's rise to the throne are not clear. Because ancient Assyrian sources give conflicting accounts concerning Tiglath-Pileser's lineage and there are records of a revolt around the time of his accession, many historians have concluded that Tiglath-Pileser was a usurper , who seized the throne from his predecessor Ashur-nirari V , who was either his brother or his father. Other historians postulate that the evidence could just as easily be interpreted as Tiglath-Pileser inheriting the throne through legitimate means, and the debate remains unresolved. Tiglath-Pileser increased royal power and authority by curbing the influence of prominent officials and generals. After securing some minor victories in 744 and 743, he defeated the Urartian king Sarduri II in battle near Arpad in 743. This victory was significant since Urartu had equalled Assyrian power briefly; Sarduri had defeated Tiglath-Pileser's predecessor Ashur-nirari eleven years earlier. After defeating Sarduri, Tiglath-Pileser turned his attention to the Levant . Over several years, he conquered most of the Levant, defeating and then either annexing or subjugating previously influential kingdoms, notably ending the kingdom of Aram-Damascus . Tiglath-Pileser's activities in the Levant were recorded in the Hebrew Bible . After a few years of conflict, Tiglath-Pileser conquered Babylonia in 729, becoming the first king to rule as sovereign of both Assyria and Babylonia. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).