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Calculating Percentages of Battle Casualties: On the Reliability of Assyrian Annals and Reliefs from the 9th Century B.C.
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Jordi Vidal
Published/Copyright:
January 9, 2014
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to analyse the sources available for approximating percentages of casualties. Three case studies have been chosen due to the good availability of sources: the battles of Ḫaridu (877 B.C.), Ḫubuškia (859 B.C.) and Qarqar (853 B.C.). The study of the reliefs and annals describing these battles would indicate that in all three cases the Assyrians inflicted a (very) high percentage of casualties on their enemies, sometimes close to or over 50 %. However, when the historical context is considered it emerges that these figures cannot serve as a reliable record of the casualties.
Kywords: Ashurnasirpal II (Aššur-nāṣir-apli; king); Shalmaneser III (Salmānu-ašarēd; Ḫaridu (city); Ḫubuškia (city); Qarqar (city); ancient warfare; Assyrian history; reliability of sources
Online erschienen: 2014-01-09
Erschienen im Druck: 2013-12
© 2014 Akademie Verlag GmbH, Markgrafenstr. 12-14, 10969 Berlin.
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