The local elite and the Assyrian administration in the Neo-Assyrian provinces in the Zagros

Abstract

In the second half of the eighth century BC, the Neo-Assyrian Empire conquered the mountain area of the Central Zagros and created provinces there which stayed integral part of the Empire until its last decades. In this paper I argue that due to the special circumstances of this region the Assyrian imperial administration, in order to maintain its power, practised unusual methods in connection with the local ruling elites. In the consequence of these methods, the local rulers preserved their power and lived in a symbiotic relationship with the Assyrian Empire.