הגורמים המדיניים לשקיעת האימפריה האשורית החדשה

The article examines the political reasons that brought about the collapse of the Neo Assyrian Empire. It describes the accomplishment of the empire under Esarhaddon and Aššurbanipal, when it succeeded in extending its rule from the Persian Gulf to Egypt. In this period, Assyria imposed a unipolar balance of power on the international scene, based on clear and absolute military superiority. But it appears that control of Egypt was a particularly difficult task for the Assyrian kings, until the rulers of the 26th dynasty threw off the Assyrian yoke. The Assyrians also had difficulty suppressing revolts in Babylon. At the same time, new political forces that evolved over the years entered the arena: Elam and Media, on the slopes of the Iranian plateau, as well as the Scythians and the Kimmerians in the north. Faced with the new powers in the region, Assyrian monarchs were unsuccessful in allocating the necessary attention and resources to effective enforcement of their rule. Moreover, the Assyrian kings were confronted with internal upheavals, such as the uprising of Šamash-šum-ukīn in Babylon and the struggles that broke out in the waning days of Aššurbanipal's reign. The internal and external struggles eroded the balance of Assyrian supremacy. The rise of Babylon, Media, and Egypt created a new balance of power in the international arena, which culminated in Babylonian hegemony.