ABSTRACT
The Neo-Assyrian period in Mesopotamia provides us with the fullest conception by far of royal collecting behaviors in the region’s history. As it is one of the most recent eras in Mesopotamian history, its remains might be better preserved than others, as they often sat on upper levels of habitation mounds, with less overburden or later intrusions. However, this is not the central reason why we have so much evidence from the Neo-Assyrian period for understanding collecting in Mesopotamia. The Neo-Assyrian kings built massive palaces out of mud brick and stone that were covered for centuries, and in many cases kept partially intact. The sheer monumentality of the remains of these mounds, along with the importance of the Assyrians for biblical history also contributed to the recovery of a substantial amount of architectural, textual and archaeological material from NeoAssyrian sites. The earliest archaeologists in Mesopotamia during the nineteenth century were attracted to these great mounds of the northern Tigris valley due to their potential for recovering information about the Bible. A bias arose in Mesopotamian archaeology that privileged the excavation of important city centers and palaces, which were both easily recognizable to the naked eye and capable of providing information about kings mentioned in the Old Testament. Therefore thanks to accidents of preservation and excavation along with the fairly durable nature of the material constructed by the Neo-Assyrian kings, we have a great deal of information from which we can learn about collecting in the later periods of Mesopotamian history. Because this age of Mesopotamian history yields so much information, we can actually look into the micro-processes of collecting and examine how royal collecting practices might have changed over small units of time, from king to king and palace to palace. Therefore, a brief accounting of the history of the Neo-Assyrian period will insure that the nuances of collecting behavior in this remarkable period are understood within a clear historical context.
