Preface

1. Imperialism: Materiality and Ideology

2. God's Will

3. Communicating with God

4. Holy War and Just War

5. Exploring and Conquering

6. The Disposable Periphery

7. Collecting

8. Public Display

9. Marking Territory: The Steles

10. Celebrative Inscriptions

11. Royal Titulature

12. The Justification of Self-Defense

13. Battles and Sieges

14. Oaths and Their Transgression

15. Punishment and Forgiveness

16. Destruction and Reconstruction

17. Exporting Despotism

18. Organizing the Territory: (a) The City at the Center of the World

19. Organizing the Territory: (b) Provinces and Governors

20. Organizing the Territory: (c) From Tributaries to Deportees

21. Organizing the Territory: (d) The Communication Network

22. Becoming Assyrian

23. Imperial Prosperity

24. Cultural Unification: (a) Technology

25. Cultural Unification: (b) Religion

26. Cultural Unification: (c) Language

27. Conclusions: (a) The Prototype Empire

28. Conclusions: (b) Trajectories of Imperialism

29. Conclusions: (c) Celebration and Reality

30. The View of Others

31. Ancient and Modern Empires

Abbreviations and Bibliography

IndexesPlaces and Peoples

Temples and Palaces

Persons

Divine and Mythical Beings