Sennacherib, King of Assyria

What first stands out in Elayi’s volume can be considered a minor curiosity that in no way detracts from the content of this book but is nevertheless worth mentioning for art historians: the front cover art depicting Sennacherib is for some reason flipped horizontally. In the original relief from Khorsabad, Sennacherib is facing left with his left hand resting over the pommel of his sword which hangs from his left side. Once inside the front cover, however, the reader will find what is essentially a biography of the Neo-Assyrian king, infamous for his attack on Judah during the reign of Hezekiah and for destroying Babylon as stated in the introduction chapter. In this book, Elayi provides a very complete picture of the Neo-Assyrian king, studying the “political, military, economic, social, ideological, religious, technical, and artistic” aspects (p. 7) of his reign. The book begins with a table of the chronology...