Tiglathpileser III

(reigned ca. 744-727 b.c.)

   one of the leading kings and imperialists of the Assyrian Empire during its last major phase of expansion, spanning the first half of the first millennium b.c. Tiglathpileser (or Tukuti-apil-Eshara) came to the throne after a period of roughly fifty years during which the realm had stagnated due to weak leadership and internal instability. He succeeded an ineffectual king, Ashur-nirari V, maybe in a palace coup in the capital of Kalhu (modern Nimrud). An energetic, thoughtful leader, Tiglathpileser saw that the empire could not long survive without major administrative and military reforms. In this respect, his strategy was to increase the authority of the central government over both the nobles and the provinces. He both created new provinces and appointed a handpicked governor (shaknu) for each province. He also set up an efficient system of communication, made up of swift messengers on horseback, between the royal court and the provinces. At the same time, the new king bolstered his own power by reducing that of the chief nobles, partly by decreasing the size of their sprawling estates. As for Tiglathpileser's military reforms, he overhauled the existing army. In place of large numbers of Assyrian men who were drafted and served on a temporary basis, he created a permanent professional force consisting mostly of foreigners from the provinces. Likewise, he increased the number of troops on active duty.

   Tiglathpileser put this new and improved military organization to good use. Like his first earlier namesake, Tiglathpileser I, he was a relentless campaigner; in fact, Tiglathpileser III led a large-scale military expedition every year but one during his seventeen-year-long reign. In the north, he entered Anatolia, where he built a number of fortresses to maintain the northern frontier. He also attacked and subdued Urartu (Armenia), the pivotal region lying between Assyria and Anatolia. In the west, Tiglathpileser marched into Syria, where he compelled most of the local rulers to pay him tribute (regular payments acknowledging submission). But soon a group of these rulers, led by Rakhianu of Damascus, combined forces to resist the Assyrians. After a long series of campaigns, Tiglathpileser defeated these "rebels" and seized Damascus and half the kingdom of Israel. He also campaigned in the east, where he forced the peoples of the western Zagros range to pay him tribute. Finally, the vigorous Assyrian monarch seized Babylon, a favorite target of Assyrian imperialists. Tiglathpileser died in 727 b.c., leaving behind a revitalized Assyrian state, a militarily strong and administratively sound foundation on which Sar-gon II and his dynastic successors would bring the empire to its zenith.

   See also: Assyrian Empire; Israel; Tiglathpileser I