The King's Magnates:
A Study of the Highest Officials of the Neo-Assyrian Empire
State Archives of Assyria Studies, Volume XI
by Raija Mattila
Helsinki 2000 • 175 x 250 mm • Pp. xvi + 201
Paper • $62.00 • ISBN 951-45-9042-2
Everybody needs good advisors, and the King of Assyria, for all that he
was the chosen representative of the god on earth, was no exception.
This study documents the king's highest officials with the aim of
uncovering thier roles in the administration of the Empire. The
top-ranking figures of the central administration, many of whom were
also directly involved in provincial administration, are examined
closely by a thorough study of each textual reference to each individual
who held the position of Chief Treasurer, Palace Herald, Chief
Cupbearer, Chief Eunuch (commander of the royal guard), Chief Judge,
Vizier, and Commander-in-Chief (of the central army). The
contributions that these textual references can provide are analyzed
and then summarized. This analysis has as an extremely useful by-product –
a complete catalog of the holders of these offices with the dates that
they are attested, a valuable research tool in itself.
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