Tiglath-Pileser III

King of Assyria. 745-727 BC.

    Assyria, as the great northern power of the Near East, needed to gain access to a sea-coast and to the products of the Levant, particularly timber. Under Tiglathpileser III, the revitalised and ambitious *Assyrian state therefore attempted to bring the petty kingdoms of that area under its direct control.

    In the third year of his reign (742 BC), Tiglath-pileser III advanced into Syria and eventually brought the vassal states there under his influence; however, another rebellion arose amongst them and the *Assyrian king returned to quell the insurrection. By 738 BC, in order to prevent further trouble, the *Assyrians began a policy of direct annexation of the vassal states in Syria, but conflicts resulted in the devastation of Damascus and the deportation of a substantial proportion of the people to *Assyria. Similarly, in Israel, King Pekah was deposed and replaced by Hoshea.

    Egypt was drawn into the the combat because the petty kingdoms that had once been Egyptian client states now appealed to her for help. The accounts of Egyptian involvement with *Assyria are only preserved in the Old Testament and in cuneiform texts, but no reference to these events has been found in Egyptian records.

BIBL. Von Zeissl, Athiopen und Assyrer in Agypten. Gluckstadt: 1944; Winton Thomas, D. (ed.) Documents from Old Testament times. London: 1958.

see Assyrians

Biographical Dictionary of Ancient Egypt by Rosalie and Antony E. David