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The Cimmerians, a migrant-settler group began to migrate towards the south and the west following their displacement from their homeland by the Scythians. Those Cimmerians who migrated to the south came to the borders of Urartu and Assyria and began to threat both states. Especially the Urartian kings found themselves in a difficult situation against the Cimmerians. However, soon these warriors turned their direction to the Assyrian Empire and started attacking its borders. Thus, their activities attracted the attention of Assyria and the Assyrian documents started to inform about them. The Assyrian documents are of great value as they contribute to the mapping of the geographical area where the Cimmerians spread and the clarification of their history. The mentioning of Cimmerians in the Assyrian documents as an enemy to be feared is a proof of their power in the Near East. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The emergence of the Neo-Assyrian Empire marked the beginning of a new phase in the political history of the Mediterranean Sea. The Assyrian kings, being land-based rulers and deprived of their own access to the sea, adopted a flexible policy for administering coastal territories in their expansion westward. As indicated by extensive archaeological work in Palestine's coastal plain dating to Iron Age IIB-C and abundant historical sources, Assyria saw the coast as a distinct geographical zone rather than as an integral part of the empire's non-coastal heartland. In keeping with their policy elsewhere and in light of the prior geopolitical partition of Palestine's coast, the Assyrians divided it into several ecological subregions. Taking into account the unique geographical, political, and economic settings of each region, the Assyrians practiced diverse direct and indirect control strategies: annexation, military control, subjugation, and collaboration with imperial proxies. This analysis of the flexible policies that the Assyrians exercised on their southwestern border sheds new light on the ways in which the first true empire exerted power and administered life in its coastal territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Neo-Assyrian Kingdom and the Urartian Kingdom were two important Near Eastern states in the Middle Iron Age (ninth to sixth centuries bc) that steered political developments and considerably transformed the lives of populations within their territories. This article aims to explore the origins of Urartian-Assyrian relations: the processes and ways through which Mesopotamian and Assyrian influences reached the eastern Anatolian highlands. The populations who founded the Urartian Kingdom lived mostly as semi-nomadic tribes in eastern Anatolia and surrounding areas during the Early Iron Age (thirteenth to ninth centuries bc). It is impossible to explain the emergence of the Urartian Kingdom in the Van region towards the mid-ninth century bc-which quickly became a powerful rival of its contemporaries-as a natural development of local culture. The main question at this stage is how and from where Assyrian influences were transmitted to the tribes who founded the Urartian Kingdom. Our opinion is that the answer to this question should be sought in the Upper Tigris region, which was inhabited by both cultures (Pre-Urartian and Assyrian) before the foundation of the Urartian Kingdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assyrian control of small kingdoms in the southern Levant during the Iron Age opened new trade routes and had an effect on the patterns of exchange. This exchange involved tribute as well as trade. The result for small polities such as Moab was the appearance in small numbers of high-status goods with a foreign origin, along with imitations of such goods produced closer to home. At the Iron Age site of Khirbat al-Mudayna on Wadi ath-Thamad (Mudayna Thamad), excavation exposed a walled town consisting of a series of industrial buildings (B200-210), a compact domestic area (B300-312) near the North Gate (B100), and a sprawling domestic area at the south end of the mound, Complex 400 (B400-408). It is in this complex that the greatest number of high-status and exotic objects were located. The elite character of this complex was first recognized in 2004 with the discovery of a Middle Bronze Age "Anra" scarab in what was otherwise a secure Iron Age II context. More recent finds include two glazed ceramic bottles and a collection of alabaster, calcite, steatite, and faience cosmetic vessels. This study focuses on an analysis of these glazed ceramic bottles, their relationship to Assyrian influence/control at Mudayna Thamad, and their distribution in the Assyrian domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hookah smoking is more prevalent among individuals of Middle Eastern descent. This study examined general and ethnic-specific risk factors for hookah smoking among Arabs and Chaldeans. A self-administered anonymous questionnaire was conducted among 801 adults residing in Southeast Michigan. Binary logistic regression modeling was used to predict risk factors for hookah smoking. Hookah smoking was significantly more prevalent among Arabs (32 %) than Chaldeans (26 %, p < 0.01) and being Arab was a risk factor for lifetime hookah use. Younger age (<25 years), being male, higher annual income, and having health insurance were significant risk factors for hookah use. Chaldeans believed to a greater extent than Arabs that smoking hookah is less harmful than cigarette smoking (75 vs. 52 %, p < 0.001). Hookah smoking is prevalent in both ethnic groups, but significantly higher among Arabs. Results indicate that prevention efforts should target younger males with higher incomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the territorial history of the southern steppe areas of the Levant in the period between ca. 1050-750 BCE. In the early days of the Iron Age, until the mid-9th century BCE, parts of them, were ruled by local desert entities: in the late Iron I a Moabite polity and in the early Iron IIA and the early years of the late Iron IIA the Tel Masos-Beer-Sheba-Negev Highlands Highlands entity. This situation changed in the later years of the Iron IIA as a result of Damascus' rise to hegemony in the Levant. In the second half of the 9th century BCE Judah, under Damascene domination, expanded for the first time into the Beer-Sheba Valley. In the first half of the eighth century BCE, with the revival of Assyrian power in the days of Adad-nirari III, Damascene authority was replaced by north Israelite domination in the south. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study highlights research on Iraq that includes the Assyrians. It does not intend to argue the validity of definitions of ‘nationness’ and nationalism, but provides a brief description of the variety of ways in which Assyrians have been both included and excluded from modern research on the Middle East and, more specifically, Iraq. Moreover, it resituates the Assyrians in the debate and historiography of Iraqi Studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Antiguo Oriente is the property of Pontificia Universidad Catolica Argentina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The institution of kingship is such an important component of ancient societies as to be considered nearly universal by many scholars. In spite of this, discussions of kingship, especially in the ancient Near East, are surprisingly rare in the scholarly literature. Furthermore, the nature of the data pertaining to the Neo- Assyrian Empire, which includes a vast textual corpus and rich archaeological remains, means that this data set is oflen d~fJlcult for non-specialists to access. The goal ofthis paper is to reexamine and synthesize some well-known arguments, combine them with a number of new ideas about how kingship was constructed and performed in the Neo-Assyrian Empire, and present the resulting analysis to a wider, anthropologically oriented audience. To do so, I step back from the philological minutiae that so often hinder the cross-cultural or interregional integration of Near Eastern data to examine three easily comparable structural components of kingship: ideology, legitimacy, and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Several studies indicate that ethnicity may be a strong predictor of poor self-rated health (SRH). The aims of the present study were to investigate whether there was an association between ethnicity and poor SRH in subjects with type 2 diabetes and to determine if the association remained after adjusting for possible confounders such as age, gender employment, marital status, and education. Design. A cross-sectional study based on a patient population in the town of Södertälje. An unconditional logistic regression was performed to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Setting. Four primary health care centers. Subjects. A total of 354 individuals were included: Assyrian/Syrian-born (n = 173) and Swedish-born (n = 181). Results. The odds ratio for rating poor SRH for Assyrian/Syrian subjects with type 2 diabetes was 4.5 times higher (95% CI = 2.7-7.5) than for Swedish patients in a crude model. After adjusting for possible confounders, unemployed/retired people had 5.4 times higher odds for reporting poor SRH than employees (OR = 5.4; 95% CI = 2.3-12.5). Women had 1.8 times higher odds (95% CI = 1.0-3.0) for reporting poor SRH than men. In the final model poor SRH among Assyrians/Syrians decreased but still remained significant (OR=3.7; 95% CI = 2.5-6.6). Conclusions. The findings in this study are important for planning primary health care services. They highlight the crucial importance of being aware of the subjective health status of immigrants fleeing from war in the Middle East and resettling in Sweden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of ethnic and religious minorities to Arabian and Islamic medicine and science was a major and powerful one, yet it is rarely acknowledged. When remembered, it is often inaccurately referred to as "Arabic" or "Islamic", contrary to its ethnic and religious origins and identity. The objective of this study was to see whether such underrepresentatian of ethnic and religious minorities is - singly or in combination - a random act, an act of ignorance, and/or an act of programmed marginalisation. We conducted a computerised PubMed search for all scholarly, peer-reviewed articles concerning medicine and science in the Middle East at the zenith of the Arabic and Islamic Empire from the 5th to the 112th century. The data was analysed using the binomial probability model. Our data indicates that the underrepresentation of ethnic and religious minorities and their contributions to Arabian and Islamic science and medicine is unlikely to be a random act. The findings suggest die possibility of ignorance and/or programmed marginalisation, attesting to the prevailing negative attitudes towards ethnic and religious minorities of the Middle East and their contributions to medicine and science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on archaeological excavations at the Zincirli site in Turkey. The search for artifacts that could give some insight into the social, economic, and cultural aspects of an Iron Age settlement called Sam'al is discussed. A description is given of the Levant kingdom of Sam'al, a well-fortified city and the main route for caravan passage over the Amanus Mountains that was conquered by the Assyrians in about eighth century B.C.E. German excavation sites during the period of 1888-1902, the lineage of Sam'al kings, and the reconstruction of an Iron Age citadel are mentioned. The location of and artifacts found in seven areas that were excavated are mentioned.

This study compared and contrasted personal characteristics, tobacco use (cigarette and water pipe smoking), and health states in Chaldean, Arab American and non-Middle Eastern white adults attending an urban community service center. The average age was 39.4 (SD = 14.2). The three groups differed significantly (P < .006) on ethnicity, age, gender distribution, marital status, language spoken, education, employment, and annual income. Current cigarette smoking was highest for non-Middle Eastern white adults (35.4%) and current water pipe smoking was highest for Arab Americans (3.6%). Arab Americans were more likely to smoke both cigarettes and the narghile (4.3%). Health problems were highest among former smokers in all three ethnic groups. Being male, older, unmarried, and non-Middle Eastern white predicted current cigarette smoking; being Arab or Chaldean and having less formal education predicted current water pipe use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Electronic Turkish Studies is the property of Electronic Turkish Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article looks into the actions taken by the U.S. government to preserve the rights of the minorities in Iraq including the Assyrian Chrystians. The Assyrians has been threatened by cleansing from Iraq, calling for the U.S. government to set forth national security policies for Iraq, says the author. A number of Iraqi Christians has also become internally displaced persons, added the author. It is stated that the widespread cleansing of the Mandaean-Sabaean community poses a threat to vulnerable minorities.

Copyright of Archaeologia Baltica is the property of Archaeologia Baltica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Diabetes mellitus is an important public health problem that disproportionately affects minorities. Using a cross sectional, convenience sample, we estimated the prevalence of self-reported diabetes for Whites (n = 212), Arabs (n = 1,303), Chaldeans (n = 828), and Blacks (n = 789) in southeast Michigan. In addition, using a logistic regression model, we estimated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the association between ethnicity and diabetes before and after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic status, health care, chronic conditions, and health behavior variables. The overall age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of diabetes was 7.0%. Estimates were highest for Blacks (8.0%) followed by Arabs and Whites (7.0% for each group) and Chaldeans (6.0%). In the fully adjusted model, the association between ethnicity and diabetes was not statistically significant. Future studies should collect more detailed socioeconomic status, acculturation and health behavior information, which are factors that may affect the relationship between race/ethnicity and diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variation of a VNTR in the DAT1 gene in seven ethnic groups of the Middle East was used to infer the history and affinities of these groups. The populations consisted of Assyrian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Armenian, Turkmen, and Arab peoples of Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait. Three hundred forty subjects from these seven ethnic groups were screened for DAT1. DAT1 VNTR genotyping showed 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 alleles in the samples. Analysis of these data revealed differentiation and relationship among the populations. In this region, which covers an area of 2-2.5 million km², the influence of geography and especially of linguistic characteristics has had potentially major effects on differentiation. Religion also has played a major role in imposing restrictions on some ethnic groups, who as a consequence have maintained their community. Overall, these ethnic groups showed greater heterogeneity compared to other populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study estimates the prevalence of heart disease among Arab and Chaldean American women and examines the association between Arab and Chaldean ethnicity and heart disease among a sample of women. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of 2084 Arab, Chaldean, and African American women aged ≥18 years who completed a survey that was distributed at churches, mosques, and small businesses in southeast Michigans. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the association between ethnicity and self-reported heart disease before and after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic status, health care, chronic conditions, and health behavior variables. Participants: A sample of 2084 Arab, Chaldean, and African American women 18 years of age and older. Results: The overall prevalence of heart disease was 5.1%. Estimates~were higher for Arabs (7.1%), lower for Chaldeans (6.6%), and lowest among African Americans (1.8%). In the unadjusted model, Chaldeans and Arabs were four times more likely to have heart disease than were African Americans. However, in the fully adjusted model, the association between Chaldean or Arab ethnicity and heart disease was no longer statistically significant. Conclusions: Arab or Chaldean ethnicity was not significantly associated with self-reported heart disease among women, which suggests that other factors account for this relationship. Future studies should collect more detailed socioeconomic status, acculturation, and health behavior information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the individual and family in Old Assyrian society through excavations at archaeological sites in Asia Minor. The largest and most important of these settlements was at Kanesh. Excavations at the area revealed four different occupation levels in the lower city. The Assyrian commercial system was based on a system of long distance trade with an import into Anatolia.

Archaeological surveys and satellite images are used to provide insights into the structure and scale of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. When this empire attained its peak during the eighth and seventh centuries b.c., it resulted in a distinct imprint on the landscape which differs significantly from that of the Bronze Age. In the Neo-Assyrian period, capital cities attained unprecedented size, rural settlement patterns were predominantly dispersed, the scale and extent of visible route systems increased, and irrigation systems were constructed for the intensification of agriculture and for the irrigation of parks and gardens. Beyond the core region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, a distinct outer zone of the Assyrian landscape in the northwest Levant is also recognizable, in the form of tell-based settlements. This may reflect the persistence of earlier Bronze Age social organization. This paper demonstrates the contribution that landscape archaeology can make to an understanding of the development of empires, particularly when it is applied with the record derived from excavated sites and cuneiform texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the clay tablet which contained a treaty from Assyria during the ancient times. The treaty was between the Assyrians and Anatolians. This also showed the content of the treaty as well as photographs of the clay tablets. A translation of the content was provided together with the comments of the author.

Examines the national identity of Assyrians in Iraq. Origins of Assyrians; Impact of the advent of nationalism in the Middle East on the Assyrians; Political status of Assyrians.

Discusses the validity of the arguments of scholars Israel Finkelstein and Baruch Halpern that systematic changes in Judahite society brought about the Assyrian invasions of the late 8th century BCE resulted in the growth of the state and an increase in the role of the individual. Scrutiny of Judahite internments; Process of evolution or revolution. INSET: ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

The article reports on the historical geography of Media relative to the question whether the Assyrians had been at Ecbatana. The discussion presents the views of I. M. Diakonoff's on the matter. It mentions that the history of Babylonia, Assyria and other countries of the Ancient Near East has long been restored on the basis of cuneiform texts, which allows to reconstruct the most probable sequence and to verify chronology. Aside from the cuneiform texts, the history of Medes is also considered.

Presents a historical overview of Assyria in the eighth century, while highlighting the combination of defenses of the Syro-Palestinian nations. Destruction of Damascus in 733; Domination of Assyria in the northern regions of Palestine; Invasions by Assyrians in the southern Levant; Influence of Assyrians on the social and political systems of the nations; Separation of nationalities based on material culture. INSET: IRon IIC primary excavaed sites..

The article offers a history of the Kurdish periodical press. According to the author, the Kurdish periodical press has Assyrian Neo-Aramaic language, and ended when the Assyrians and Armenians were forced to leave the region. It discusses the cultural setting of the Urmia and Soujbulak which highlights its literacy and press, its political backdrop and the relationship between Kurds and Assyrians. The author implied that the debt left by the Mahabad Republic might be a part of the Kurdish history.

The article discusses the history of macramé, an ancient art of knot-tying. It reports that knot-tying has been an essential skill of man long before the discovery of any record of his hunting habits. It describes that decorative knotting was first used in the Middle East where the term "macramé" was thought to have originated. It mentions that macramé was used on garments particularly on the clothing of the Assyrians and Babylonians as evidenced on the knotted and plaited attire of the sculptures. The technique on making macramé was spread by the sailors and missionaries of religious orders and samples were discovered in Italy, Greece, Israel, the Scandinavian countries, Mexico and Colombia.

The article offers a report relating to the Iraqi Kurdistan. The section reports on the effort of the U.S. to unite various ethnic groups in northern Iraq, not only the Kurds, but also the Turks, Assyrians, and others. According to State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns, northern Iraq is going to be a busy place for the next couple of months; it's going to be an area where there will be lots of outside involvement in a very beneficial way. He expects that such general effort to try to help the Turkmens and Kurds and Assyrians and other will continue.