Ancient Tribes: The Assyrians

I watched this whole video and never heard one reference to the Assyrians' favorite method of torture: castration with dull knives (a fact I learned in my high school world history class and never forgot). Even without mentioning the ancient Assyrians' penchant for creating eunuchs, however, this Discovery Channel production still makes it plenty clear they were a bloodthirsty bunch. At their empire's height (9th-7th century BC), the Assyrians ruled their own land of modern Iraq and most of the lands of the Middle East, down into Egypt. They were well-equipped militarily, fielding trained soldiers in armor, as charioteers, and--a new innovation--as cavalrymen. They even used sappers and men in siege engines to attack city walls, warfare methods more commonly associated with the Middle Ages some 1,500 years later. This excellent program uses the best in high-tech graphics (especially interesting is the superimposition of the ancient Hebrew city of Lachish on the mountain where it once stood), re-enactments, and archeological artifacts to make the Assyrian war machine live and breathe again. A couple of flaws: the name of the tribes who eventually united and sacked Nineveh (the capital), bringing an end to the empire, aren't mentioned, and the script states the Assyrians were from modern Southern Iraq in one place, and modern Northern Iraq in another. Still, public libraries and some high schools will probably want to purchase. Highly recommended for larger history collections. Other titles in the 21 part series (series price: $1,795) include: The Spartans, The Normans, The Aztecs, The Knights Templar, The Ninja and The Hawaiians. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Reagan)