Surveillance and Intelligence Gathering in the Urartian and Assyrian Empires

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Archaeologies of Surveillance: Seeing and Power in the Material World" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

By the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 2000–1600 BCE), two distinct fortified landscape styles had developed in western Asia: fortifications surrounding grand urban complexes and the "fortified regional network" (FRN), a rural, regional system comprising fortresses, forts, towers, and other structures situated along roads and river crossings. FRNs performed diverse roles including military communication via fire beacons, rest stops, route protection, and garrison housing. In the early first millennium BCE, surveillance and intelligence gathering were critical components of Urartian and Assyrian imperialism. The research investigates the Urartian Empire's surveillance infrastructure, employing Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis to map and interpret archaeological features like watchtowers and fortifications. Mobilizing comparative material from Assyrian textual records and archaeological evidence, the paper sheds light on administrative structures, espionage practices, and the roles of surveillance and intelligence in maintaining order and empire building. Ultimately, the Neo-Assyrian Empire expanded upon the FRN model, using fortified villages and towns—rather than forts—as hubs in their networks. Meanwhile, the Urartian Empire, located in mountainous terrain, employed FRNs for route control, information transmission, and traveler monitoring.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeologies of Surveillance: Seeing and Power in the Material World   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38991.0