Between about 900 and 630 B.C.E., Assyria (in today's northern Iraq) transformed from a kingdom into an empire that dominated the Middle East from Iran to Egypt. Assyrian kings ordered the construction of magnificent royal palaces at Nimrud, Khorsabad, and Nineveh, the internal walls of which were lined with huge stone reliefs that focus on the accomplishments of these rulers, who are shown leading battles, rituals, and animal hunts. The monarch is sometimes depicted accompanied by the crown prince, a bearded man wearing a diadem. He was central to the future of Assyria, and magnificent installation ceremonies intended to ensure a stable future were held.
Yet there was often intense rivalry for the position of crown prince that led to intrigue, rebellion, and murder. Paul Collins, head of the Middle East department at the British Museum, explores some of the dramatic moments when the transfer of royal power threatened one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient world.
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