Ep. 23: The Long Seventh Century, Pt. 4 – Warrior, Scholar, King (feat. Eckart Frahm)

This episode release several early for paid subscribers. To get early access along with hours of bonus content, and to support the show, become a member of the Patreon here: https://patreon.com/biblelorepodcast This time, I'm elated to bring on Dr. Eckart Frahm, who is the John M. Musser Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Yale University, and whose wonderful book, Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire, is a must-read for fans of the show (click the affiliate link). We talk about the management of empire under the idiosyncratic king Ashurbanipal, whose handling (or mishandling) of Assyria will set the stage for its downfall, and the long afterlife as a cultural figure that Ashurbanipal would have in the Greek tradition, where he was known as the corrupt king Sardanapalus.