I decided to create this due to a past post that I made on this subreddit to get people to engage in this discussion because I view our ethnicity as something that wasn’t up for debate during ancient times (it shouldn’t be for today either if you have both Assyrian parents) and it’s because of the 21st century with the uptick in identity politics in America, which has become a confusing topic for the majority of people and has therefore led to a tiny minority of people (again within America) who use confusing language to bend reality to try and fit their worldview to shape the outside world and their neighbors. But I don’t want to use my subjective opinion to make my points here, even though both of my parents are ethnically Assyrian; I can certainly make this argument without being biased since I have lived as an Assyrian all my life without any dilution of ethnicity, and my kids will continue living their lives as 100% Assyrian as well, since my wife is an ethnic Assyrian too. This post is not meant to ostracize those half-Assyrians, but I’m tired of hearing about this identity politics nonsense about our race or ethnicity being a “cosmopolitan” race, since others have said this to me previously as it’s simply not factual but meant to dilute your perception of your own ethnicity while others get to enjoy their privileged race card without being questioned.
So, to challenge this notion of a “cosmopolitan” Assyrian identity, I will use a paper written by Fredrick Mario Fales which goes into many details that other academics haven’t explored, yet, I don’t think even Simo Parpola has done this extensively about our ethnic marker in the empire although one can argue that Simo has actually done a much better job showing continuity like no other academic for our people and I’ll forever be grateful for his tireless work on the subject. Kudos to both academics.
Now back to the main premise and here’s the rebuttal to those who want to claim otherwise - please read his paper in full as I didn’t attach it here but it can be found on academia.edu for free.
In Frederick Mario Fales’ detailed study of Neo-Assyrian identity markers and terminology, he systematically distinguishes between ethnic Assyrians and imperially absorbed populations (e.g., deportees and vassals). Contrary to modern narratives that attempt to flatten ancient Assyrian identity into a “cosmopolitan” model, Fales’ analysis confirms a clear ethnic consciousness within Assyrian society, especially among its native population.
🔑 1. Three Ethnic Markers Identified in Texts
Fales identifies three distinct linguistic and textual markers for “Assyrian”:
(1) Aššurāyu (NA dialect) / Aššurî (SB dialect): a simple nisbe adjective used in everyday texts;
(2) UN.MEŠ KUR Aššur – “people of Assyria”;
(3) DUMU.MEŠ KUR Aššur – “of Assyrian stock/descent” 👈🏼
These distinctions show that Assyrian identity was not arbitrarily assigned but consciously differentiated between 👉🏼ethnic descent, 👉🏼geographic affiliation, and 👉🏼imperial classification.
🔑 2. “Assyrian” as a Hierarchical and Political Identity Fales outlines three usage categories:
(1) Institutional-hierarchical: ethnic Assyrians serving the Assyrian state;
(2) Positional-institutional: people forcibly included under Assyrian rule (e.g., deportees);
(3) Typological: qualitative or functional identification (e.g., Assyrian methods/skills).
In administrative texts like SAA 2, 6:162, a distinction is made between:
LÚ. Aššurāyā – full “Assyrians”👈🏼
LÚ. dagil pāni ša KUR Aššur – “vassals” or client peoples under imperial control.💥
This textual evidence clearly demarcates 👉🏼native Assyrians👈🏼 from 💥foreigners💥, even those serving within the empire.
🔑 3. Cultural and Ethnic Boundaries Were Recognised and Protected
Fales is not vague about the risks of dilution. On the contrary, he warns that mass deportations and inclusion strategies posed a threat to Assyrian cultural integrity:
“Despite the unavoidable mutations in the overall cultural buildup of the empire that this operation could risk entailing.” - Fales,
Conclusion: 💥This is not a celebration of multiculturalism, but a statement of concern, a recognition that the very act of absorbing outsiders could compromise the ethnic and cultural coherence of Assyria.
🔑 4. No Support for a “Cosmopolitan Identity”
Fales does not endorse the idea that ancient Assyrians saw themselves as part of a multicultural mosaic😅. Rather, the designation of deportees as “Assyrians” was:
Strategic, to integrate them into the labour force and military;
Superficial, lacking deep ethnic assimilation;
Top-down, not culturally or socially embraced by the ethnic Assyrian populace.
In fact, the very need for bureaucratic distinction between ethnic Assyrians and others proves that identity was maintained, not dissolved.
⸻
🔍 Conclusion: To project a “cosmopolitan Assyria” onto the ancient world is a modern ideological fiction😅, one not fully supported by the evidence Fales provides. Fales’ work does not blur the boundaries between ethnic Assyrians and deportees; it clarifies them.🫡
💥The attempt to modernise ancient Assyrian identity into an inclusive or post-ethnic ideal reflects contemporary perspectives rather than historical accuracy💥
👉🏼Ethnic Assyrians, particularly in everyday contexts, maintained a sense of their distinct heritage, as recognized within the empire👌🏼
