Mighty No More

Attack on the town of -alammu is an Assyrian relief in the British Museum dating to about 700-692 BC, from Nineveh's South-West Palace, Room XIV. It depicts archers shooting at a town and spearmen working their way towards the walls. The name of the town was written above, but only the end of it, -alammu, survives. The dress of the inhabitants indicates that it was probably located in Turkey or Iran. Prisoners from -alammu are shown on the wall behind, awaiting their deaths or enslavement.

How the name of Assyria must have filled its neighbours with dread: a violent, energetic people, who conquered even great Babylon itself. Yet when the prophet Daniel receives his visions of the great empires and times of the end, Assyria is not even alluded to, for it was spent and fallen, never to rise again. They who seem mighty and powerful in their day will soon be forgetten, blown away like fag ash.

Then shall Assyria fall by the sword, not of man, neither shall the sword of man devour him, and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall faint. Isaiah 31:8, NKJV