After the Fall of Nineveh

Assyrians Beyond the Fall of Nineveh by William M. Warda
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am somewhat biased in that I know the author. None the less I will say that the information in the book is top notch. I do have some criticism with the lay out and presentation. The first half of the book deals with proving that the modern Assyrians are descendants of the Ancient Assyrians. Their sovereignty may have been lost but they continued to remain on their land. This fact has been ignored and the viewpoint shunned. Critics say that Christian Iraqis bought into this after Achaeologist named Laynard posited the suggestion that the two were the same. Mr.Warda does an ample job discussing historical documents showing that the people living in Mesopotamia were in fact referred to as Assyrians. The sources are Greek, Christians and Arab. More over the similarity of motifs between Christian and Pagan Assyrian work is well noted and convincing. Some of the reason behind the cover up stem from an old testament prophecy via Nachum which states that Assyria will be destroyed. The Assyrians also got a lot bad press from the Bible. The Assyrians themselves upon becoming Christian did try to conceal their past.

The author does delve into the Assyrians modern history quite well. Beginning with the conversion by Addai he goes through the whole course of history raising the highpoints of their contributions and good times and showing the reader what their life was like. The history give a broad overview something which a new comer to Assyrian history will find valuable. To someone of more knowledge they may find themselves craving a more in-depth approach. the Assyrians when given the chance have a lot to offer but due to what the author deems as Islamic fundamentalism they have been persecuted. In this instance he is right. The author also feels that religion is not a factor that unites the people but rather divides them. These are two things that could have been discussed even further. Perhaps that is the subject for another book.

Great work on Assyrian history and a must have for any library. The subject of the Assyrians has been ignored for too long and it is time to start learning.


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