Abstract
‘Assyrians at home’ describes the great variety of living conditions and human experiences in the Assyrian Empire in the 7th century, the period when the source material is most numerous and diverse. First, it considers the life of King Esarhaddon and the continuing violence that attended his assumption of the title, before describing the frustrations of Šumaya and his cousin Urdu-Gula—scholars and trained exorcists—who did not share the privileged positions of Royal Scribe or Master Scholar that were bestowed on their relatives. The lives of Šulmu-šarri, a wealthy landowner from Dur-Katlimmu, and Duri-Aššur, a wine merchant of Aššur, and their families are also considered as illustrations of life in 7th-century Assyria.
