Assyriological

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Pertaining to the scholarly study of ancient Assyrian civilization, language, and culture
2. Relating to the academic discipline concerned with the history and artifacts of ancient Assyria
3. Of or concerning the field of research focused on ancient Assyrian society and its legacy

Etymology: Assyriology is the study of ancient Mesopotamia, the region of the Assyrian and Babylonian empires, and its languages and texts, particularly the cuneiform writing system. The word is built from "Assyrio-", the combining form of "Assyria", plus "-logy", the suffix meaning a field of study, and the adjective "assyriological" adds "-ical" to that noun. The surface analysis of the adjective, "Assyrio-" plus "-logical", describes the same parts in a different order: the root "logy" becomes "logical" once the adjective ending is attached. The name "Assyria" comes from Assur, the ancient city on the Tigris that served as the first capital of the Assyrian state. The field it names is therefore defined by a place rather than a language, which is why the adjective is most often used for scholars, texts and artefacts connected to the wider region rather than to one people alone.