Calculating percentages of battle casualties: On the reliability of Assyrian annals and reliefs from the 9^th Century B.C.

The purpose of this study is to analyse the sources available for approximating percentages of casualties. Three case studies have been chosen due to the good availability of sources: the battles of Haridu (877 B. C.), Hubuškia (859 B.C.) and Qarqar (853 B.C.). The study of the reliefs and annals describing these battles would indicate that in all three cases the Assyrians inflicted a (very) high percentage of casualties on their enemies, sometimes close to or over 50 %. However, when the historical context is considered it emerges that these figures cannot serve as a reliable record of the casualties.