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Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , māt Aššur) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC, then to a territorial state, and eventually an empire from the 14th century BC to the 7th century BC.
Assyria, kingdom of northern Mesopotamia that became the center of one of the great empires of the ancient Middle East. It was located in what is now northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey, and it emerged as an independent state in the 14th century BCE.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- The Old Kingdom
- The Rise of Ashur
- The Middle Empire
- The Assyrian Deportation Policy
- Assyrian Conquest of Mitanni & The Hittites
- Tiglath Pileser I & Revitalization
- The Neo-Assyrian Empire
- Military Expansion & The New View of The God
- The Great Kings of The Neo-Assyrian Empire
- Legacy of Assyria
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Although the city of Ashur existed from the 3rd millennium BCE, the extant ruins of that city date to 1900 BCE which is now considered the date the city was founded. According to early inscriptions, the first king was Tudiya, and those who followed him were known as “kings who lived in tents” suggesting a pastoral, rather than urban, community. Ash...
The wealth generated from trade in Karum Kanesh provided the people of Ashur with the stability and security necessary for the expansion of the city and so laid the foundation for the rise of the empire. Trade with Anatolia was equally important in providing the Assyrians with raw materials from which they were able to perfect the craft of ironwork...
The vast Kingdom of Mitanni rose from the area of eastern Anatolia and, by the 14th century BCE, held power in the region of Mesopotamia; Assyria fell under their control. Invasions by the Hittites under King Suppiluliuma I (r. 1344-1322 BCE) broke Mitanni power and replaced the kings of Mitanni with Hittiterulers at the same time that the Assyrian...
Adad Nirari I completely conquered the Mitanni and began what would become standard policy under the Assyrian Empire: the deportation of large segments of the population. With Mitanni under Assyrian control, Adad Nirari I decided the best way to prevent any future uprising was to remove the former occupants of the land and replace them with Assyria...
His son and successor Shalmaneser I completed the destruction of the Mitanni and absorbed their culture. Shalmaneser I continued his father's policies, including the relocation of populations, but his son, Tukulti-Ninurta I (c. 1244-1208 BCE), went even further. According to Leick, Tukulti-NinurtaI He was also very interested in acquiring and prese...
Following the death of Tukulti-Ninurta I, the Assyrian Empire fell into a period of stasis in which it neither expanded nor declined. While the whole of the Near East fell into a 'dark age' following the so-called Bronze Age Collapseof c. 1200 BCE, Ashur and its empire remained relatively intact. Unlike other civilizations in the region which suffe...
The Late Empire (also known as the Neo-Assyrian Empire) is the one most familiar to students of ancient history as it is the period of the largest expansion of the empire. It is also the era which most decisively gives the Assyrian Empire the reputation it has for ruthlessness and cruelty. The historian Kriwaczek writes: This reputation is further ...
The kings who followed Adad Nirari II continued the same policies and military expansion. Tukulti Ninurta II (891-884 BCE) expanded the empire to the north and gained further territory toward the south in Anatolia, while Ashurnasirpal II (884-859 BCE) consolidated rule in the Levant and extended Assyrian rule through Canaan. Their most common metho...
In the 8th century BCE, the empire was revitalized by Tiglath Pileser III (745-727 BCE) who reorganized the military and restructured the bureaucracy of the government. According to Anglim, Tiglath Pileser III "carried out extensive reforms of the army, reasserted central control over the empire, reconquered the Mediterranean seaboard, and even sub...
Thanks to the Greek historian Herodotus, who considered the whole of Mesopotamia 'Assyria', scholars have long known the culture existed (as compared to the Sumerians who were unknown to scholarship until the 19th century CE). Mesopotamian scholarship was traditionally known as Assyriology until relatively recently (though that term is certainly st...
Learn about the ancient Near Eastern region of Assyria, its history, culture, and achievements. Explore the rise and fall of the Assyrian Empire, from its origins in Ashur to its decline under the Neo-Assyrian kings.
- Joshua J. Mark
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Oct 19, 2023 · Learn about the Assyrian Empire, one of the world's earliest empires that ruled over Mesopotamia and beyond from 900 to 600 B.C.E. Discover how the Assyrians used iron weapons, chariots, and engineering to conquer their enemies and build a powerful empire.
Jan 18, 2012 · Learn about the rise and fall of the Assyrian empire, from its origins in northern Mesopotamia to its conquests in Anatolia, Egypt, and Israel. Explore the achievements, culture, and legacy of the Assyrians, as well as their brutal and ruthless methods of rule.
- Jan Van Der Crabben
Assyria, Ancient empire, southwestern Asia. It grew from a small region around Ashur (in modern northern Iraq) to encompass an area stretching from Egypt to Anatolia. Assyria may have originated in the 2nd millennium bc, but it came to power gradually.
History of the Assyrians. The history of the Assyrians encompasses nearly five millennia, covering the history of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Assyria, including its territory, culture and people, as well as the later history of the Assyrian people after the fall of the Neo-Assyrian Empire in 609 BC.
