Figure 1.--Reliefs from Ashurbanipal's buried palace near modern Mosul in northern Iraq show the great king at the hunt. He procclimed that, "I Am Ashurbanipal: King of the World, King of Assyria." Notably great empires like that of the Assyrins left monumental reman, but had no impact on modern humanity. Rhe Assyrians were powerful because they invented the professional army, but their cultural impact was minimal at best. In contrast, the Hebrews who they conquered were a small, almost inconsequential group in the southern Levant, but left an indelable legacy. The Hebrew people were one of the two major pillars of Western Civilization. Notice the modern-looking boot, but he absence of a stirup.

The Assyrians were a Semitic people who first appeared to history (14th century BC). They became a great military power, building one of the great empires of westen Asia controlling the Fertile Cressent and Egypt. It was at first a small city state city state on the upper Tigris north northeast of Babylonia. Assyria was bounded in the north and east by the Taurus and Zagros mountains--the Mountains of Ashur. Two areas were the central Assyrian breadbasket: the Arbel plain and the Nineveh plain. Here crops as agriculture became more sophisticated could be grown without irrigation, unlike in Babylonia further down river. The rich agriculture provided the wealth that supported a massive army as well as as an educated class and gifted craftsmen. The first great Assyrian king was Shalmaneser I (1276-57 BC). Assyria achieved some importance under Tiglath-pileser I (12th century BC). Assyria became a major power with the great war leader Ashurnasirpal II (9th century BC). He set up the beginnings of an imperial administration with his conquests. His successors (Shalmanser III, Tiglath-pileser III, and Sargon) carved out a great Middle Eastern Empire. Sargon's son Sennacherib consolidated these gains. Esar Haddon (681-668 BC) conquered the Chaldaeans and sacked Babylon (669 BC). He also gained control of Egypt. Assur-bani-pal (669-633 BC) is seen as reigning during the height of the Empire with important artisticic achievements. After Egypt broke away, however, the Assyrian Empire rapidly declined. Nineveh was sacked (612 BC). Assyria was absorbed by first a revived Babylonian Empire and then the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great.

Origins

The Assyrians were a Semitic people who first appeared to history (14th century BC). They became a great military power, building one of the great empires of westen Asia controlling the Fertile Cressent and Egypt. It was at first a small city state city state, Assur, on the upper Tigris north northeast of Babylonia.

Cities

The capital was established at Nimrud (Calah). The major cities were located on the Tigris and the tributaries the Upper amd Lower Zab: Nineveh (modern Mosul), Ashur, Arbel, Nimrod and Arrapkha.

Location

Assyria was bounded in the north and east by the Taurus and Zagros mountains. These mountains extended along the Tigris as far as the high Gordiaean or Carduchian mountain range of Armenia. They were called the "Mountains of Ashur". To the west and south of these mountains is a vast low limestone plateau. This is the Assyrian hearland. In the south gravely plains gradually become alluvium deposited by the Tigris. Beyond this there is inadequate rainfall for agriculture unless supported by irrigation. The land and rainfall were a kind of geograpgic barrier between Assyria and southern Mesopotamia or Babylon.

Agriculture

The Assrian heartland was the northern reaches of the Tigris. Two areas were the central Assyrian breadbasket: the Arbel plain and the Nineveh plain. Here crops as agriculture became more sophiticated could be grown without irrigation, unlike in Babylonia further down river. The rich agriculture provided the wealth that supported a massive army as well as as an educated class and gifted craftsmen.

Cultural Achievements

Religion

The Assyrian religion was Ashurism and Christianity. This was the worship of the god Ashur. The very name Assyria is derived from the Latin form of Ashur. Assyrians continued to worship Ashur eben after their conquest and incorporation into foreign empires. Gradually they became Christian. Thomas, Bortholemew and Thaddeus founded the Assyrian CHurch (33 AD).

Military Technology

The Assyrians built one of the great military forces of history. They made a major contribution to military campaigning by introducing science to war. Confronted with the problem of breeching fortified city walls devised the method of excavating under the city walls. They also built battering rams to break down city walls and gates. The Assyrians organized the first army corps of engineers. The enginners besides escavting also bridged rivers with pontoons. They also provided soldiers with inflatable skins for crossing rivers.

Success

The Assyrias ammassed the lrgest empire ever created upntheor time. Why were the Assyrians so successful? Surely at the tOP Of the list was military innovation. The developed advanced weaponry. Here the widespread development of iron weapory was a major factor. Assyria was the first civilization to adopt iron weponry on a wide-spread basis. They also devlopeeffective tactics ans skills such as seige warfare. Iron also had economic value in epanding agriculture, but we are not sure to what extent Syria beneitted from this. The surin kings established an impresive bureaucracy to manage vast territories. They developed ifrastructure , building extensive roads and communication networks for rapid troop movement as well as commerce. Although best-known for their brutality, they practiced a policy of cultural assimilation. The adopted a policy of integrating conquered peoples, promoting loyalty. The Assyrian Empire had a sound economic foundaion. They expanded economy by leverging trade and commerce, along with colecting tribute from conquered peoples. They conquerd anbd cintrolled critical trade routes and resources, vitually creating the Fertile Cressent.

History

These are three major periods of Assyrian history: the Old (20th to 15th centuries BC), Middle (15th to 10th centuries BC), and Neo-Assyrian (911-612 BC) kingdoms. Very little is known about the Old Kingdom. During the Middle Kingdom Shalmaneser I (1276-57 BC) became the first great Assyrian king. Assyria achieved some importance under Tiglath-pileser I (12th century BC). It is the last or Neo-Assyrian kingdom that is best known to history. Assyria became a major power with the great war leader Ashurnasirpal II (9th century BC). He set up the beginnings of an imperial administration with his conquests. His successors (Shalmanser III, Tiglath-pileser III, and Sargon) carved out a great Middle Eastern Empire. The Assyrian conquests are known, in part, because they are reported in the Bible. Assyria conquests extended to the two Jewish kingdoms, destoying Israel and made Judah a client states. May Jews were exiled and disappeared from history--the Lost Tribes of Israel. Sargon's son Sennacherib consolidated these gains. Esar Haddon (681-668 BC) conquered the Chaldaeans and sacked Babylon (669 BC). He also gained control of Egypt. Assurbanipal (669-633 BC) promoted the arts and culture and his reign is seen as the height of the Empire. A huge library of cuneiform tablets dating from his reign has been found at Nineveh. Assyria was weakened by the long wars with Babylonia and Elam. Assyria's wars also devestated conquered provinces which then made it difficult to benefit economically from the conquests. A weakened Assyria began to be attacked by Scythians and Medes in the east and Cimmerians from Anatolia in the west. After the death of Ashurbanipal (627 BC) the vast Empire began to unravel. Marauding but poorly organized bands of Scythians, Cimmerians and Medes swept into the Empire. Egypt exeted its independence as did a resurgent Babylonia. Ashur-etil-ilani seems to havebeen encapable of resisting the invaders. King Nabopolassar of Babylon allied with Cyaxares the Mede invested and destroyed Nineveh (612 BC). An Assyrian general Ashur-uballit II resisted for a time at Harran aided by Egyptian Pharaoh Necho II, but was finally defeated (609 BC). Assyria was absorbed by first a revived Babylonian Empire and then the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great.

Clothing

Only limited information is available on Assyrian clothing. The principal source of information is atistic depictins, primrily scupltures. This presents a problem, however, because of artistic conventions. Assyrian art tended toward simpicity. This artistic convention tended to exclude detail which are of course important in learning about clothing and fashion. Assyrian artisrs were capable of creating detail. The background and animals are often done in great detail. They just avoided detail in depicting clothing. Fashion historians believe that actual clothing was more complex than actually depicted.

Created: 6:11 PM 7/10/2007
Last updated: 3:38 AM 7/1/2025