Assyria
Practice makes perfect. After centuries of trying to become masters of their world, the Assyrians succeeded -- with a vengeance.A Semitic people, the Assyrians lived in the northern area of Mesopotamia, the land between the rivers. Under the leadership of Shamshi-Adad they tried to create their own empire, but the Assyrians were squashed by the Babylonian king, Hammurabi. Then the Asiatic Hurrians invaded only to be overcome by the growing Hittite Empire. But just as the Hittites gave up on control of Babylon since it was too far away, so it gave up control of Assyria; thereby granting the Assyrians their long sought independence.
The Assyrians didn't just want independence, though. They wanted control and so, under their leader Tukulti-Ninurta (1235-1198 B.C.), they set out to conquer Babylonia. Under their king Tiglat-Pileser (1116-1090), they extended their empire into Syria and Armenia. Between 883 and 824, under Ashurnazirpal II (883-859 B.C.) and Shalmeneser III (858-824 B.C.) they conquered all of Syria and Armenia, Palestine, Babylon and southern Mesopotamia.
Babylon was a problem, though, since it resisted the Assyrian rule, so they destroyed the city and set up their own capital at Ninevah where the last great Assyrian monarch, Ashurbanipal, established his great library. But then, out of religious fear (because Babylon was Marduk's territory), the Assyrians rebuilt Babylon.
The Assyrians were right to be fearful of the Babylonians because, in the end, the Babylonians with help from the Medes, destroyed the Assyrian Empire and burned Ninevah.
What happened to Ashurbanipal's great library? Because they were clay, 30,000 tablets remain today providing a wealth of information on Mesopotamian culture, myth, and literature.
Online Resources
SumerThe URL for this feature is http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa031000a.htm The Ancient Empire of Assyria and the Assyrians
See resources for Sumer. Ashurbanipal
Sites providing background and biographies of the Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal.Sargon II
Information on Sargon II, king of Assyria.Near Eastern Monarchs
Reigns, events, dates, and major contributions of major Near Eastern monarchs.Timelines: Mesopotamia
What happened where and when in the history of the Ancient Near East.Timelines: Asia
What happened where and when in Ancient History.Near East: Geography, Maps and Information
Geography and maps of Near East.Major Near Eastern Kings
Important Near Eastern monarchs.Near East: Science, Math, and Technology
Antiquity's practical lessons.
This feature is copyright © 2000-2003 N.S. Gill.
