Art, obsession, and identity
Assyria was the region located in the ancient Near East, which, under the Neo-Assyrian Empire, reached from Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) through Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and down through Egypt.
The Assyrians comprised one of the oldest civilizations in our world from the 2nd millennium BCE to around 612 BCE.
In 1900 BCE, Assur, also known as Ashur, was founded as the capital of Assyria.
Assyrians have used two languages throughout their history: ancient Assyrian (Akkadian), and Modern Assyrian (neo-Syriac).
The Akkadian language was written with the cuneiform writing system, on clay tablets. They used it to record their history, laws, and religious beliefs. Historians and linguists generally agree that Sumerian, Akkadian, and Egyptian are the oldest languages in the world with a clear written record.
The Assyrian Empire established itself as a major regional power in Mesopotamia in the 2nd millennium BCE.
By the 1st millennium BCE, Assyria had grown in size and stature and, under a series of powerful and influential rulers, became one of the world's earliest empires.
The Assyrians were polytheistic, meaning they worshiped many gods. They believed that their gods controlled every aspect of their lives.
Accordingly, they built numerous grand palaces and temples in their gods' honor, each lavishly decorated with intricate carvings and sculptures.
The Assyrians used mud brick as their primary building material, but palace facades were often covered in white gypsum plaster that gleamed in the sunlight.
Their agrarian skills aside, Assyrians can best be described as militaristic. Their society was consistently based around warfare, conquest, and regional domination.
As a land power, Assyria relied on agricultural production to sustain its people. As such, they developed irrigation systems that helped them grow crops in the arid region. The techniques used to build systems of levees and canals across Mesopotamia are still followed today.
Their technological advances in warfare made the Assyrian military appear invincible. The secret to its success was a professionally trained standing army, iron weapons, advanced engineering skills, effective tactics, and, most importantly, a complete ruthlessness in combat.
While they possessed good administrative skills and could be diplomatic at times, the Assyrians didn't expand their empire through courtesy and tact. Instead, it was their skills in warfare that made the Assyrian war machine the most efficient military force in the ancient world at that time.
The Assyrians were masters of the siege. They were the first in the world to deploy battering rams (pictured) and assault towers.
The Assyrian army was made up of approximately 200,000 men. Besides its excellent cavalry, it also comprised heavy and light infantry, strike forces, and assault troops.
Another combat first was the use of strike forces in battle. The Assyrian army deployed numerous calvary squadrons during an attack, chariots carrying warriors in leather armor pulled by horses that were also protected from arrows and other weapons.
Assyrian archers were trained to draw bows and shoot arrows while astride their mounts, a maneuver that took great riding skills and pinpoint accuracy.
Around 900 BCE, the Assyrian Empire was reigned over by a series of powerful and highly respected kings, monarchs that included Tiglath-Pileser III, Sargon II, Sennacherib, and Esarhaddon. These rulers united most of the Middle East, from Egypt to the Persian Gulf, under Assyrian rule.
The last great Assyrian ruler was King Ashurbanipal, from 669 BCE to his death in 631. His 38-year reign was among the longest of any Assyrian monarch. Ashurbanipal's tenure marked the last time Assyrian armies waged war throughout the ancient Near East, and the beginning of the end of Assyrian dominion over the region.
Despite its demise, the empire's legacy lived on in the warfare tactics and technologies that were adopted by later civilizations. For us, though, the most obvious legacy is the outstanding collections of Assyrian art found in museums around the world, carefully preserved for future generations.
The Assyrian Empire maintained power for hundreds of years. But in the 600s BCE, the empire became too large to maintain. The state finally fell in 612–609 BCE.
A giant Assyrian protective spirit—an Ugallu or great Lion—together with a house god, both dated back to 700-692 BCE from the ancient city of Nineveh, can be admired at the British Museum in London.
These Assyrian relief panels depicting two protective winged figures dated back to between 883-859 BCE come from the Palace of Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud. They're on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Sadly, a lot of priceless Assyrian art was deliberately destroyed or vandalized by Islamic State (IS) as Iraqi forces recaptured territory held by the jihadist group during the Syrian civil war. Pictured are Iraqi soldiers inspecting the damage caused by IS at the archaeological site of Nimrud.
The National Museum in Iraq, known as the "Cradle of Civilization" museum, only reopened at the end of February 2009 after its ancient treasures were looted in the chaotic aftermath of the US-led invasion in 2003.
Sources: (Britannica) (World History Encyclopedia) (National Geographic) (Biblical Archaeology Society) (Scientific American)
See also: Megacities of the ancient world
Also held at the British Museum are the reliefs depicting the Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal. Originally from the Palace of Nineveh, this extraordinary work has been described as "the supreme masterpieces of Assyrian art."
The archaeological site of Assur, the ancient Assyrian capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was threatened by the conflict that erupted following the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq. Pictured are American soldiers on guard at the ruins.
The Assyrians once ruled a region that stretched from Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) through Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and down through Egypt. As their empire grew, so did their reputation for utter ruthlessness on the battlefield. But when not at war, the people of this ancient civilization built splendid palaces and temples and created monuments of outstanding beauty, many of which can still be admired today. The Assyrian Empire was relatively short-lived, but its legacy shaped later civilizations, not least in the way Assyrian military tactics were adopted by future armies. So, how much do you know about this relatively obscure chapter in world history?
Click through and journey back in time to find out!
The roots of Assyrian militarism lie in a combination of three key factors. Firstly, because Assyria had no natural boundaries—rivers or mountains that could serve as a protection for its frontiers—they had to be powerful enough to be able to anticipate any invasion attempt. Secondly, the Assyrians had complete faith in their god Assur, believing he had assigned them the mission to unify the all-known world under his rule. And thirdly, the Assyrians were quite simply tactical geniuses.
What was the Assyrian Empire?
Find out more about an ancient civilization whose ruthlessness on the battlefield was legendary
LIFESTYLE History
The Assyrians once ruled a region that stretched from Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) through Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and down through Egypt. As their empire grew, so did their reputation for utter ruthlessness on the battlefield. But when not at war, the people of this ancient civilization built splendid palaces and temples and created monuments of outstanding beauty, many of which can still be admired today. The Assyrian Empire was relatively short-lived, but its legacy shaped later civilizations, not least in the way Assyrian military tactics were adopted by future armies. So, how much do you know about this relatively obscure chapter in world history?
Click through and journey back in time to find out!