The Assyrians

1. The Assyrians

2. The Beginning • City of Nineveh discovered in 1932 by Sir Max Mallowan of Britain • Artifacts show that site was settled by 5000 B.C.E. • 2 other great Assyrian cities settled very soon after: Ashur and Arbel • Arbel was one of the earliest permanent agricultural settlements due to it’s rich corn fields • By 2500 B.C.E. these three cities, Nineveh, Ashur and Arbel, were all thriving metropoli

3. The Beginning • By 2400 B.C.E. idea of complex societies had spread from the Sumerians to other parts of Mesopotamia, including Assyria • One of the only civilizations that built walls around its settlements, which implies the risk of outside attacks and the need for warfare • Lived in the northern reaches of Mesopotamia

4. The Great Age (900-610 B.C.E.) • 900 B.C.E. were the most feared people in the region • 725 B.C.E. Assyrians captured Israel and deport Israelite nation to Mesopotamia • 710 B.C.E. Sargon II moves the Assyrian capital to Dur Sharrukin • 689 B.C.E. Sennacherib sacks Babylon and carries riches off to Ninevah

5. Great Age to Fall of Assyrian Empire • 665 B.C.E. capture and destroy Thebes, capital of Ancient Egypt • 639 B.C.E. Assyrian kingdom reaches greatest extent with the capture of Susa • 612 B.C.E. Assyrian army defeated by Medes and Babylonians joint effort • 610 B.C.E. Fall of the city of Harran final collapse of Assyria

6. Religion • Ashurism was first religion • Worshipped Ashur, The Creator of Universe • Kings were high priests • Believed that army belonged to the Ashur and all those who did not submit were enemies • Reason for rapid expansion • Tolerant of other gods as long as Ashur reigned supreme

7. Religious Temple

8. Politics • Code of the Assura • Government made up of a single king • Many of the monarchs were fierce leaders • Assyrian Empire regarded as the first real Empire in human history • As the empire grew, it was divided into local regions, governed by local rulers • Required to pay taxes and supply soldiers for the Army

9. Assyrian High Priest, Assyrian King

10. Bruitality • Ancient Assyrians blinding their captives. • Assyrian artistic portrayals are full with  images of captives and opponents being skinned alive, blinded, impaled, and their limbs, ears, etc.

11. Daily Life • Assyrian cities were contained within massive walls • The population was schooled in the psychology of war • The cities contained the palace complexes, as well as temples and housing for the common people • Basic Assyrian homes were typically single stories with flat roofs, and made of mud brick

12. Ancient Assyrian City

13. Social Achievements • Neo-Assyrian cuneiform is the final stage of cuneiform writing • Preserved some 30,000 ancient works of Mesopotamian culture, myth, and literature • Turned the Middle East into a melting pot due to mass deportations • Melted diverse religions, cultures, and languages

14. Nimurd Lens • Piece of rock crystal unearthed in 1850 from the Nimrud palace complex • Believed by many as a part of an ancient telescope • Could explain accuracy of Assyrian astronomy

15. Role Of Women • Women could act independently, buy and sell houses, act as a guardian for another person. • They could also become involved in court cases. • Much like Babylonians