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The Assyrians

The Assyrians. Assyria. existed around 2000-612 BCE lived in northern Mesopotamia on the Tigris River middle bronze age. Old Assyrian Period. Consisted of city-states and Semetic kingdoms Shamshi-Adad I was the monarch after he captured the city of Ashur

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The Assyrians

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  1. The Assyrians

  2. Assyria • existed around 2000-612 BCE • lived in northern Mesopotamia on the Tigris River • middle bronze age

  3. Old Assyrian Period • Consisted of city-states and Semetic kingdoms • Shamshi-Adad I was the monarch after he captured the city of Ashur • Ashur was the base city from which Assyria was born

  4. Middle Assyrian Period • Most of the empire’s expansion occurred in this time period under Tukulti-Ninurta I • The Assyrian law code was created, giving women less rights

  5. Economics • Assyrians had good farming systems with irrigation • had large cities for trade • few slaves, but didn’t play big part in the economy • made iron

  6. Individuals • Monarchs: -Tiglat-Pileser(1116-1090 BCE)-extended authority to Syria and Armenia -Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BCE)-conquered Mesopotamia and modern day Lebanon -Shalmaneser III (858-824 BCE)-conquered all of Syria, Palestine, Armenia, Babylon, and Southern Mesopotamia

  7. Culture • literature was one of their finest achievements • first used cuneiform, later used Aramaic writing • wrote down medicine, legal issues, and history • had sculptures and wall carvings

  8. Technology • battering ram • excavation • concepts of engineering • made chariots popular • worked with metals like bronze and iron

  9. Warfare • had good weapons and a well trained army • conquered many cities and made them pay tribute • army consisted of foot soldiers, chariots, archers, and cavalry • weapons made of iron

  10. Art • Their art depicted battle scenes and destruction of the cities they conquered • Their sculptures were used to guard the king’s court

  11. Fall of the Assyrian Empire • In 612 BCE the Chaldeans captured the capital city of Nineveh • The empire fell without the control of Nineveh

  12. Geography • Located in North Mesopotamia • Expands over 4 countries (Turkey, Iran, Syria, & Iraq) • Goes to Euphrates • Tigris runs through it • The Taurus and Zagros Mts. To the north and east • Southern limestone plateau

  13. Geography II • Rich and fertile land • The Arbel and Nineveh plain make up the middle of Assyria

  14. Language • Wrote on clay tablets in cuneiform • Spoke Akkadian • 750 BC they started using papyrus paper • Aramaic was the 2nd official language

  15. Religion • Monotheist’s • Ashurism was the first religion (until 256 AD) • 1st to accept Christianity

  16. Ages of Assyria 1st Golden Age 1st Dark Age

  17. 1st Golden Age • 2400 BC to 612 BC • Fruitful time • Sargon of Akkad was the 1st ruler • Ended with the tragic fall of Nineveh • 3 major cities: Ashur, Nineveh, Arbel • Successful warriors • One of the 1st empires

  18. 1st Dark Age • 612 BC – 33 AD • Empire collapsed in 612 • Employed by Persians as troops • Failed attempt to reestablish in 350 BC • Persians killed 400 of the Assyrian leaders

  19. Government • Kings were in charge of everything except religion • Kings oldest son handled administrative affairs. • Some low taxes and freedom to choose to not join the military.

  20. Military • 150,000-200,000 men • First to use large Calvary squadrons • Had 3000 horses a month for use in battle • Had the most modern equipment • Consisted: helmet, body armor, boots, and backpacks

  21. Military II • Weapons: composite bows, ands swords • Protection: helmet, body armor, shields. • Shields were so strong they could withstand a firearm up to Napoleons time. • Bows were not matched until the Prussian needle gun in 1871

  22. Social Life • Kings and his advisors lived in luxury • Followed Hammurabi’s code • Citizens spent time working in their farms

  23. Slavery • People became slaves one of two ways: prisoner of war, owed debt. • Mostly people who owed debt. • Slaves worked for wages.

  24. Family Life • Family was extremely important. • Men wore skirts to show their significance (long=important, short=not). • Marriages were monogamous. • 1st son received largest inheritance.

  25. Conclusion • Assyria was a beautiful and fertile land. • The people were to unsettled to be peaceful • Big on military and family. • Assyria was one of the most successful empires in the ancient world.

  26. Assyrians • The Assyrians were people who lived in northern Mesopotamia.

  27. The Beginning of the Assyrians • The Assyrian empire began as the small city of Ashur, located in Northern Mesopotamia. • Slowly, they began to grow into an empire.

  28. Nineveh • Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian empire. • It was located on the bank of the Tigris river, at a very important trading spot.

  29. Geography • Assyria covered modern day Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran. • The Tigris and Euphrates rivers run through the land, creating fertile soil.

  30. Religions • The main religion that they practiced was Ashurism. • They practiced this until they eventually adopted Christianity in 33 C.E.

  31. The Assyrian Language and Alphabet • The Assyrians wrote on clay tablets using a style of writing called Cuneiform. • More recently, they used modern ways of writing, such as parchment or leather.

  32. Important Leaders • Some famous leaders were- • Sargon of Akkad • Ashur-uballit

  33. Sargon of Akkad • In the 24th and 23rd centuries B.C.E., Sargon led the Assyrian empire on a conquering rampage. • He is known as one of the first people to record a multi-ethnic empire ruled by one government.

  34. Ashur-uballit • Ashur-uballit ruled the Assyrians from 1365-1330 B.C.E. • He began the Assyrians reign of power.

  35. Technological Advances (Art) • The Assyrians were known for their beautifully crafted stone sculptures. • The most famous sculpture is the Bull-Man, Lamassu.

  36. Technological Advances (Building) • They made great advances in building. • One of their most useful accomplishments was heating bricks to harden them, and make them sturdier.

  37. Assyrian Battles • They were conquered by Babylon who was under the rule of Hammurabi. • Eventually, they regained power.

  38. Conclusion • The Assyrians were a powerful empire. • Under the rule of Sargon of Akkad, they conquered anybody who stood in their way. • They advanced things such as building and sculpting.

  39. Bibliography • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Assyrians#Old_Assyrian_city-states_and_kingdoms • http://www.aina.org/aol/peter/brief.htm • http://wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/ASSYRIA.HTM • http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/westasia/history/assyrians.htm

  40. Bibliography and Credits www. aina.org/aol/peter/brief.htm#Geography http://www.bible-history.com/assyrian-social-structure/index.html World Book Encyclopedia A-1 pg. 822-823 Joshua Williams Jake lindee Sam Jones Landon Johnson

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