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The Assyrians. By: Nick J. Ambrose Kyle J. Costigan Nick A. Hirsch Derek R. Olson. 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
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The Assyrians By: Nick J. Ambrose Kyle J. Costigan Nick A. Hirsch Derek R. Olson
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
