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# Assyrian Empire

# Assyrian Empire

## Overview
The Assyrian Empire was a Mesopotamian power that dominated the ancient Near East, reaching its zenith during the Neo-Assyrian period (911–609 BCE) as the largest empire the world had yet seen.

## Key Facts
- Region: Northern Mesopotamia, expanding across the Near East
- Neo-Assyrian period: 911–609 BCE
- Capitals: Ashur, Nimrud (Kalhu), Nineveh
- Language: Akkadian (Assyrian dialect), later Aramaic

## Notable Rulers
- Tiglath-Pileser III (745–727 BCE): Administrative reforms, professional army
- Sargon II (722–705 BCE): Conquered Israel, built Dur-Sharrukin
- Sennacherib (705–681 BCE): Expanded Nineveh, besieged Jerusalem
- Ashurbanipal (668–631 BCE): Created the Library of Nineveh [^1]

## Achievements
- Library of Nineveh: ~30,000 cuneiform tablets, preserving Mesopotamian literature
- Advanced siege warfare and military engineering
- Extensive road network and postal system
- Monumental palace reliefs (Nimrud, Nineveh)

## Decline
Fell to a coalition of Babylonians and Medes; Nineveh destroyed in 612 BCE. The last Assyrian forces defeated at Carchemish in 605 BCE [^2].

---
[^1]: Frahm, E. "The Library of Ashurbanipal" in *The Oxford Handbook of Cuneiform Culture* (2011)
[^2]: Radner, K. *Ancient Assyria: A Very Short Introduction* (Oxford, 2015)
---

## Review Queue

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- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Region: Northern Mesopotamia, expanding across the Near East" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Frahm (2011) [^1]; Radner (2015) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Neo-Assyrian period: 911–609 BCE" - when was this true?
> 609 BCE event. Attested by Frahm (2011) [^1]; Radner (2015) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Capitals: Ashur, Nimrud (Kalhu), Nineveh" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Frahm (2011) [^1]; Radner (2015) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Language: Akkadian (Assyrian dialect), later Aramaic" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Frahm (2011) [^1]; Radner (2015) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 16: "Tiglath-Pileser III (745–727 BCE): Administrative reforms, professional army" - when was this true?
> 727 BCE event. Attested by Frahm (2011) [^1]; Radner (2015) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Sargon II (722–705 BCE): Conquered Israel, built Dur-Sharrukin" - when was this true?
> 705 BCE event. Attested by Frahm (2011) [^1]; Radner (2015) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Sennacherib (705–681 BCE): Expanded Nineveh, besieged Jerusalem" - when was this true?
> 681 BCE event. Attested by Frahm (2011) [^1]; Radner (2015) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Ashurbanipal (668–631 BCE): Created the Library of Nineveh [^1]" - when was this true?
> 631 BCE event. Attested by Frahm (2011) [^1]; Radner (2015) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 22: "Library of Nineveh: ~30,000 cuneiform tablets, preserving Mesopotamian litera..." - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Frahm (2011) [^1]; Radner (2015) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Advanced siege warfare and military engineering" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Frahm (2011) [^1]; Radner (2015) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Extensive road network and postal system" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Frahm (2011) [^1]; Radner (2015) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Monumental palace reliefs (Nimrud, Nineveh)" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Frahm (2011) [^1]; Radner (2015) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Region: Northern Mesopotamia, expanding across the Near East" - what is the source?
> Frahm (2011) [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Neo-Assyrian period: 911–609 BCE" - what is the source?
> Frahm (2011) [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Capitals: Ashur, Nimrud (Kalhu), Nineveh" - what is the source?
> Frahm (2011) [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Language: Akkadian (Assyrian dialect), later Aramaic" - what is the source?
> Frahm (2011) [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 16: "Tiglath-Pileser III (745–727 BCE): Administrative reforms, professional army" - what is the source?
> Frahm (2011) [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "Sargon II (722–705 BCE): Conquered Israel, built Dur-Sharrukin" - what is the source?
> Radner (2015) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Sennacherib (705–681 BCE): Expanded Nineveh, besieged Jerusalem" - what is the source?
> Radner (2015) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 22: "Library of Nineveh: ~30,000 cuneiform tablets, preserving Mesopotamian litera..." - what is the source?
> Frahm (2011) [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 23: "Advanced siege warfare and military engineering" - what is the source?
> Frahm (2011) [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 24: "Extensive road network and postal system" - what is the source?
> Frahm (2011) [^1]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 25: "Monumental palace reliefs (Nimrud, Nineveh)" - what is the source?
> Frahm (2011) [^1]
- [x] `@q[ambiguous]` Line 16: "Tiglath-Pileser III (745–727 BCE): Administrative reforms, professional army" - what does "III" mean in this context?
> Roman numeral indicating third king of that name (Tiglath-Pileser the Third).
- [x] `@q[ambiguous]` Line 17: "Sargon II (722–705 BCE): Conquered Israel, built Dur-Sharrukin" - what does "II" mean in this context?
> Roman numeral indicating second king of that name (Sargon the Second).
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 19: "Ashurbanipal (668–631 BCE): Created the Library of Nineveh [^1]" - Frahm source from 2011 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Scholarship remains current. Library of Nineveh significance is well-established.