# 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 - [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.