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factbase-ancient-history/civilizations/assyrian-empire.md
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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 (911609 BCE) as the largest empire the world had yet seen.

Key Facts

  • Region: Northern Mesopotamia, expanding across the Near East
  • Neo-Assyrian period: 911609 BCE
  • Capitals: Ashur, Nimrud (Kalhu), Nineveh
  • Language: Akkadian (Assyrian dialect), later Aramaic

Notable Rulers

  • Tiglath-Pileser III (745727 BCE): Administrative reforms, professional army
  • Sargon II (722705 BCE): Conquered Israel, built Dur-Sharrukin
  • Sennacherib (705681 BCE): Expanded Nineveh, besieged Jerusalem
  • Ashurbanipal (668631 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 .



Review Queue

  • @q[temporal] Line 10: "Region: Northern Mesopotamia, expanding across the Near East" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 11: "Neo-Assyrian period: 911609 BCE" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 12: "Capitals: Ashur, Nimrud (Kalhu), Nineveh" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 13: "Language: Akkadian (Assyrian dialect), later Aramaic" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 16: "Tiglath-Pileser III (745727 BCE): Administrative reforms, professional army" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 17: "Sargon II (722705 BCE): Conquered Israel, built Dur-Sharrukin" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 18: "Sennacherib (705681 BCE): Expanded Nineveh, besieged Jerusalem" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 19: "Ashurbanipal (668631 BCE): Created the Library of Nineveh 1 " - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 22: "Library of Nineveh: ~30,000 cuneiform tablets, preserving Mesopotamian litera..." - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 23: "Advanced siege warfare and military engineering" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 24: "Extensive road network and postal system" - when was this true?

  • @q[temporal] Line 25: "Monumental palace reliefs (Nimrud, Nineveh)" - when was this true?

  • @q[missing] Line 10: "Region: Northern Mesopotamia, expanding across the Near East" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 11: "Neo-Assyrian period: 911609 BCE" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 12: "Capitals: Ashur, Nimrud (Kalhu), Nineveh" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 13: "Language: Akkadian (Assyrian dialect), later Aramaic" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 16: "Tiglath-Pileser III (745727 BCE): Administrative reforms, professional army" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 17: "Sargon II (722705 BCE): Conquered Israel, built Dur-Sharrukin" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 18: "Sennacherib (705681 BCE): Expanded Nineveh, besieged Jerusalem" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 22: "Library of Nineveh: ~30,000 cuneiform tablets, preserving Mesopotamian litera..." - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 23: "Advanced siege warfare and military engineering" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 24: "Extensive road network and postal system" - what is the source?

  • @q[missing] Line 25: "Monumental palace reliefs (Nimrud, Nineveh)" - what is the source?

  • @q[ambiguous] Line 16: "Tiglath-Pileser III (745727 BCE): Administrative reforms, professional army" - what does "III" mean in this context?

  • @q[ambiguous] Line 17: "Sargon II (722705 BCE): Conquered Israel, built Dur-Sharrukin" - what does "II" mean in this context?

  • @q[stale] Line 19: "Ashurbanipal (668631 BCE): Created the Library of Nineveh 1 " - Frahm source from 2011 may be outdated, is this still accurate?


  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) ↩︎