Considered by historians to be the first true empire, Assyria's
innovations laid the groundwork for every superpower that's followed.
at its height, in the 7th century BCE, the Assyrian empire stretched
across modern Iraq, Syria , Lebanon , Palestine and parts of Turkey, Iran and Egypt.
its wonders included a vast library and large botanical and zoological
park. but the story of Assyria's rise to dominance began many centuries earlier,
in the late bronze age, in a city called Ashur.
Ashur was a tin and textiles trading center located along the Tigris River
in northern Iraq. It shared its name with a god thought to be an embodiment of
the city and later of the entire empire for the administration-minded Assyrians,
politics and religion were closely linked
Around 1300 BCE, a high priest named Ashur-uballit I, took the title of
king and initiated a tradition or military campaigns, effectively transforming
Assyria from a city-state to territorial state. This meant that a single
administrative entity oversaw many places, cultures, and peoples. For the next
150 years, Assyria extended its reach and thrived.
in the 12th century BCE, a mysterious catastrophe that still bewilders archaeologists
caused the Assyrians to lose much of their territory. a few hundred years later
,however, Assyrian kings began a new round of conquests. This time , they honed
their administrative system into an empire that would last generation.
Assyrians were military innovators and merciless conquerors. During their
conquests, they used siege tactis and cruel punishments for those who opposed them,
including implement and flaying.
The growth of their empire was due, in part, to their strategy of
deporting local populations, then shifting them around the empire to fulfill different
needs. This broke peoples' bounds with their homelands and severed loyalties
among local groups. Once the Assyria's conquered an area, they built cities
connected by well-maintained royal roads. Often, when a new king came to power,
he would build a new capital. With each move, new places and temples were
rected and lavishly decorated. Although kings claimed absolute power, we know
that an extensive system of courtiers, provincial offcials, and scholars
influenced affaris.at least one woman, Sammuramat, ruled the kingdom.
Assyrian rulers celebrated their military excursions by having
representation of their exploits carved into the walls of their newly built
palaces. but despite the picture of a ruthless war state projected by this
records, the Assyrian kings were also interested in the cultural traditions of
the region, especially those of Babylonia, a separate state to he sout.
Babylonia had been a cultural leader for millennia, stretching back to
the beginning of writing at the end of the 4th millennium BCE. Assyria saw itself
as the inheritor and protector of this tradion. Assyrian rulers supported
scholars in specialties ranging from medicine to magic, and capital cities,
like Ninevah, were home to elaborate parks and gardens that housed plants and
animals from around the empire.
One of Assyria's final rulers Ashurbanipal, sent scholars throughout
Babylonia to gather and copy ancient literary works. Ashurbanipal's library
took the form of clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform in the languages of
Akkadian and Sumerian.
the library was lost during the final sack of Ninevah in 612 BCE. But
thanks to a 19th century archealoggila excavation
,many masterpieces of acent literature, including the Epic of Gilgamesh and the
Babylonian Creation Epic, survive today.
After centuries of rule, the Assyrian Empire fell to the Babyloningas
and Medes, between 612 and 609 BCE. yet the innovation that the Assyrians pioneered
live on . their emphasis on constant innovation, efficient administration, and excellent
infrastructure set the standard for
every empire that's followed them in the region and across the globe.
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