General Description
The Assyrian Empire (911-612 BCE) was a powerful polity that expanded from its heartland in northern Iraq, using the most advanced military technologies of the era: two wheeled chariots, cavalry and an infantry fully converted to iron weapons.
[1]
[2]
The most important early ruler was Assurnasirpall II (883-859 BCE) who built the capital Kalhu on the east bank of the Tigris.
[2]
The Assyrian king maintained his presence by establishing “royal cities” with palaces throughout the realm, which he appears to have used on a regular basis.
[3]
The Assyrian capital also changed frequently: the first capital was Ashur (911-859 BCE) and the last was at Ninevah (681-612 BCE). Sharrukin was important between 707-705 BCE.
Despite the constantly moving king and capital the Assyrian government put down literary roots in a state archives
[4]
and perhaps the world’s first organized library was built at Nineveh under Asurbanipal (668-627 BCE). Here scribes copied texts from a 1,000 year old Babylonian literary tradition. These included medical works, mythologies, religious guides and astrology.
[5]
The high level of sophistication the Assyrian civilization achieved is reflected in ruins of water reservoirs and sewerage systems
[6]
, an aqueduct built in Nineveh
[7]
and "traditional Mesopotamian mud-brick architecture ... monumental stone sculptures and wall reliefs."
[8]
The Assyrian government was the personal project of the king who appointed all officials at the state, regional and local levels as well as the priesthood.
[9]
He was advised by officials called Magnates.
[9]
The king’s provincial governors also lived in palaces
[3]
and were initially direct relations of the king until the reign of Shalmaneser III (r.859-824 BC) who instead made governors directly appointed eunuchs.
[3]
Historians believe governors had a lot of freedom over the day-to-day running of the regions since letters that have been recovered sent from governors to the king primarily concern unforeseeable problems.
[3]
In the 7th Century population of Mesopotamia reached its height of about 2 million.
[10]
At its height, after Egypt was conquered in 671 CE, combined with south-eastern Anatolia, the Levant region and western Iran, the total population of the tribute-paying empire may have reached 7 million people.
[11]
[1]: (Dupuy and Dupuy 2007, 10) R Dupuy. Dupuy. 2007. The Collins Encyclopedia of Military History, 4th Edition, BCA.
[2]: (Chadwick 2005, 77) R Chadwick. 2005. First Civilizations: Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, 2nd Edition, Equinox, London.
[3]: (Radler 2014) K Radler. 2014. The Assyrian Empire, c. 900-612 BC. The Emergence of European State Forms in Comparative Perspective - Panel "Imperial States in Time".
[4]: (Westbrook et al. 2003, 887) R Westbrook. G Beckman. R Jasnow. B Levine. M Roth. 2003. A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law. Volume: 2. Brill. Leiden, Netherlands.
[5]: (Davidson 2012, 28) P Davidson. 2012. Atlas of Empires, New Holland, London.
[6]: (Mahmoudian and Mahmoudian 2012, 97) A N Angelakis. L W Mays. D Koutsoyiannis. 2012.Evolution of Water Supply Through the Millennia. IWA Publishing.
[7]: (Chadwick 2005, 83) R Chadwick. 2005. First Civilizations: Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, 2nd Edition, Equinox, London.
[8]: (Stearns 2001, 27) P Stearns. 2001. The Encyclopedia of World History. 6th Edition. James Clarke & Co Ltd. Cambridge.
[9]: (Westbrook et al. 2003, 886-888) R Westbrook. G Beckman. R Jasnow. B Levine. M Roth. 2003. A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law. Volume: 2. Brill. Leiden, Netherlands.
[10]: (Stearns 2001, 28) P Stearns. 2001. The Encyclopedia of World History. 6th Edition. James Clarke & Co Ltd. Cambridge.
[11]: (McEvedy and Jones 1978, 226) Colin McEvedy. Richard Jones. 1978. Atlas of World Population History, Allen Lane, London.
38 S |
Neo-Assyrian Empire |
Due-Sharrukin | |
Ashur | |
Kalhu | |
Ninevah |
Late Assyria | |
Assyria | |
Assyrian Empire | |
New Assyrian Empire | |
Land of Ashur | |
Land of Assur |
none |
Succeeding: Neo-Babylonian Empire (iq_neo_babylonian_emp) [None] | |
Succeeding: Elam III (ir_neo_elam_3) [None] | |
Succeeding: Egypt - Saite Period (eg_saite) [secession] |
unitary state |
10,000 people | 911 BCE |
70,000 people | 875 BCE |
120,000 people | 700 BCE |
1,400,000 km2 |
[5,000,000 to 7,000,000] people | 670 CE |
inferred Present |
inferred Absent |
Present |
inferred Present |
Absent |
inferred Present |
Unknown |
Present |
inferred Present |
Unknown |
absent |
Year Range | Neo-Assyrian Empire (iq_neo_assyrian_emp) was in: |
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(729 BCE 721 BCE) | Southern Mesopotamia |
(721 BCE 627 BCE) | Southern Mesopotamia Galilee |
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