Assyrian Empire

ASSYRIAN EMPIRE

1000 – 612 B. C. E.

Geographical Location

Assyria is located at 42 degrees North latitude and 85 degrees West longitude. It is in north Mesopotamia and extends through Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. The Assyrians developed in this area because there was great soil and rivers, which were important for travel, irrigation, and trade.

The most important rivers that ran through this empire were the Tigris and the Euphrates. Also many physical features created a boundary for their neighboring land. On the north and east of Assyria were the Taurus and Zagros mountains. On the south and west there was a low limestone plateau.

The location of the Assyrians had great soil and crops. This was the main factor for them to expand and prosper. Also, the geographical features created a boundary between them and other civilizations. This was an advantage during battles and helped them protect their land.

Chronological location

The Assyrians were the rulers of Mesopotamia and the entire near east for the first half of the first millennium. They maintained in the same area, but they expanded over time, thanks to their geographical location.

Historical Background

The history of the Assyrian people begins with the formation of Assyria circa 2500 BC, followed by rise of the Akkadian Empire during the 24th century BC, in the early Bronze Age period. After the fall of the Akkadian Empire, the Akkadians split into two nations, Assyria in the north and much later, Babylonia in the south.

Assyria was a major Mesopotamian Semitic Kingdom, of the Ancient Near East, existing as an independent state for a period of approximately nineteen centuries from 2500 B.C.E. to 605 B.C.E., spanning the Early Bronze Age through to the late Iron Age. For a further thirteen centuries, it survived as a geo-political entity, for the most part ruled by foreign powers.

The Assyrian history is divided into six periods:

• Emergence: Beginnings (2400 B. C. E.)
• First Golden Age: 2400 B. C. E. to 612 B. C. E.)
• First Dark Age: 612 B. C. E. to 33 A. C. E.
• Second Golden Age: 33 A. C. E. to 1300 A. C. E.
• Second Dark Age: 1300 A. C. E. to 1918 A. C. E.
• Diaspora: 1918 A. C. E. To The Present

For more information about each period, you can consult this page: http://www.aina.org/brief.html

Cultural Background

The Assyrians were a military culture and were led by many ambitious and very aggressive governors. It was a very brutal and violent culture. They were so violent that once they have conquered a place they tortured, rape, and flayed with the corpse of their enemies. They torched all the houses of the enemies, and destroyed the cities.

Despite they were brutal, they were extremely rich, and thanks to the massive resources, they got from conquests. They had luxurious palaces it was very glamorous and extremely big. Once they told that Assurnasirpal II invited 70,000 people to a banquet.

The palaces were lined with large scale carved reliefs, which offer a variety of very pretty and terrific images, proving the brutality and the money they got.

Role of Art

The most important role of art had was to decorate the luxurious palaces and to present the feats of bravery and the accomplishments they got. For example in the “Real Lion Hunt” in which it shows how a King attacked lions to show how brave he was. Also, another very important piece of art was the “Sacking of Susa” in which it shows how Assurnasirpal’s troops entirely destroyed this city.

Some of the most significant examples of this Civilization are:

“Wall Relief from Nimrud” located in the British Museum

The “Royal Lion Hunt” in the British Museum

“The sacking of Susa by Ashurbanipal” in Nineveh

The materials they used were lime stones that were principally the walls of palaces, those were really colorful but they were not very detailed, they didn´t show a very naturalistic style possible.

For more information about Assyrian Art, you can consult this page: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/ancient-near-east1/assyrian/a/assyrian-art-an-introduction

Lifestyle

The Assyrians had a society based on a monarchy with many different social classes. On the top of the classes was the king, then the scribes, artisans, poets and musicians, farmers and slaves were the lowest of the classes. These classes put order into place by keeping everybody in their social class.

The Assyrian society was based strongly on warfare, art, and architecture. Religion also played an important role in society. But the Assyrian women played a large role in the society, being made as equals and companions to their husbands. This type of behavior was never seen before in the ancient world.

Religion

Ashurism was the first religion established in the Assyrian Empire. The religion was focused on the supreme god Ashur in the first century. The Assyrians used mythology, royal rituals, and visual arts to express their Ashurism religion. Ashurism is an example of a polytheistic religion.

The Ashurism religion is also known as Babylonian and Assyrian religion even when they were organized differently and prayed for different gods. All known of Ashurism has been derived from archaeological discoveries. Modern Assyrian people still use the same worship style as their ancestors but with more Christianity in their practices.

Products

Thanks to the location of the Assyrian Empire, the soil was very rich and fertile. Because of this, Assyrians were able to feed a larger population to grow and expand faster. Also, because the climate was very hot and dry, the Assyrians grew crops like grains and barley. They ate breads and wild animals like antelope, bears, and chickens. They also drank rums and wines made from fermented grapes and honey. This was possible because of the rivers near the area, which provided the specific conditions for a developed agriculture. There were systems of irrigation to maintain their crops and obtain many products to satisfy their necessities.

Government

The Assyrian’s government was a dictatorship. They had a king who had the ultimate power over Assyria. Because the empire was spread over a large area it was divided into provinces. Officials were chosen to govern over each province. The officials collected taxes and enforced laws. The people of Assyria were required to pay taxes to the government in the form of food, goods, gold, labor, military supplies, and soldiers for the army.

An extensive network of roads and grain depots were also built during the New Empire. They helped speed communication and army travel. Also, large scales were built using mud brick and stone. Many kings who ruled during the New Empire built large palaces elaborately decorated.

References

Weebly. (2014). Geography. Retrieved on September 5, 2014, from The Assyrians: http://theancientassyrians.weebly.com/geography.html

Weebly. (2014). Religion. Retrieved on September 5, 2014, from The Assyrians: http://theancientassyrians.weebly.com/religion.html

Weebly. (2014). Government. Retrieved on September 5, 2014, from The Assyrians: http://theancientassyrians.weebly.com/government.html

Weebly. (2014). Society.  Retrieved on September 5, 2014, from The Assyrians: http://theancientassyrians.weebly.com/society.html

German, S. (05 de 09 de 2014). Khan Academy. Obtenido de Assyran: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/ancient-near-east1/assyrian/a/assyrian-art-an-introduction