Around 1600 BC new peoples attacked the Babylonian Empire and occupied Mesopotamia. The Assyrians they have lived in this area since 1100 BC. until 600 BC
The Assyrians were nomads and came from the mountains that are north of Mesopotamia.
Assur was the ancient capital of the Assyrians.
The Assyrians had a very strong army:their war chariots were very fast and the Assyrian soldiers attacked the walls of enemy cities with wooden towers and ladders. The Assyrians they had enslaved the peoples who had won and in a short time had formed a very large empire that included much of the Near East.
The capital of the empire was the city of Nineveh.
Around 600 BC the empire of the Assyrians collapsed and the Babylonians have returned to rule Mesopotamia.
The rule of the Babylonians it didn't last long because, after about a century, other foreign peoples invaded these lands.
With the king Ashurbanipal the first library in history was born.
The Assyrian state was based on a warrior aristocracy who owned most of the land. The rest of the population was divided between peasants and artisans who led a miserable life, without any rights.
The kingdom of the Assyrians he was so ruthless and cruel that he provoked a deep hatred towards this people among the conquered populations.
Egyptians, Babylonians, Phoenicians and Persians joined together to defeat the Assyrians.