The Assyrians were Semitic peoples who lived in northern Mesopotamia in the region of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The Assyrian empire was formed after the fall of the Akkadian empire. They became known for being part of a warrior society, cruel and ruthless.
Its military technology was highlighted by the use of iron, copper and tin to carve weapons. At the height of their power, they controlled Cyprus, Egypt, Mesopotamia and the region now occupied by the State of Israel.
Archaeological evidence points out that the Assyrians emerged at the end of the third millennium BC. In addition to their war skills, they were also known for their architecture integrated by imposing buildings highlighted in the cities of Ashur, Nineveh and Nimrud.
They had commercial relations with the Hittites, who currently live in Turkey, as early as the 19th century BC. Commercial activity was intensified between the 19th and 18th centuries BC, when they adopted the Babylonian system in transactions. In this phase, they work with the Amorites.
The Babylonian conquest would come in 729 BC, under the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III, also called Teglathphalasar III, who lived between 746 BC. to 727 BC. Under the command of this king, the Assyrians reached the middle portion of the east, where they conquered the kingdom of Urartu, in Ararat.
It was in the reign of Sargon II that the Assyrians conquered Israel. Sargon II lived between 721 BC. and 705 BC. and among the marks of its conquest was the deportation of 27,000 Israelites and the invasion of Syria in 715 BC.
Sargon II's successor Sennacherib (705 BC to 681 BC) was responsible for transferring the capital to Nineveh. Before that, the headquarters in Assur. Sennacherib still tried to conquer Judah. He ordered the siege of the city, failed, and when he returned defeated to Nineveh, two of his sons murdered him.
In his place, the son Esar-haddon, also called Esarhaddon and who lived between 681 BC, reigned. until 669 B.C. Esarhaddon expanded Assyrian rule to the Nile and settled in Egypt. He also rebuilt Babylon which for a certain period was the capital of the empire.
Religion
Speaking Semitic, the Assyrians were polytheists and believed in gods who symbolized the Sun and the planets. Because of religion, they demonstrated knowledge in astronomy. On a religious basis, the Sun god was represented as a despot sovereign with a full life.
Below the Sun god were the servants, represented as merchants.
Economy
The Assyrian economy was based on loot and tribute acquired in war. Conquered peoples were treated as serfs. They also acted in a rudimentary way in agriculture and commerce.
Art
Assyrian art was marked by realism, with bas-reliefs and demonstrating the vocation of war and hunting. The representations were figured in bas-relief on ceramics, carpets and jewelry.
They used cuneiform writing inscribed on clay tiles and even on murals.
Complement your research by reading the articles :
- People of Mesopotamia
- Mesopotamian Civilization
- Mesopotamian Art
- Babylonian Empire
- Antiquity