Assyrians By: Aaron Robinson Andy Webb Katie Hickey **the Assyrian soldiers of Sennacherib carrying off the statues of the gods of an enemy Syrian city.**

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Timeline of Assyrian Empire 5000 B.C. – First site of Ninevah inhabited 4750 B.C. – First temple of Ashur built 2000 B.C. – The Assyrians in Cappadocia began trade with the city of Ashur in tin and textiles. 1760 B.C. – Hammurabi of Babylon conquers Ashur ending the early Assyrian Empire. 1500 B.C. – Assyria subject to Mitanni rule. 1365 B.C. – Ashur-uballit lays the foundations of the first Assyrian Empire 1363 B.C. – Ashur-ubalit revolts against Mitanni rule and founds the Assyrian Empire. 1273 B.C. – Shalmanesar of Assyria conquers the Mitanni. 1240 B.C. – Assyrians attack Babylon. 1115 B.C. – Tiglath-Pileser establishes the second Assyrian Empire. 1115 B.C. - The Aramean invasions of Assyria begin. 1114 – 1076 B.C. – Reign of Tiglath-Pileser I of Assyria. 934 B.C. – Usher-dan II establishes the Neo-Assyrian Empire 880 B.C. – Ashur-nasirpal II mosves the Assyrian capital to Calah. 856 B.C. – Shalmeneser III of Assyrian defeats the first known king of Urartu 774 B.C. – Assyrian incursions of Phoenicia begin. 752 B.C. – Aramaic is made an official language of the empire alongside Akkadiam.

Timeline continued 745 B.C. – Tiglath Pileser III rebuilds the decaying Assyrian empire. 722 B.C. – Sargon II reorganizes the Assyrian empire into 70 provinces. 705 B.C. – Capital moved to Dur Sharrukin and Assyria attacks Jerusalem. 700 B.C. – Sennacherib moves the capital to Ninevah. 689 B.C. – Assyrians destroy Babylon. 671-651 B.C. – Assyrians rule in Egypt. 612 B.C. – Medes ally with Babylonia to conquer Assyria. 609 B.C – Ashur – Uballit II, the last Assyrian king, is defeated at Harran and the Assyrian Empire came to its end.

Early Religion Assyrians have practiced two religions throughout their history: Ashurism and Christianity. Ashurism was the first religion of the Assyrians. The word Assyrian, in its Latin form, derives from the name of Ashur, the Assyrian god. Ashur was the religious capital of Assyria, and the center for worship of the god Ashur and the goddess Ishtar/Inanna. Ashur being the religious capital is also the reason for its being the capital at large periods of Assyrian history although other cities had more inhabitants and were better situated strategically and easier to defend. Ashur had about 34 temples and 3 palaces. Only a few of these have been excavated. Assyrians continued to practice Ashurism until 256 A.D, although by that time, most Assyrians had accepted Christianity.

Notable Rulers of Assyria Shalmaneser Tiglath-Pileser I Ashar-Nasirpal II Shalmaneser III Tiglath Pileser III Sargon II Sennacherub Ashurbanipal

Government Assyrians were ruled by very strong kings. Many were great warriors since these people were almost always involved in fighting. Most battles were caused by geography as the rolling hills and valleys provided no protection for the Assyrians. Assyrian kings had to control many people lover a large area, so they divided their empire into provinces. Each province had officials that collected taxes and governed.

Military Life The Assyrian Army was very well organized. Each member was authorized to have a shield, helmet, spear, and dagger. (which were made of iron) They had chariots, cavalry, and archers. Early on they fought only in the summers because of the planting and harvest. Assyrians were powerful due to the fact that they were very cruel. For hundreds of years their armies spread death and destruction throughout the Middle East. They used battering rams or tunneled under city walls. After each town was destroyed they would burn it, then take the citizens and their goods. Over 600 years, the Assyrians conquered the Mitanni, Babylon, Urartu, Phoenicia, Jerusalem and Egypt.

Assyrian Contributions King Ashur-Banipal started one of the world’s first libraries. It had over 25,000 tablets of hymns, stories, and biographies. Invention of locks and keys First system of keeping time First paved roads First postal system First guitar First plumbing and flush toilets Invention of magnifying glasses