1. Background Information
ASSYRIAN EMPIRE, 911 – 612 BCE
Background Information
From northern Mesopotamia (Ashur)
More temperate climate, but more exposed to raiders & intruders
Built empire along the existing trade routes
West – Mediterranean
East – Iran
South - Babylonia

2. ASSYRIAN EMPIRE, 911 – 612 BCE God and King
Regarded as the center of the universe…
Surrogates of the gods – acted on their behalf

3. ASSYRIAN EMPIRE, 911 – 612 BCE God and King (cont.)
Secular Duties of King:
receiving information
hearing and deciding on complaints
carrying out diplomacy
military leadership

4. ASSYRIAN EMPIRE, 911 – 612 BCE God and King (cont.)
Religious Duties of King:
supervision of the state religion
performance of public and private rituals
consulting and gaining the approval of the gods

5. ASSYRIAN EMPIRE, 911 – 612 BCE Conquest and Control
Army (500,000 soldiers) used specialized units and a variety of technology :
Professional Soldiers
Iron weapons
Cavalry
Couriers
Signal fires
Spy networks

6. Conquest and Control (cont.)
ASSYRIAN EMPIRE, 911 – 612 BCE
Conquest and Control (cont.)
Conquest strategies:
Terror - Scare tactics:
Flayed
Impaled
Beheaded (first if they were lucky)
Burnt alive
Eyes ripped out
fingers, noses and ears cut off

7. Conquest and Control (cont.)
ASSYRIAN EMPIRE, 911 – 612 BCE
Conquest and Control (cont.)
Conquest strategies:
Mass deportations
Attempt to destroy the morale of the enemy
Transfer needed laborers to the core area of the empire

8. Conquest and Control (cont.)
ASSYRIAN EMPIRE, 911 – 612 BCE
Conquest and Control (cont.)
Notes about Empire:
Looser control further a location is from center
Provincial centers are established to ensure tribute to King
Ruthless exploitation of subjects
Invested in provincial infrastructure

9. Celtic SOCIETY, ca. 500 BCE Religion Activities organized by Druids:
Worshiped over 400 deities
Modern day holidays have Celtic Roots (Halloween and May Day)
Naturalist focus
No temples; worshipped in natural settings
Belief in afterlife, evidenced by burial rituals.
Belief in reincarnation (spirit is reborn into a new body)

10. Celtic SOCIETY, ca. 500 BCE Cultural Appearance: Burly Red Haired
Shaggy Facial Hair
Loud
Fond of war and fighting
Courageous and emotional
Lived in hill forts
Exposed to outside forces through trading with Mediterranean people

11. Celtic SOCIETY, ca. 500 BCE Social Order Warrior Class
Owned land and livestock
Monopoly on land and power
Priests and Bards (poets)
Common class
Worked land for warriors