The Assyrians :: essays research papers

The Assyrians at that place are different ut arounds of the Assyrian empire. The first was called theOld Assyrian period which lasted from 2000-1550 BC. Then on that point was the MiddleAssyrian period which lasted from 1550-1200 BC. The last was the Neo-Assyrianperiod which lasted from 1200-600 BC. The final phase of the Neo-Assyrianperiod is called the Assyrian Empire.The Old and Middle Assyrian periods ( 2000 - 1200 BC )The name Ashur was used by the Assyrians to condemn not only their country,but also their most ancient metropolis and their national god. The cities of Ashur(near modern al-Sharqat), Nineveh, and Irbil formed a triangle that defined the current territory of Assyria. Assyrias early history was marked by frequentepisodes of abroad rule. Assyria finally gained its indep demolitionence around 2000BC. About this time the Assyrians ceremonious a number of trading colonies inCappadocia (central Anatolia), protected by treaties with local Hattic rulers.The most impor tant of these was at Kultepe (Kanesh), north of present-dayKayseri, Turkey. Political developments Brought this enterprise to an end in1750 BC. Assyria lost its independence to a dynasty of Amorite. Then Hammurabiof Babylon took over and established himself ruler of Assyria. The collapse ofHammurabis Old Babylonian dynasty gave Assyria only temporary relief. It in shortfell under the control of the Mitanni, until that state was destroyed by theHittites c.1350 BC.The beforehand(predicate) Neo-Assyrian Period (c.1200-600 BC)After the collapse of Mittanni, Assyria regained its independence and was ableto hold it give thanks to the weakness of its neighbors. The most important event inAssyrian history during the 13 century BC, was the capture of Babylon by KingTukulti-Ninurta (r.1244-1208 BC). Although the conquest was short-lived the recollection of it remained strong. In the following centuries the chief adversariesof the Assyrians were the Aramaeans, who settled in Syria and along the velocityTigris and the Euphrates rivers, where they founded a number of states. In the9th century BC, under Ashurnasirpal II (r.883-859 BC) and Shalmaneser cardinal (859-824 BC), the Assyrians finally managed to conquer Bit-Adini (Beth-Eden), themost powerful Aramaen state on the upper berth Euphrates. Shalmaneser then tried toinvade the Syrian heartland, where he met with serious ohmic resistance from acoalition of kings that included Ahab of Israel. They successfully opposed himat the battle karkar in 853 BC. Internal disagreements marked the end ofShalmanesers reign, and many of his conquests were lost.Assyrian power began with Tiglath-Peleser three (r. 745-727 BC) taking over thethrone. He began on administrative reforms aimed at beef up royalauthority over the provinces. Districts were reduced in size and lay under