Assyria, a Powerful Ancient Empire

Assyria, a powerful ancient empire, once sprawled across the entirety of the Fertile Crescent. It encompassed land in four modern day countries: Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Today, the Assyrian people live in these areas, although many migrated to the Caucasus, North America, and Europe during the past century. The culture's current language is various Neo-Aramaic dialects, and they also speak the native tongue of their country of residence. Despite having been persecuted, the Assyrian culture still exists today.

Although it was once a mighty empire, Assyria was destroyed by a Chaldean-Median coalition in 612-609 BC. Before this, the Assyrian empire had had a fluctuation in power and dominion over the surrounding nations. The Assyrians were famous for their fighting prowess, known for being a militaristic nation, and often for their cruelty. They became a major power in Mesopotamia and Armenia, and expanded their borders until around 627 BC, when the last great Assyrian ruler, Ashurbanipal died. They had united most of the middle east until this point, from Egypt to the Persian Gulf, but the nation had over-expanded, which led to a steady decline during Ashurbanipal's reign. During this time, the Assyrians also constructed the world's first library and were monumental builders. However, for centuries afterward, the Assyrian nation was mostly forgotten about.

Despite the fall of the empire, Assyrians have continued to remain a separate and distinct culture. Although Assyria no longer exits, the Assyrian people live in the same region. Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria are the Assyrians homeland at present with northern Iraq housing the majority of Assyrians. Assyrians today speak Neo-Aramaic, a language derived fro...

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...ation's greatest period was in the 9th century BC, under the leadership of Ashurbanipal II. Starting out as a small region around Ashur (located in modern northern Iraq), Assyria's borders stretched from the Mediterranean Sea through much of the Middle East. According to the article, Assyria's greatest rulers were Tiglath-pileser III, Sargon II, Sennacherib, and Ashurbanipal. The cities of Ninevah, Ashur, and Calah showcased the monumental builders of Assyria. The document states that the opulence of Ashurbanipal's court at Assyria became legendary. The ancient Assyrians were also known for their artistry, namely stone bas-reliefs They were known for being cruel and possessing a great fighting prowess as a nation in addition to their skills at construction. The article states that the Assyrian empire fell to a joint coalition of Media and Babylon in 612-609 BC.