The Assyrians and Cyrus

1234 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The Assyrian rule and culture

INTRODUCTION

At its height, the ancient Assyrian Empire stretched from the north in the upper Tigris river valley, south to the northern tip of the Persian Gulf including Babylon, along the Mediterranean Sea from Tarsus to Jerusalem and all the way down into Egypt to the city of Thebes. This vast empire took several thousand years to build. Early settlements can be traced back to the northern city of Nineveh around 5000 B.C.

The success of this nearly 2000 year empire had a lot to do with the way the rulers divided up the empire into states with local governors; a radical idea during that time. The advances they made in the area of science and architecture were extremely important as well.

Unfortunately, the great Assyrian Empire (as history has shown time and time again) collapsed under a massive attack and the city of Nineveh burned to the ground. This fascinating history is worth a serious look since it is one of the first Empires to expand the entire Fertile Crescent.

EXPANSION SUCCESS

Concentrated in the upper Tigris Valley, the cities of Ashur, Arbel and Nineveh were thriving Assyrian culture centers around 2500 B.C. Out of these cities, came vast improvements in farming, pottery, domestication of animals and fortification. Writing and language were also advancing quite well as the clay tablets left behind give us a glimpse of the daily life and record keeping of the Assyrian people.

The empire started to expand around 2371 B.C. when Sargon of Akkad (an area just south of modern day Baghdad), setup a kingdom outside of the original northern location of Assyria. Sargon gradually expanded all the way to the Mediterranean Sea setting the seed for the vast expansion to come.

As the Assyrians e...

... middle of paper ...

...2/423.html

ATOUR: THE STATE OF ASSYRIA

http://www.atour.com/

LEARN ASSYRIAN ARAMAIC

http://www.assyrianlanguage.com/

Assyrian Information Medium Exchange

http://www.edessa.com/

Assyrian Nation

http://www.assyriannation.com/home.shtml

ASSYRIAN/BABYLONIAN ARTIFACTS

FROM THE LOUVRE IN PARIS

http://members.aol.com/assyrianme/france/paris.html

INTERNET RESOURCE ON MESOPOAMIA

http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESINRES.HTM

MESOPATAMIA Reader

http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MESO/ASSYRIA.HTM

Show More
Related

  • Assyrian Warfare

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    During Mesopotamian times, wars were what divided ruling periods. There were many different peoples that dominated Ancient Mesopotamia and the Assyrians were one of them. The Assyrians prospered mainly because of their divine talent to defensively resist and offensively overwhelm their enemies. At no point of Assyrian rule was there ever a time without conflict of some sort.

    Read More

  • Comparing the Post-Classical Empires of Arabia and the Byzantine.

    977 Words  | 2 Pages

    As you can see, the Byzantine and Arab empires had many characteristics that came to define them. Whether it was through their religious beliefs, political structure, or economy, each was able to create a vast, long lasting empire which came to define the post-classical period.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Rome And Han Dynasty

    872 Words  | 2 Pages

    Burbank and Cooper in their book Empires in World History portray the evolution of power and the development of different states. They elaborate on how powerful cities and states imposed their rules and waged conquest on surrounding territories. Political dynasties developed strongly among states inspired by religious, politic and economic trends. The Han dynasty of China and the Imperial Rome were some of the powerful states that developed during the third century. The two states adopted different strategies and ideas in developing of their emperor. The Roman, for instance, developed a more advanced for of governance as opposed to the Han. Their system of governance emerged as an expensive identity around the Mediterranean. These two empires controlled and conquered their territory in unique and different ways that made them strong and remarkable during their heyday.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Roman And Persian Empires

    641 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Persian Empire and the Roman Empire are among the greatest empires the world has ever seen. The Persian Empire dynasties that were centered in Persia. The dynasties were formed as a result of conquest by ancient rulers such as the conquest of Babylonia, Lydia and Medina and later other dynasties followed to form the great Persian Empire. The vast empire spanned large geographical area which featured Turkey to its northern side and Egypt to its west and also ran through Mesopotamia. The Roman Empire was also a large empire that featured governance that was led by emperors. The Empire had large territories in places like Europe, Asia, and Africa. This paper is going to compare the Roman and Persian empires in relation to highlighting their successes and the assimilation of their conquered subjects into a centralized

    Read More

  • How Did the Atlantic Slave Trade Evolve?

    633 Words  | 2 Pages

    5) Safavid Empire-The Safavid Empire was important because, they were the force who stopped Turks advancing the east. They also brought central authority to region a...

    Read More

  • The Rrise and Collapse of Sumeria

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ancient Mesopotamian societies had great shifts as cities and rulers rose and fell, rose and fell again, gaining land and enemies as they advanced The area Mesopotamia occupied is an immense, dry plain through which two rivers, the Euphrates and Tigris, course. These rivers rise from tributaries in the mountain ranges to the north before flowing through Mesopotamia to the sea. As they reach the land close to the sea, the land becomes swampy, with lagoons, mud flats, and reed banks, but in ancient times the sea advanced much further inland; and they poured into it as two separate streams, whereas today they join as one before reaching the sea. A close cultural cooperation was established between the Sumerians (who spoke a language that was more isolated) and the Semitic Akkadian speakers, which included extensive bilingualism in its culture. This took place around the third millennia BC and as the fourth millennia dawned Mesopotamia saw an increase in its population. By aspiring and adjusting to the changing world around them the people of Mesopotamia created government and states. Order began to develop in the territories, and due to the efficiency of its military and political structure their authority began to spread and empires grow. One of these city states Sumer was first permanently settled between c. 5500 and 4000 BC. Sumer a city-state coming to power in prehistoric time, prior to the cultures ability to leave much historical record, however in the twenty- third century BC writing came into being which has given historians their first glimpse into some of the earliest Mesopotamian cultures.

    Read More

  • The World Of Ancient Persia

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ti-colored and multi-raced people, which was something that almost none of the other ancient empires had. It was a peaceful empire and was admired by many people. It had amazing acheivements in goverment, military and communication. It was the largest empire in the Ancient World and was an amazing empire, for the 250 years it lasted. The Persian Empire will be remembered as the largest empire in the ancient world and the most tolerant.

    Read More

  • The Formation of Achaemenid

    1463 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before the formation of Persia, the region was occupied by a group of people by the name Elam. The Elamite civilization first developed in the Susian plain, under the influence of nearby Sumeria and Mesopotamia ( ancient name for an area now known as Iraq ) . the Sumerians were the most advanced and complex civilization at that time. In 3100 B.C they invented a Semipictographic writing system which was one of the first writing systems in the world. Around 3000 B.C a group of people by the name Akkaians moved into the northern Sumerian territory. Eventually the Akkads took over the Sumerians and Elams and established the Sume-Akkad Empire. At this time the Akkad Empire spread from the Mediterranean sea to the Caspian sea in the north and Persian Gulf in the south

    Read More

  • Persian Empire

    363 Words  | 1 Pages

    Moving along, Persian Empire was founded around 548 BC. It was the first largest empire stretching from Atlantic Ocean, Morocco, to Indus River, India. The Persian Empire is most famous for its tolerance over other religions and races and the first people to write the Charter of Human Rights. They also invented coins, roads, postal system, and many more innovations.

    Read More

  • Persian Empire

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    From watching the video “Engineering an Empire: The Persians” I learned about the Persian Empire. Persia is today the country of known as Iran. Led by Cyrus II the Great (576 – 530 BC) Persia became one of the largest and most successful empires of all time. The reign of Cyrus the Great is said to have lasted from twenty eight to thirty one years. In that time he stretched his empire over much land, including; parts of the Balkans and Thrace-Macedonia in the west, to the Indus Valley in the east. Because he was a just and benevolent leader who refused to enslave his conquered subjects he was given many titles including; The Great King, King of Media, King of Babylon, King of Sumer among many others. In 539 BC Cyrus conquered Babylon, but instead of presenting himself as a conquer he presented himself as a liberator, freeing those people from their cruel leader.

    Read More

  • Cyrus the Great

    1676 Words  | 4 Pages

    et al. Vol. 1. New York: Facts on File, 2008. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Web.

    Read More

  • The Third Dynasty Of Ur Essay

    1228 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to the Sumerian King’s List , Ur dominated Southern Mesopotamia three times, which owes to the name ‘The Third Dynasty of Ur’. The Third dynasty stretched from c.2112 - c.2004. Shar-kali-sharri was the last ruler before the decline of the Akkadian period brought by the Gutian invaders. After about 40 years after the demise of the Akkadian Empire, Ur-Namma established this empire centered in Ur. This period was one of restoration as a reaction against the previous rule of the Akkadians. It is also sometimes known as the ‘Sumerian renaissance’ as the writing was still Sumerian and there were notable advances in culture. “This period stabilized the region of Mesopotamia and allowed for development of art, literature, science, agricultural

    Read More

  • Ashurbanipal's Leadership Style

    517 Words  | 2 Pages

    Would you want to be remembered as a ruthless king that brutalized opponents or a intellectual king that cared deeply about literature? Ashurbanipal was one of the last Assyrian kings. He was a brutal ruler, killing people left and right, but he also had an appreciation for literature, and created one of the libraries.   The Assyrians lived around 1300-600 B.C in Assyria across Southwest Asia. They created a huge empire that stretched from Persia to Egypt. Their capital was Nineveh with was beautiful with wide streets and big parks. Many of the palaces were very large and grand. Nineveh was also the location of the first library. Ashurbanipal was a brutal ruler, but he also created a library and had an interest in literature.

    Read More

  • Ancient Near East

    1591 Words  | 4 Pages

    Millions of years ago the procreant low lands in the river basins of Euphrates and Tigris was probably the home of some animal life, but no great civilizations. However, things change over time, and just a few thousand years ago the same fertile low lands in the river basins of Euphrates and Tigris became the home of a very rich and complex society. This first high society of man was located in what some still call "Mesopotamia". The word "Mesopotamia" is in origin a Greek name meaning "land between the rivers." The name is used for the area watered by the Euphrates and Tigris and its tributaries, roughly comprising modern Iraq and part of Syria. South of modern Bagdad, this alluvial plain was called the land of Sumer and Akkad. Sumer is the most southern part, while the land of Akkad is the area around modern Bagdad, where the Euphrates and Tigris are closest to each other. This first high, Mesopotamian society arose as a combined result of various historical, institutional, and religious factors. The reality of these factors occurring at a specific place within the fabric of space / time indeed established the basis for this first high civilization. Items like irrigation, topography, and bronze-age technical innovations played a big part along with the advent of writing and the practice of social conditioning (through the use of organized religion) in this relatively early achievement of man.

    Read More

  • The Assyrian Sacred Tree

    1925 Words  | 4 Pages

    Richardson, Seth. "An Assyrian Garden of Ancestors: Room I, Northwest Palace, Kalhu." State Archives of Assyria Bulletin 13 (1999): 145-216.

    Read More

More about The Assyrians and Cyrus

Open Document