Download The Assyrians

The
Assyrians
By: Brynnydd Hamilton and
Alexandra Kiritsy
Introduction
Intro
Assyria was one of the most advanced civilizations before it’s downfall in 612
B.C. Archaeologist Sir Max Mallowan discovered that the area where Assyria’s
capital cities were had been inhabited since 5000 B.C, although the cities did
not exist that early.
Civilization Components
Geographic Location
The Assyrian region covered most of the
Near East. The empire reached from
Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), Asia Minor
(modern Turkey), to Egypt by the year 675 B.
C.
This civilization was located near the Tigris
River. The Assyrian military would take
refuge in Hakkari Mountains.
Important Cities: Ashur, Nineveh, Nimrud,
Babylon
Assyria’s capital city was originally Ashur,
and it was moved to Nineveh because of the
poor desert conditions and the threat of the
Babylonians.
The Assyrian name comes from Ashur, the
city.
Nineveh
Sketch of Ashur
Natural Resources
The Assyrians controlled the Fertile Crescent,
which provided them with fertile land for
farming. They were also near the Tigris River.
They grew crops such as wheat, barley,
millet, melons, lentils, and other vegetables.
The land was suited for herding and grazing.
They had sheep, goats, donkeys, and water
buffalo.
The Assyrians had a large road system for
trade.
They continued to conquer because they
need resources such as wood, iron, gold,
metals, linens, ivory, and other treasures of
foreign nations. During battles, the Assyrians
were interested in obtaining horses for their
own use.
Beliefs/Value Systems
Pagan gods
Influenced by the Sumerians and Babylonians
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Ashur: Assyria’s National god, God of
War
Ishtar: Wife of Ashur, Goddess of Love
and War
Nergal: God of Plagues
Geshtu-e: His blood was taken to create
mankind
More Beliefs:
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The god Ashur instructed the king to
continuously extend the empire’s
borders. If not, the apocalypse would
occur.
Honor the gods and king
Language/Communication
Systems
The Assyrian language was an ancient
Aramaic language, which belonged to a
larger group of Semitic languages. It is often
referred to as Ashuric.
The modern language is called Neo-Assyrian.
They wrote using cuneiform. Their writing
was recorded on clay tablets.
Ashurbanipal wanted the literary works of the empire brought to the
capital city of Ashur for duplication, creating the first library of the
world. Ashurbanipal then used several of these writings as omens for
decision making.
In the king’s palace in Nineveh, his artisans would paint graphic images
on the walls of the palace depicting successful battle scenes. These
included illustrations of people being impaled, beheaded, and cooked
alive. When an emissary came from another land or kingdom to visit
Assyria, they would be intimidated by what they saw.
Societal Organizations
Theocratic Government: God was
recognized as the ruler, and the priests of
Assyria were the primary leaders, and
claimed to be interpreting his will. The king
was considered to be the high priest.
Imperial Administration: The nation of
Assyria was split up into mini-nations that
had their own rulers. These rulers all
collaborated together.
Hammurabi’s Code: Many Mesopotamian
cultures followed Hammurabi’s Code, a
brutal retribution-based code of 282 laws
written by the Babylonian king
Hammurabi.
Their society was fairly similar to the
Babylonian culture.
Cultural Organization
The religious figures were at the top of
the Assyrian social hierarchy. Members of
the higher class were given more
privilege in the legal system than the
members of the lower class. Hammurabi’
s Code provided very few provisions for
the protection of slaves.
Only boys were educated in the Assyrian
culture. They attended schools called
“tablet houses” which were generally
attached to places of worship.
Women had very few opportunities in
Assyrian culture. They were regarded as
property and had very little control of
their fates.
Monetary System and Trade
The Assyrians used a variety of
objects as money, including barley,
lead, copper, tin, gold, or silver. Silver
and barley were used as the primary
money.
Trading was carried out by the
merchants, who were fairly high in
the social hierarchy. Merchants
would establish business in small
trade towns, and instate a family
member as the business owner,
then return to one of the primary
cities.
Technological Advances and Cultural Arts
Assyrian Technological Advances
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Use of iron
Paved Roads
Battering Rams
Mathematics
Two-wheeled chariots
Cultural Arts
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Ziggurats
Relief Sculptures
Pottery
Gold-smithing
Locks and Keys
Additional Investigation
The Rise of Assyria
Shamshi-Adad I, 1813 B.C.:
He united the cities Ashur, Nineveh, Arbel, and
Nimrud, which formed the center of Assyrian society,
trading, and culture.
He drove the Amorites and Hittites out of
Mesopotamia, who were fierce nomadic tribes. They
had been one of the main obstacles of the formation
of Assyrian culture.
The Fall of Assyria
The Assyrians expanded beyond their road
systems and lost control of the empire.
The conquered peoples disliked the Assyrian
rulers because of their intense tax and tribute
demands.
The later kings were weak rulers, who were not
capable of keeping the empire in union.
There were many revolts in the empire, and the
army was defeated by these coalitions.
In 612 B.C., the capital city of Nineveh was
sacked by the Babylonians, Medes, and other
enemies, leading to the downfall of the
Assyrian Empire.
Fall of Nineveh
Influence/Effects
First to use Imperial Administration system which is
used by nations today
Highest civilization of it’s time
Civilized barbaric regions
Old and New Testament
Influenced the organization and techniques of the
Persian army
Over 3 million people today speak Neo-Assyrian
Fun Facts
The Assyrians were vicious, ruthless warriors. They
ruled with terror, and they placed a great
emphasis on the military.
When the Assyrians defeated the Elamites, they
beheaded the Elamite king. His head was returned
to the Assyrian king. The king stabbed the head
before hanging it on a tree and celebrating their
victory.
The Assyrians would take many
prisoners of war. Ashurnasirpal II
would have the captives skinned,
and he would place those skins
on the walls of the city.
Ashurnasirpal II and his servants
The Assyrians demanded tribute and
tax from the conquered nations. If
they refused or failed to do so, the
Assyrians made sure that they would
regret it. They would often send
military force to collect the tribute.
In 745 B.C., Tiglath-Pileser III made
the first standing army and an
armory, making the Assyrian military
the most advanced in the world.
The tallest members of the army
used spears as their weapon. Other
soldiers only had shields to protect
the archers. All of the soldiers were
issued iron helmets, leather boots,
and iron breastplates.
In 704 B.C., Sennacherib II attacked and destroyed Babylon. The
Assyrian people disliked this decision because they respected
the Babylonian culture. Esarhaddon killed his father,
Sennacherib, by either stabbing him multiple times or crushing
him with a giant statue. It was recorded on a clay tablet that
Sennacherib had cursed Babylon for 70 years, but it was later
discovered that the high priests were reading the tablet upside
down. He had actually cursed Babylon for 11 years.
When the Assyrians attacked Jerusalem and
Lachish, they constructed large siege towers that
were covered in leather. This made the towers fire
resistant because the enemy would often shoot
fire arrows.
The Assyrians would also throw the heads of
captives over the walls or impale the captives’
bodies on stakes to intimidate enemies during
battle.
“A mere friend will agree with you, but a real
friend will argue”
- Assyrian Proverb
Sources
Websites
aina.org
ancientassyria.weebly.com
historyworld.net
omniglot.com/writing/assyrianneoaramaic
metmuseum.org
everyculture.com
britishmuseum.org
encyclopedia.com/topic/Assyria
worcesterjcc.org
catherinecollegelibrary.net/classic
bible-history.com
Videos
ancient.eu/assyria/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwqlnjgymKA (Military
History: Ancient Assyria)
jewishvirtuallibrary.org
britannica.com/place/Assyria
angelfire.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a_F2y5e5Ls
(Assyrian Empire)
Photos
http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/images/Assyrian%20Empire.ldsc.jpg (Map of Ancient Assyria)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/The_Palaces_at_Nimrud_Restored.jpeg (City of Nineveh)
http://www.iraqiembassy.us/sites/default/files/photos/history_timeline_photo_04_1.jpg (Sketch of Ashur)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Tigris_River_At_Diyarbakir.JPG (Tigris River)
http://www.greenacres.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/blog-wheat.jpg (Wheat)
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b5/de/3e/b5de3e9382826c74995b928ce44faf76.jpg (The god Ashur)
http://www.aina.org/images/alphabet.gif (Assyrian Alphabet)
http://historicconnections.webs.com/Assyrian%20Weding%20Contract.jpg (Cunieform Clay Tablet)
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/images/h2/h2_32.143.4.jpg (Image of Ashurnasirpal and servants)
http://www.archeolog-home.com/medias/images/08020542.jpg (Assyrians in battle)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Britishmuseumassyrianrelieftwohorsemennimrud.jpg (Assyrians in battle)
http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/acient-assyrian-art-5-8537822.jpg (Assyrians in battle)
http://www.aanf.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ashurnasirpal.jpg (Assyians in chariots)
http://www.iccdc.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Assyrian-Armor-238x300.jpg (Assyrian Soldiers)
Photos (continued)
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8010/7524445046_18a5efaf42_b.jpg (Assyrian Siege Towers)
http://allaboutashur.yolasite.com/resources/p.png (Assyrian soldier and Lion)
http://ahistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Fall-of-Nineveh.jpg (Fall of Nineveh and Assyrian Empire)
Thanks!
Contact us:
Brynnydd Hamilton
Alexandra Kiritsy
Massachusetts Academy of
Math and Science
WPI
Worcester, Massachusetts
USA
Planet Earth