Neo-Assyrian Empire
Iraq, 911–609 BCE. Draft, not yet reviewed
Beginning with the accession of Adad-nirari II in 911 BCE, the Neo-Assyrian Empire grew to dominate the ancient Near East and parts of the South Caucasus, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean throughout much of the 9th to 7th centuries BCE, becoming the largest empire in history up to that point. Under Ashurnasirpal II, Assyria once more became the dominant power of the Near East, ruling the north undisputed. At its height, the empire was the strongest military power in the world and ruled over all of Mesopotamia, the Levant and Egypt, as well as parts of Anatolia, Arabia and what is now Iran and Armenia. Despite being at the peak of its power, the empire experienced a swift and violent fall in the late 7th century BCE, destroyed by a Babylonian uprising and an invasion by the Medes.
Seat of power: Assur
Rulers
Adad-nirari II
King of Assyria, 911–891 BCE
He was the first King of Assyria in the Neo-Assyrian Empire. He firmly subjugated the areas previously under only nominal Assyrian vassalage, conquering and deporting troublesome Arameans following a battle at the junction of the Khabur and Euphrates rivers in 910 BC.
Tukulti-Ninurta II
King of Assyria, 891–884 BCE
Tukulti-Ninurta consolidated the gains made by his father over the Neo-Hittites, Babylonians and Arameans, and successfully campaigned in the Zagros Mountains of Iran, subjugating the newly arrived Iranian peoples of the area, the Persians and Medes, during his brief reign.
Portrait of Tukulti-Ninurta II: Unknown artistUnknown artist, Public domain, file
Ashurnasirpal II
King of Assyria, 884–859 BCE
During his reign he embarked on a vast program of expansion, first conquering the peoples to the north in Asia Minor as far as Nairi and exacting tribute from Phrygia, then invading Aram (modern Syria) conquering the Aramaeans and Neo-Hittites between the Khabur and the Euphrates Rivers. He installed Assyrian governors, rather than depending on local client rulers paying tribute. Ashurnasirpal II was notorious for his brutality.
Portrait of Ashurnasirpal II: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Shalmaneser III
King of Assyria, 859–824 BCE
His long reign was a constant series of campaigns against the eastern tribes, the Babylonians, the nations of Mesopotamia, Syria, as well as Kizzuwadna and Urartu. His armies penetrated to Lake Van and the Taurus Mountains, the Neo-Hittites of Carchemish were compelled to pay tribute, and the kingdoms of Hamath and Aram Damascus were subdued.
Portrait of Shalmaneser III: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg), CC BY 4.0, file
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Shamshi-Adad V
King of Assyria, 824–811 BCE
The first years of Shamshi-Adad's reign saw a serious struggle for the succession of the aged Shalmaneser. The rebellion lasted until 820 BC, weakening the Assyrian empire and its ruler.
Portrait of Shamshi-Adad V: This image was produced by me, David Castor (user:dcastor). The pictures I submit to the Wikipedia Project are releas..., Public domain, file
Adad-nirari III
King of Assyria, 811–783 BCE
For the first five years of his reign, his mother Shammuramat was highly influential, which has given rise to the legend of Semiramis. It is widely rejected that his mother acted as regent, but she was surprisingly influential for the time period.
Portrait of Adad-nirari III: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg), CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Shalmaneser IV
King of Assyria, 783–773 BCE
He ruled during a period of Assyrian decline from which few sources survive. Most of Shalmaneser's military efforts were spent warring against the Kingdom of Urartu in the north, which during this time was reaching the peak of its power.
Ashur-dan III
King of Assyria, 773–755 BCE
Ashur-dan's reign was a particularly difficult one as he was faced with two outbreaks of plague and five of his eighteen years as king were devoted to putting down revolts. At this time, the Assyrian officials were becoming increasingly powerful relative to the king and at the same time, Assyria's enemies were growing more dangerous.
Ashur-nirari V
King of Assyria, 755–745 BCE
An unusually small share of Ashur-nirari's reign was devoted to campaigns against foreign enemies, perhaps suggesting domestic political instability within Assyria. In 746 or 745 BC, there are records of a revolt in Nimrud, the Assyrian capital.
Tiglath-Pileser III
King of Assyria, 745–727 BCE
One of the most prominent and historically significant Assyrian rulers, Tiglath-Pileser ended a period of Assyrian stagnation, introduced numerous political and military reforms, and doubled the lands under Assyrian control.
Portrait of Tiglath-Pileser III: Unknown artistUnknown artist, Public domain, file
Sargon II
King of Assyria, 722–705 BCE
Over the course of his seventeen-year reign, Sargon substantially expanded Assyrian territory and enacted important political and military reforms. He is typically considered the founder of a new dynastic line, the Sargonid dynasty.
Portrait of Sargon II: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg), CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sennacherib
King of Assyria, 705–681 BCE
Other events of his reign include his destruction of the city of Babylon in 689 BC and his renovation and expansion of the last great Assyrian capital, Nineveh. Although Sennacherib was one of the most powerful and wide-ranging Assyrian kings, he faced considerable difficulty in controlling Babylonia, which formed the southern portion of his empire.
Esarhaddon
King of Assyria, 681–669 BCE
The third king of the Sargonid dynasty, Esarhaddon is most famous for his conquest of Egypt in 671 BC, which made his empire the largest the world had ever seen, and for his reconstruction of Babylon, which had been destroyed by his father.
Portrait of Esarhaddon: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg), CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Ashurbanipal
King of Assyria, 669–631 BCE
He is generally remembered as the last great king of Assyria. Ashurbanipal inherited the throne as his father Esarhaddon's favored heir, and his 38-year reign was among the longest of any Assyrian king.
Portrait of Ashurbanipal: KeyolTranslater, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sinsharishkun
King of Assyria, 627–612 BCE
He was the penultimate king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, reigning from the death of his brother and predecessor Aššur-etil-ilāni in 627 BCE to his own death at the Fall of Nineveh in 612 BCE.
Culture
- It influenced other empires of the ancient world culturally, administratively, and militarily, including the Neo-Babylonians, the Achaemenids, and the Seleucids.
- Because of its geopolitical dominance and ideology based in world domination, the Neo-Assyrian Empire has been described as the first world empire in history.
- Ashurnasirpal's campaigns reached as far as the Mediterranean, and he oversaw the transfer of the imperial capital from the traditional city of Assur to the more centrally-located Kalḫu.
Picture
Nineveh, in the modern-day city of Mosul in northern Iraq, was the capital and largest city of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
Image: Omar Siddeeq Yousif, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.