The Assyrian civilization emerged on the upper Tigris River in northern Mesopotamia around 2500 B.C., and was one of the first civilizations to form in that region. The Assyrians were Semitic speaking peasant farmers, and were known for their farming, military, architecture, and their way of government.
The Assyrians were located in the prime spot for farming, and they excelled with the help of ample rainfall and fertile soil. The land was primarily small farming villages with water coming from the Tigris River, Armenian mountains, and the Zagros mountains. With their perfect farming location, another problem arose for the Assyrian civilization. That problem was the possibility of being attacked from their powerful neighbours. With that in mind, the Assyrian people developed an experienced military that would conquer and maintain their empire. They would enlist hundreds of thousands of troops, and were able to deploy them if needed to protect the people and land.
Assyrians using inflated sheep skins to transport ...
mesopotamia, iraq - assyrian gateway
Hezekiah's Broad WallNot only was the Assyrian army large in number, but it was also very disciplined and organized. The army had iron weapons enabling them to fight and destroy other armies who did not have the same advantages. They developed many warfare tactics like hammering city walls with large wheeled siege towers, and use armored battering rams.
The Assyrians were a monarchy, and had six different kings during the rise and fall of the empire. They did not have governors, but they had a hierarchy of local officials who answered to the king only. With the government like this, they gained greater control of the empire. The Assyrians were polytheistic believing in gods like Ashur who the king represented on earth, Ishtar, Sin, Adad, Ninurta, Nabu, and Ea. The class system was similar to the other Mesopotamian civilizations in that they had a powerful monarch, nobles,