You assyrians were a Mesopotamian people that inhabited the north of this region, being well known for being great traders. From the 13th century a. C., they began their expansion through Mesopotamia by means of a large army. They entered decay in the VII century; a., soon after the end of the reign of Assurbanípal.
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Origin
the Assyrians were one of the people who inhabited the Mesopotamia, residing specifically north of that region. Historian Paul Kriwaczek states that they probably arose from a mixture of peoples who inhabited southern Mesopotamia (near Babylon) and peoples originating in the northern valleys. |1|.
The powerful Assyrian Empire developed from the city ofAssur, which began to gain prominence around 1900 BC. Ç. The city is believed to have emerged sometime in the third millennium. Assyria's achievement in importance is related to the commercial ties that these people developed in Anatolia (region of present-day Turkey).
Historians know that around the 20th century BC Ç. to XVIII a. C., the Assyrians developed species of commercial colonies in this region., highlighting that of Karum Kanesh. They had received authorization from the local authorities to settle on these lands and trade locally. This contributed to the Assyrian enrichment.
Yet at that time, the Assyrians were not the military power for which they were historically known. In this context, even thriving, they were not powerful enough to guarantee their autonomy and this made them become vassals of one of the existing empires in Anatolia. The hurritas made the Assyrians their vassals around the 16th century BC. Ç.
This caused a major shift in the Assyrian state ideology and led to the development of strong militarism in the region. Foreign rule is believed to have been instrumental in this shift, but there is also talk of the fact that Assyria was a region vulnerable to attacks from all possible directions. So, to survive, it was necessary to strengthen.
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Assyrian Empire
O starting point for the establishment of the Assyrian Empire occurred at the end of the 14th century a. Ç., when the kingdom of the Hurrians, Mitani, was invaded by the Hittites. The Hurrian king was killed and his capital sacked by the Hittites. Then, the Assyrians reacted to the events and, together with the Hittites, they shared the lands that belonged to Mitani.
O Assyrian king at the time was Assur-Ubalit and soon he began to establish himself as one of the great kings of Mesopotamia. He established contacts with the Egyptians, strengthening ties with this people, and the city of Assur came to rival Babylon. The expansion of the Assyrian Empire, however, was marked by advances and retreats.
Contacts with the Hurrians and Hittites provided the Assyrians with important knowledge. THE metallurgy and the use of chariots inThese battles were fundamental for the Assyrians to form their empire. Until the 10th century BC a., the Assyrian advances were irregular, but from there they lived their height.
In the VIII century; Ç., for example, the Assyrian troops may have reached the total of50 thousand soldiers, a very high number for the standards of the time. This century was also the moment of the territorial heyday of this people. According to Paul Kriwaczek, the domains incorporated almost the entire Near East and followed the Fertile Crescent, extending from Elam (present-day Iran) to the Mediterranean coast of Egypt|2|.
Also in the VIII century; C., the capital of the Assyrian Empire was transferred from Assur to Nineveh. This city was marked in history for being the place where one of the most famous buildings of antiquity was built: the LibraryinNineveh. This building was built by order of Ashurbanípal II, one of the best known Assyrian kings.
Assyrian army
the Assyrians were one of the most militarized people in the THEseniority and that more had an expansionist posture. However, as we have seen, it was only after the 10th century BC. Ç. that they managed to impose themselves on neighboring peoples.
His army was well equipped and well organized, being one of the first professional armies in history. They had:
very well equipped infantry formations with metal armaments;
spearmen;
artillery divisions formed by archers and slingers;
elite troops formed by knights who rode in chariots and were pulled by horses. The soldiers in the chariots had enough armaments to become infantry if need be.
In battle the Assyrians were fierce and the conquered peoples suffered from violence and cruelty Assyria. To guarantee the fidelity of these places and promote the assimilation of the population with Assyrian customs, the Assyrian authorities promoted deportations of the population, taking conquered peoples to the interior of Assyria and taking Assyrian populations to the lands conquered.
This, from the Assyrian point of view, was not a punishment, but merely a way of fulfilling one's obligations to the king. You conquered peoples were considered Assyrian citizens just as those who were born in Assyria and therefore fulfilled the same obligations and had the same rights.
In fact, Paul Kriwaczek suggests that no Mesopotamian people sought to guarantee the well-being of their population like the Assyrian emperors|3|. Assyria, for example, was the first place in the region to guarantee workers one day of rest per week. Furthermore, the Assyrians possessed a highly developed science and literature.
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Decadence
The Assyrian decadence began with the death ofAssurbanípal II. This emperor's reign spanned more than four decades and he had very great control over his empire. The following Assyrian kings were considered weak and contributed to the weakening of that people. This allowed other peoples to advance into the Assyrian lands.
In 612 BC a., Medes troops led by Ciaxares invaded Assyria and, with the support of the Babylonians, conquered the region. The Assyrian lands were divided between the Medes and the Babylonians (Chaldeans). The last Assyrian emperor, Sinsariscum, was killed and a new hegemonic force emerged in Babylon. It was the turn of the Chaldeans.
Grades
|1| KRIWACZEK, Paul. Babylon: Mesopotamia and the birth of civilization. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar, 2018, p. 268.
|2| Idem, p. 303-304.
|3| Idem, p. 267.
