Of all peoples, in the antiquity which populated the Near East, the Assyrians were most pitiless. And although cruelty with respect to other peoples allowed them to create powerful empire, in the final analysis precisely because of it they were deprived in all.
Assyrians, one of the most martial peoples in the history, by centuries attained supremacy above the neighbors and, being located in the zenith of might, they created the empire, which was being stretched from the Persian Gulf to the western limits of Egypt.
To the certain degree their aggressiveness was explained by geographical reasons. Assyria was located in North Mesopotamia, on the Tigris rivers and the Euphrates. Because of the absence of such natural barriers as sea or mountain, it was opened for the attack from all sides and, therefore, in order to survive, it needed strong army. Moreover, Assyrians were enterprising merchants, and their country was located on the cross-road of the basic commercial ways, which penetrated Mesopotamia, source of enormous wealth for any country, capable of keeping these ways under control, therefore in all probability many of those wars, which they conducted, were directed toward the expansion the spheres of commercial influence.
Like their neighbor- Babylonians, Assyrians were [amoritami], descendants of semitic tribes, which left Arabia at the end the third millenium and conquered sound-effects man Accad. As state Assyria was formed by 1900 B.C.; however, to it was necessary to survive still several centuries under the rule of Babylon and reign Of [mitanni]. For the duration of this prolonged and complex period the Assyrians not only knew how to preserve their self-consciousness, but also to establish strong military traditions. In XIV century to i. e. they switched over to systematic seizures.
Cruel soldiers, [atsteki] of an Inca of [mayya]
Assyrians arranged raids everywhere and everywhere, and in THE XII century B.C. tsar [Tiglatpalasar] by the I to the short period established Assyrian administration in the Mediterranean. However, their authority strongly shook with the advent of in the Near East of new peoples, by takeoff and by a drop in several states and by the change of old enemies by new, namely with the arrival of Arameans. In IX century B.C. Assyrian aggressiveness acquired especially severe features, and was created the empire, into composition of which entered large part of Mesopotamia and North Syria. After the period of comparative decline, in 745. B.C., Assyria entered the last and stormiest stage of the expansion of its supremacy, when victorious general [Tiglatpalasar] BY THE III established new dynasty.
Being completely dependent on their army, Assyrians introduced much new into the military skill. They passed to the iron weapon, which completely extruded bronze, and were used in combat the chariots, charged by horses. When they derived the species of the horses, suitable for the riding, they first introduced the cavalry into the composition of their army.
The conquered enemies, who were escaping themselves after the walls of their cities, occurred in the siege until Assyrians with the aid of their rams and mobile towers opened to themselves road through the obstacles and began the mass destruction of all inhabitants.
Because of wealth of their enormous empire, the Assyrians had the possibility to import stone, wood and precious metals for adorning the large cities, such as [Ashshur], feces, fools -[Sharrukin] and [Nineviya]. Each of the great tsars built for itself the palace, on guard of which stood the enormous dimensions of statue, that depicted of winged bulls with the human heads.
Assyrians subordinated to themselves the subjugated peoples via the mass of removal from the country of the representatives of its elite (aristocrats, officials, craftsmen), depriving, thus, the people of management and independence. So penetrating a policy, and also well organized army and fixed system for control allowed Assyrians to survive the centuries of fight and instability.
However, some old enemies as, for example, Arameans, remained unconquered, furthermore, a constant fight for the expansion of territory wasted the resources of Assyria and encountered it with the new enemies.
Crash of the empire
In 630- X years to i. e., in the times of the administration Of [ashshurbanipala] (668-627 g. B.C.), severe Civil Wars for the throne tore up Assyria on the part, and empire began to be decomposed. [Midiytsy] from the east and Babylonians from the south surrounded their weakened enemy. In 614. was B.C. destroyed the old capital of Assyria, [Ashur], and in 612. B.C. fell the great cities Of [nineviya] and feces. Assyria disappeared from face of the earth.
