Military history of the Neo-Assyrian Empire

686: 848: 968: 877: 746: 1258: 912: 951:. The chariot was a fast and extremely maneuverable vessel. The use of chariots in warfare resembled a well disciplined army that dominated the battlefield in flanking maneuvers, causing opposing forces to divide or flee the battlefield. Chariots usually consisted of two or three horses, a platform with two wheels, and two soldiers. One soldier would have control of the reins to steer while the other wielded a bow and arrow to fire at enemy troops. The use of chariots is limited to a relatively flat battleground, making it effective in certain locations. The Ancient Egyptians and Sumerians used war chariots in this fashion as firing mobile platforms or as mobile command platforms; the elevated view would give the general some ability to see how the troops fared in battle. Because the chariot was fast and easily maneuverable, an alternative use for chariots was to send messages to and from the battlefield. They were also a prestigious vessel used by Assyrian kings to display wealth and power. 28: 940: 1513:

a large spear, was used to batter away and chip pieces of the enemy wall. While this would have been almost useless against stone walls, one must keep in mind that mud and not stone was used to build walls. Even when dried, these mud walls could be attacked with such engines. Walls were strengthened with time and the Assyrians responded by building larger engines with bigger "spears". In time, they closely resembled a large and long log with a metal tip at the end. Even stone would not withstand pounding by a larger weapon. Larger engines accommodated greater numbers of archers. To protect against fire (which was used by both sides at the Siege of Lachish) the battering ram would be covered in wet animal skins. These could be watered at any time in battle in case they dried.

1401: 1267: 1112: 1133:, the great Lord, I rushed upon the enemy like the approach of a hurricane...I put them to rout and turned them back. I transfixed the troops of the enemy with javelins and arrows. Humban-undasha, the commander in chief of the king of Elam, together with his nobles...I cut their throats like sheep...My prancing steeds, trained to harness, plunged into their welling blood as into a river; the wheels of my battle chariot were bespattered with blood and filth. I filled the plain with corpses of their warriors like herbage 1495:

enemy to return to their fields and therefore abandon the city. However, with the reforms of Tiglath Pileser III Assyria's first standing army was forged and could therefore blockade a city until it surrendered instead. Nonetheless, it is known that Assyrians always preferred to take a city by assault than to settle down for a blockade: the former method would be followed by extermination or deportation of the inhabitants and would therefore frighten the opponents of Assyria into surrendering as well.

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that could dominate the battlefield. Cavalry units were well equipped with light armor, spears or lances as well as bows and arrows. The use of the cavalry in the 9th century BC operated almost the same as the chariots did; two horses with one soldier controlling the reins while another soldier wielded a ranged weapon. Over the course of nearly two centuries, the Assyrians were able to master the art of the cavalry. However, Assyrian attempts were not without difficulties;

608: 1335: 1002:, while their mounts were equipped with fabric armour, providing limited yet useful protection in close combat and against missiles. Cavalry were to form the core of the later Assyrian armies. Cavalry could dominate the battlefields but their one weakness when attempting to divide enemy troops would have been long spears. Long spears were capable of eliminating cavalry units from a safe distance, allowing enemy troops to hold the line. 1548: 1051: 1172: 619:, the Assyrian army was also very much similar to the other Mesopotamian armies of the time. Soldiers were mostly raised farmers, who had to return to their fields to collect the harvest. Professional soldiers were limited to a few bodyguards that protected the King and or other nobles and officials, but these would not have been deployed or wasted in battle unless the situation became urgent, as it later did. 1024:

Ashurbanipal's campaigns of conquest, the rebellions following his death may have contributed significantly to the downfall of the empire as fewer vassals were available to pay tribute horses and other war material needed. Horses were a very important war resource and the Assyrian king himself took a personal interest in overseeing an adequate horse supply. Three main sources of horses were:

758: 34: 1200:. The result was that both cities had a measure of natural protection. However, rivers would not stop a determined army, so attacking and destroying their enemies' ability to wage war was the best method of ensuring the survival of the Assyrians. To this end, the Assyrians sought a decisive encounter that would destroy their enemies' armies. 1233:, Madaktu, Haltemash and the rest of the cities I gathered together and took to Assyria... The noise of people, the tread of cattle and sheep, the glad shouts of rejoicing, I banished from its fields. Wild asses, gazelles and all kinds of beasts of the plain I caused to lie down among them, as if at home. 1484:, King of Egypt and Ethiopia, the one accursed by all the great gods. Five times I hit him with the point of my arrows inflicting wounds from which he should not recover, and then I laid siege to Memphis his royal residence, and conquered it in half a day by means of mines, breaches and assault ladders 1388:) sanction. To rebel against this most humble servant of Ashur, it means defying Ashur himself, something that could only bring divine destruction; therefore, the glorification of such brutality. Brutality was also a way to show the king's strength and power, which were considered to be heroic traits. 1512:

The battering ram appears to be one of the best Assyrian contributions to siege warfare. They consisted of a tank-like wooden frame on four wheels. There was a small tower on top for archers to provide covering fire as the engine moved forward. When it had reached its destination, its primary weapon,

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Susa, the great holy city, abode of their gods, seat of their mysteries, I conquered. I entered its palaces, I opened their treasuries where silver and gold, goods and wealth were amassed... I destroyed the ziggurat of Susa. I smashed its shining copper horns. I reduced the temples of Elam to naught;

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Other acts of brutality include: mutilating men to death, cutting off heads, arms, hands and lips and displaying them on the walls of conquered cities, hanging skulls and noses on the top of stakes, stacking or cutting corpses so that it could be fed to dogs and forcing people whose eyes were blinded

1074:. The latter type was the most dominant in Assyrian armies. From the time of Ashurnasirpal, archers would be accompanied by a shield bearer while slingers might have aimed to distract the enemy into lowering their shield to protect against the stones, thereby allowing the archers to shoot above their 954:

However, the rise of cavalry in the 1st millennium BC meant that by the 7th century BC, the chariot was demoted to combat duties only; lighter chariots consisting of two to three horses were later upgraded under the reign of Ashurbanipal to heavy four-horse chariots. Such chariots could contain up to

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Before long, the weaknesses of the Assyrian army soon began to show itself. Battle after battle killed off important soldiers, while the seasons ensured that soldiers returned after a short time to their fields without achieving decisive conquests. By the mid-eighth century BC, the Assyrian levy-army

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was typical of the Mesopotamian armies at the time. The King whose rule was sanctioned by the gods, would be the commander of the entire army of the Empire. He would appoint senior officers on certain occasions to campaign in his place if his presence on the battlefield could or had to be spared. The

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is credited for utilizing sound strategy in his wars of conquest. While aiming to secure defensible frontiers, he would launch raids further inland against his opponents as a means of securing economic benefit, as he did when campaigning in the Levant. The result meant that the economic prosperity of

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Whenever a rebellion broke out in the Assyrian empire, the Assyrian kings inevitably brutally crushed it (as an alternative to deportation) and enforced great punishments on the rebellious vassals. Tiglath-Pileser III, for example, destroyed Bit-Shilani so that it could look like a city destroyed by

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It is not known if the Assyrians were the first to deport people, although since none before had ruled the Fertile Crescent as they did it is likely that they were the first to practice it on a large scale. The Assyrians began to utilize mass-deportation as a punishment for rebellions since the 13th

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sometime before 3000 BC, although there is increasing evidence to support an Indo-European origin in the Black Sea region of Ukraine (Wolchover, Scientific American, 2012). In any case, the Assyrians were the first to manufacture tires of metal, made from copper, bronze and later iron. Metal-covered

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in their pursuit of conquest. However, military tactics mainly involved using troops raised from farmers who had finished planting their fields and so could campaign for the king until harvest time called for their attention again. The result was that military campaigning was limited to a few months

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to the south. In fact, the latter never tired of rebelling against Assyrian rule. As a result, in order to prevent chariots and cavalry from completely overwhelming these settlements, walls were constructed though often from mud or clay since stone was neither cheap, nor readily available. In order

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Despite the above, Sargon II's instinct saved the day; leading his exhausted troops, he launched a surprise attack against his Urartian opponents who broke at the speed and surprise of the attack. So vicious was the battle that the Urartian King abandoned his state officials, governors, 230 members

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The harassed troops of Ashur, who had come a long way, very weary slow to respond, who had crossed and re-crossed sheer mountains innumerable, of great trouble for ascent and descent, their morale turned mutinous. I could give no ease to their weariness, no water to quench their thirst; I could set

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Lancers were introduced to the infantry under Tiglath-pileser III. Depictions of infantry with special bronze scale metal protection are rare and reconstructions show the smallest vests to weigh as much as 20 pounds (9 kg), with armoured suits up to the ankles tripling that weight of metal and

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The use of cavalry was the result of having diverse enemies in rough and mountainous terrains. Chariots could not operate on rough terrain which meant that a new protocol needed to be developed. The cavalry operated as the chariot corps did, as an intimidating, well-armored, elite class of soldiers

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Sieges were costly in terms of manpower and more so if an assault was launched to take the city by force—the siege of Lachish cost the Assyrians at least 1,500 men found at a mass grave near Lachish. Before the advent of standing armies, a city's best hope would be that the harvest would force the

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By the 9th century BC, the Assyrians made it a habit of regularly deporting thousands of restless subjects to other lands. Re-settling these people in the Assyrian homeland would have undermined the powerbase of the Assyrian Empire if they rebelled again. As a result, Assyrian deportation involved

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regions, with great upheavals and mass movements of people. Despite the apparent weakness of Assyria, at heart it remained a solid, well defended nation whose warriors were the best in the world. Assyria, with its stable monarchy and secure borders, was in a stronger position during this time than

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The brutal treatment of Ashurnasirpal II succeeded in pacifying the rebels. While campaigning in Syria, he was able to take a large number of soldiers from Mesopotamia, without fear of a rebellion cutting off their supply lines. They were so successful in their brutality in the northern cities of

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I felled 3,000 of their fighting men with the sword. I carried off prisoners, possessions, oxen, cattle from them. I burnt many captives from them. I captured many troops alive: from some I cut off their arms hands; from others I cut off their noses, ears, extremities. I gouged out the eyes of

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The Assyrians fully appreciated the use of terrorizing their enemies. To conserve manpower and rapidly move on to solve Assyria's multiple problems, the Assyrians preferred to accept the surrender of their opponents or else destroy their ability to resist a surrender. This in part explains their

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policies (see below), would also send some of their own into foreign lands and settle them as colonists. The primary aim was to establish a loyal power base; taxes, food and troops could be raised here as reliably as at their homeland, or at least that must have been the hope. Furthermore, their

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However, by the end of the Ashurbanipal's reign it appears that the Assyrian Empire was falling into another period of weakness, one from which it would not escape. It appears that years of costly battles followed by constant (and almost unstoppable) rebellions meant that it was a matter of time

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Large units of cavalry were required to be deployed by the Assyrians; some units consisted of hundreds or even a thousand horsemen. There is little doubt that without a continuous supply of horses, the Assyrian war machine would have collapsed. As the empire suffered horrendous casualties under

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The most common siege weapon and by far the cheapest was the ladder. However, ladders are easy to topple over and so the Assyrians would shower their opponents with arrows to provide cover fire. These archers in turn would be supported by shield bearers. Other ways of undermining the enemies'

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were little more than well-trodden pathways used by the locals. However, this was inadequate for an empire whose armies were constantly on the move, repressing one revolt after another. The Assyrians were the first to institute, control and maintain a system of roads throughout their empire.

847: 659:. Following this was the King, the humble servant of Assur surrounded by his bodyguard with the support of the main chariot divisions and cavalry, the elite of the army. In the rear was the infantry; the Assyrian troops followed by the conquered peoples. Following this would be the 651:. Other requirements of the Governors included calling up the needed manpower. Vassal states were in particular required to present troops as part of their tribute to the Assyrian king and in good time: failure to do so would have almost certainly been seen as an act of rebellion. 1476:

to destroy the opponents, these cities had to be taken as well and so the Assyrians soon mastered siege warfare; Esarhaddon claims to have taken Memphis, the capital of Egypt in less than a day, demonstrating the ferocity and skill of Assyrian siege tactics at this point in time:

1012:. Before then, many nomads or steppe warriors who raided Assyrian lands relied on cavalry. The Assyrians had to counter this mobile form of warfare and so beat their opponents, notably the Iranians, at their own game. Perhaps the greatest outside influence was that of the Iranian 654:

The arrival of the King and his bodyguard ended the preliminary stage and the army would move on to the target of their campaign. The army would march in good order; in the vanguard came the standard of the Gods, signifying the servitude of the Assyrian Kings to their primary God

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once boasted a force of 120,000 men in his campaigns against Syria. Such a force required men to be extracted from conquered peoples. A large army also needed more food and supplies and for this the Assyrians organized what they needed for a campaign before they set out.

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depicts soldiers using ladders to scale walls, while others use their spears to scrape the mud and clay from the walls. A soldier is also depicted beneath a wall, suggesting that mining was used to undermine the foundations and bring the walls down on their opponents.

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or when demanded by the Assyrian King. They were given Assyrian equipment and uniform which made them indistinguishable from one another, possibly to increase their integration. While the infantry in the standing army contained a large number of foreigners (including

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their gods and goddesses I scattered to the winds. The tombs of their ancient and recent kings I devastated, I exposed to the sun, and I carried away their bones toward the land of Ashur. I devastated the provinces of Elam and on their lands I sowed salt.

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of their horses at the same time. As a result, cavalry under Ashurnasirpal are depicted in pairs, with one rider holding both reins and the other shooting with a bow. The Assyrians experienced fewer problems with cavalry when they were deployed as

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assured that the rebellions whom he encountered would be crushed with the same cruelty so that his opponents would never do it again. In one of his expeditions, Ashurnasirpal II described how he faced the rebels, in which they were being

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four men. Heavier chariots also found new roles, smashing into enemy formations and dispersing the infantry in the process. The Assyrian cavalry and infantry would then be able to exploit the gap and rout the enemy, thereby taking the

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of the year. As a result, armies could not conquer vast amounts of land without having to rest (and hence allow their enemy to recover) and even if they did they would not be able to garrison conquered lands with troops for long.

404:, further Assyrian offensives occurred, although these were designed not only for conquest, but also to destroy their enemies' ability to undermine Assyrian power. As such, costly battles raged taking tolls on Assyrian manpower. 1435:

reveals Ashurbanipal as an "avenger", seeking retribution for the humiliations the Elamites had inflicted on the Mesopotamians over the centuries. Ashurbanipal dictates Assyrian retribution after his successful siege of Susa:

1221:. However, it is known that the Assyrians, as part of their overall strategy of weakening their opponents and of exacting revenge, would violently destroy what they could not take back or could not consolidate. Regarding the 1211:

presence would bring innumerable benefits: resistance to other conquerors, a counter to any rebellions by the natives and assisting the provincial Assyrian governors in ensuring that the vassal state was loyal to Assyria.

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The nature of Mesopotamia, plain and fertile with few natural defenses, meant that defensive operations were out of the question; only a decisive attack could defend such vulnerable yet valuable locations. The cities of

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Assyrian soldier, using a dagger, about to behead a prisoner from the city of Lachish. Detail of a wall relief dating back to the reign of Sennacherib, 700–692 BC. From Nineveh, Iraq, currently housed in the British

469:(1790–1754 BC), Assyria was the seat of a regional empire controlling northern Mesopotamia and regions in Asia Minor and northern Syria. From 1365 to 1076 BC, Assyria became a major empire and world power, rivalling 448:

to attack the rival kingdom of Umma; the two were involved in minor skirmishes and raids along their respective borders. Although Eanatum triumphed, he was struck in the eye by an arrow. After the battle, he had the

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Assyrian cavalry charges the enemy, dating back to the reign of Ashurnasirpal II, 865–860 BC. In this period, cavalry was relatively new. Detail of a gypsum wall relief from Nimrud, currently housed in the British

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because they could carry five times the load but required less watering. Camels were not domesticated until shortly before 1000 BC, on the eve of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. The first camel to be domesticated was the

671:. Such a formation would have been very vulnerable to a rear attack. Some columns of troops could travel 30 miles a day and such speed would have been used to surprise and frighten an opponent into submission. 701:

came to the throne in 745 BC. After increasing the efficiency of the Assyrian administration, he went on to change the Assyrian army as well. The most important aspect of his reform was the introduction of a

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Detail of a gypsum wall relief depicting the deportation of the inhabitants of the city of Lachish by the Assyrian army. Reign of Sennacherib, 700–692 BC, from Nineveh, Iraq, currently housed in the British

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Many different types of bows are recorded by the Assyrians, including Akkadian, Cimmerian and their own "Assyrian" type. However, it is most likely that these were simply different variants of the powerful

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would flow through the empire with greater ease, thus feeding the Assyrian war effort further. Of course, roads that sped up Assyrian troops would not discriminate and would speed up enemy troops as well.

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Assyria slingers hurling stones towards the enemy at the city of -alammu. Detail of a wall relief dating back to the reign of Sennacherib, 700–692 BC. From Nineveh, Iraq, currently housed in the British

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Tiglath Pileser III re-introduced deportation on a grand scale, deporting tens, even hundreds of thousands of people. Deportations were also coupled with colonization; see above for more details.

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Assyrian warships. The Assyrians would have used these to transport horses, chariots and supplies across rivers. Although they reached the Mediterranean on numerous occasions, rebellions in the

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many troops. I made one pile of the living (and) one of heads. I hung their heads on trees around the city, I burnt their adolescent boys girls. I razed, destroyed, burnt, consumed the city.

385:. Although he campaigned for 31 years of his 35-year reign, he failed to achieve or equal the conquests of his predecessor, and his death led to another period of weakness in Assyrian rule. 1094:

could be expended in battle so in preparation for war many arrows would be made. Facilities also existed that would travel with the army's supply train that could manufacture more arrows.

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before Assyria ran out of troops. The loss of the outer regions meant that foreign troops were gone too. By 605 BC, independent political Neo-Assyrian records vanish from history.

723:), the Assyrian cavalry and charioteers continued to be dominated by Assyrians. There were exceptions however, and as casualties mounted additional troops would not be unwelcome; 685: 855:, part of the ascending assaulting wave. Detail of a wall relief dating back to the reign of Sennacherib, 700–692 BC. From Nineveh, Iraq, currently housed in the British Museum 809:. By the 1st millennium BC, Nineveh and Assur had stone bridges, testament to the wealth of the kingdom of Ashur. The construction of roads and increased transport meant that 1316:

state that Shalmaneser became king on the 25th day of the month Tebeth, following Tiglath-Pileser's death, and that he died in the month of Tebeth in his fifth year as king.)

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While cavalry provided the most expensive and elite arm of the Assyrian Empire, infantry were cheaper and more numerous. Often, they were also more effective, for example in

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Assyrian army crosses a river, probably the Euphrates. Some soldiers are swimming while others are loading chariots on to a boat. Reign of Ashurnasirapl II, 865–860 BC, from

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Neo-Assyrian Empire took advantage of many different types and styles of militaristic vessels and engines for warfare. This includes chariots, cavalry, and siege engines.

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721 BC: Sargon II (claimed) deports 27,290 people from Samaria, Israel and disperses them throughout the Empire. However, it is likely that his now deceased predecessor,

392:, whose reforms once again made Assyria the most powerful force in the Near East, and transformed it into a fully fledged empire – the first of its kind. Later, under 147: 1451:

The plains and fertile lands of Mesopotamia were not only ideal for warfare but actually attracted war. Raiders from all nations coveted the lands of the Assyrians:

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Assyrian war chariot dating back to the reign of Ashurnasirpal II, 865–860 BC. Detail of a gypsum wall relief from Nimrud, currently housed in the British Museum

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Information on the Assyrian army during this time is difficult to make out. The Assyrians were able to establish their independence on two occasions, during the

647:. On some occasions the designated meeting points would change depending upon the campaign. Governors were instructed to accumulate supplies of grain, oil and 1738:

732 BC Babylon is conquered by Assyria following an usurpation of the throne by a Chaldean. Lands around Babylon are devastated during three years of fighting

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655 BC Elam attacks Babylon. At the same time, Egypt launches another offensive. Elamite attack repelled by large Assyrian army assembled by Ashurbanipal.

1612: 1584: 1062:, where the mobility provided by horsemen would be of no advantage. Assyrian infantry were composed of both native Assyrians and foreigners employed as 2362:. Adelman, Jeremy,, Aron, Stephen,, Brown, Peter, 1935–, Elman, Benjamin A., 1946–, Liu, Xinru,, Pittman, Holly (Fourth edition, ed.). New York. 635:

Preparations for a new campaign required first and foremost the assembly of troops at a designated base. In Assyria, the designated locations included

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Syria in that many of the smaller settlements were immediately handed over to their troops, then they marched south in parallel of the Mediterranean.

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The encyclopædia britannica:a dictionary of arts, sciences, literature and general information, Volume 26, Edited by Hugh Chrisholm, 1911, p. 968

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For a distance of a month and twenty-five days' journey I devastated the provinces of Elam. Salt and sihlu I scattered over them... The dust of

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with regular way stations for messengers to rest and/or exchange mounts were established. Later, these would form the basis for the Persians to

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Whilst he did indeed give up the "kingdom of the two lands" (upper and lower Egypt, shows the frontline in 639 BC as including the Nile River)

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Rugged mountains were cut through thus greatly decreasing travel time. Engineers built fine stone pavements leading up to the grand cities of

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622 BC An Assyrian expedition may have been launched west of the Euphrates; lack of Assyrian records points to a likely Assyrian defeat.

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were rarely used by the Assyrians or many other Mesopotamians until the 9th century BC, when their use is mentioned during the reign of

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and controlled his own horse. By the 7th century BC, mounted Assyrian warriors were well armed with a bow and a lance, and armored with

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Assyrian Rulers of the Early First Millennium BC: I (1114–859 BC) (Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia. Assyrian Periods. Volume 2)

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a multi-ethnic population base in each region would have curbed nationalist sentiment, making the running of the Empire smoother;

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were designed to shock the enemy and surprise them. However, they were also a strategy employed when time was not on their side:

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I captured 46 towns... by consolidating ramps to bring up battering rams, by infantry attacks, mines, breaches and siege engines

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was the site of some of the earliest recorded battles in history. In fact, the first recorded battle was between the forces of

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Bra böckers encyklopedi om människans historia. 5, Civilisationens vaggor: tidiga högkulturer i esopotamien, Egypten och Asien

706:. This included a larger number of foreign soldiers but mixed in with other Assyrian soldiers. These men could be supplied by 2731: 1298:

removing one enemy population and settling them into another. Below is a list of deportations carried out by Assyrian Kings:

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Babylon, Elam, Media, Egypt, Urartu, Archaic Greece, Arameans, Arabs, Scythia, Persia, Cimmeria, Mushki, Israel, Neo-Hittites

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Davenport, T.L. (August 1, 2014). "Situation and Organisation: The Empire Building of Tiglath-pileser III (745-728 BC)".

1605: 805:, so as to impress foreigners with the wealth of Assyria. By the 2nd millennium BC, wooden bridges were built across the 1016:. The raiding by that people assisted Assyrian attempts in building a cavalry army with which to destroy the Kingdom of 1411:'s brutal campaign against Elam in 647 BC is triumphantly recorded in this relief. Here, flames rise from the city as 2903: 2754: 2367: 2185: 1983: 1631: 1527:

Siege towers, even ones that could float were reported to have been in use whenever there was a wall facing a river.

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651 BC Ashurbanipal abandons Egypt to focus on Elamite attacks; Assyrian army shows signs of overstretching itself.

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could not cope with the demands of an empire that often stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.

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744 BC: Tiglath Pileser III deports 65,000 people from Iran to the Assyrian-Babylonian border at the Diyala river

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742 BC: Tiglath Pileser III deports 30,000 people from Hamath, Syria and into the Zagros mountains in the east.

1090:. Depending upon the bow, an archer would have a range of anything between 250 and 650 meters. Vast numbers of 2504:

Stephanie, Dalley (1985). "Foreign Chariotry and Cavalry in the Armies of Tiglath-Pileser III and Sargon II".

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681 BC Sennacherib is murdered by two of his sons; another son Esarhaddon avenges his death and rules Assyria

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Unknown date (possibly 655 BC) Ashurbanipal drives Elmite forces across the River Ulai in the plain of Susa.

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and kill their enemies. Even in siege warfare, arrows were used to drive back defenders from the wall while

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703 BC Another Chaldean-backed Babylon revolt is crushed by Sennacherib, only one year after his succession

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With the rise of the Assyrian Empire, new demands were placed on transport and communication. Prior to the

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877 BC Ashurnasirpal II takes Assyrian troops to the Mediterranean and Mount Lebanon for the first time.

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668 BC Ashurbanipal succeeds Esarhhadon, last King of Assyria to expand her borders beyond Mesopotamia

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691 BC Sennacherib wins a Pyrrhic victory against Elam. However he is able to crush the Babylon revolt

3077: 1939: 1914:: Newly established Assyrian capital at Harran is destroyed by pursuing Median and Babylonian forces. 1753:

714 BC A major military disaster befalls Urartu; Sargon II destroys Urartu's ability to fight forever

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Horses were drawn from outlying provinces and brought in to be trained with new recruits for war.

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c. 2450 BC. Like many Mesopotamian records, it contains elements of fiction. The ruler of Lagash,

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rather than being butchered, the people could serve as slave labor or as conscripts in the army.

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694 BC Sennacherib attacks Elam. Elam attacks Babylon, which is now unoccupied by Assyrian army

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616 BC Nabopolassar, King of Babylon since 626 BC, drives out Assyrian troops from Babylonia.

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648 BC Babylon is utterly destroyed by Assyria; Elamite civil war ensures no help from Elam.

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663 BC Ashurbanipal relieves an Egyptian siege of Memphis and destroys Thebes in the south.

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consisting of a wooden shaft tipped with a lethal iron spearhead; 5 feet long altogether

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An image of Tiglath-Pileser III's troops. In the background, a siege engine can be seen.

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709 BC Assyrian expeditionary forces sent by Sargon II force Midas to seek peace terms.

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883 BC Ashurnasirpal II takes power and begins expansion of Assyria beyond Mesopotamia

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707 BC: Sargon II deports 108,000 Chaldeans and Babylonians from the Babylonian region

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were both sandwiched between rivers; Nineveh was more enclosed and protected by the

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639 BC Ashurbanipal devastates the lands of Elam. Elamite kingdom does not recover.

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849, 845 and 841 BC Shalmaneser III makes three unsuccessful attempts to take Syria

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Archer, Robin. "Chariotry to Cavalry: Developments In the Early First Millennium".

1809:

679 BC An alliance of Cimmerians and Scythians is defeated by Esarhaddon's forces.

1196:, while Assur, while being close to the Tigris, was a fair distance away from the 1038:

High-ranking state officers overseeing horse production and reporting to the King.

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780–756 BC Argistis I reigns over Assyria, lake Urmia lost by Assyria to Urartu

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701 BC Sennacherib moves down Mediterranean coast to subdue Syria and Israel.

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of the royal family, many cavalry and infantry, and even the capital itself.

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676 BC Esarhaddon launches an offensive to counter increasing Iranian power.

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century BC. The purposes of deportation included, but were not limited to:

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713 BC Rumours of an anti-Assyrian alliance leads Sargon II to take Tabal.

1750:

717–716 BC Sargon II takes Carchemish to secure trade routes in the north.

1744:

721 BC Coup of Sargon II results in Samaria revolt; it is quickly crushed.

1384:

The Assyrians considered their kings as ruling with the gods’ (or the god

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614 BC Assur, first capital of Assyria is sacked by the Medes under King

1716:

745 BC Tiglath Pileser III seizes power in a coup; Assyrian Army reformed

1532:

Video on The Assyrian assault on Lachish and a water tunnel in Jerusalem.

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apparently participated on the other side. A tablet unearthed in 1854 by

1385: 1207: 1130: 1075: 1063: 956: 778: 660: 656: 510: 466: 429: 401: 2990: 2525: 2462: 1735:: Rebellions in Syria and Palestine are crushed. Damascus falls in 732. 1572: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 1464: 1415:

soldiers topple it with pickaxes and crowbars and carry off the spoils.

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The Israelites were one of the many peoples deported by the Assyrians.

761:

Assyrians using inflated sheep skins to transport chariots across the

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679 BC Esarhaddon's troops take Arzani and reach the Egyptian border.

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Assyrian archers taking aim, under the protection of a shield bearer.

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743 BC Tiglath Pileser III decisively defeats Urartu, besieges Arpad

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Mesopotamia, parts of the Levant, Anatolia, Egypt and western Persia

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824 BC Shalmaneser III dies, Assyria enters into period of weakness

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would have made such sea ventures into the Mediterranean unlikely.

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Assyria's greatest pre-reform military commander, Ashurnasirpal II

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615 BC Median invasion of Assyria results in capture of Arrapha.

1282:

the possibility of deportation would have terrorized the people;

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853 BC After taking Aleppo, Shalmaneser III is stopped at the

830:

for their military campaigns. Camels were of greater use than

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710–707 BC Another Babylonian revolt is crushed by Sargon II

1682:

858 BC Shalmaneser III subjugates Bit Adini to vassal status

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Assyrien har med rätta kallats världens första militärmakt.

2021:

Gli assiri : la prima superpotenza dell'Oriente Antico

1741:

724–722 BC Shalmaneser V besieges and then captures Samaria

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Raids designed to steal horses from opponents, such as the

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627 BC Ashurbanipal dies. Collapse of Assyria accelerates.

1821:

671 BC Another Assyrian offensive into Egypt is a success;

1772:

after bloody fighting, while Egyptian aid is driven back.

1719:

744 BC Mass deportation of Iranians by Tiglath Pileser III

1691:

851 BC Shalmaneser III defeats Chaldean revolt in Babylon

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Scurlock, JoAnne (1997). "Neo-Assyrian Battle Tactics".

1700:

832 BC Shalmaneser III fails to take Damascus in a siege

1392:

to publicly roam so that natives would be demoralized.

1322:

703 BC: Sennacherib deports 208,000 people from Babylon

155: 2615:. Vol. I. The Outlook Company. 1904. p. 470. 2441:

J.N., Postgate (2000). "The Assyrian Army In Zamua".

1907:: Egyptians unsuccessfully try to help the Assyrians. 1830:

665 BC A ten-year campaign against Media is launched.

1423:

leveled the city during a war in which the people of

424:

The Assyrian empire has been described as the "first

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