Although archaeological excavations reveal that
the land of the Assyrians had been inhabited as
early as 5000 B.C., it was not until the reign of
King Sargon of Akkad in 2371 B.C. that the
Assyrians first rose to glory. Under Sargon, the
kingdom rapidly expanded north to the city of
Ashur and as far west as the Mediterranean,
controlled by a central government based in
Akkad. By 1813 B.C., King Shamshi-Adad I
united the cities of Ashur, Nineveh, and Arbel
into one cohesive administrative unit. These three
cities, as well as Arrapkha and Kalhu (later known
as Nimrud), form the historical core of the
Assyrian Kingdom which would remain a credible
force throughout the Mediterranean world for the
next millennium. While various parts of Assyrian
territory were annexed for brief periods of time
by neighboring civilizations, this core remained
firmly intact. The Assyrians experienced another
Golden Age, lasting from the 9th until the 7th
Century B.C. (this period is referred to as “Neo-
Assyrian”). During this period, the kingdom grew
to its largest extent, encompassing the lands
from parts of modern Iran to the Mediterranean,
from Anatolia to Egypt. However, it proved
difficult even for the powerful Assyrian monarchs
to maintain control over this vast territory for
very long. By the end of the 7th Century, the
Assyrian Kingdom began to collapse under the
weight of assaults from the Babylonians to the
south and the newly founded Medes Kingdom to
the east. In 612 B.C., Nimrud burned for the
second time in three years, followed by the
sacking of Ashur and Nineveh, effectively ending
Assyrian control of the ancient Near East.
- (LO.874)
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