Where does the name Assyria come from? Geographical and natural features of Mesopotamia

Assyria was the first empire of the ancient world. This state existed on the world map for almost 2000 years - from the 24th to the 7th century BC, and around 609 BC. e. ceased to exist. The first mention of Assyria was found among ancient authors such as Herodotus, Aristotle and others. The Assyrian kingdom is also mentioned in some books of the Bible.

Geography

The Assyrian kingdom was located in the upper reaches and stretched from the lower reaches of the Lesser Zab in the south to the mountains of Zagras in the east and the mountains of Masios in the northwest. In different eras of its existence, it was located on the lands of such modern states as Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Turkey, Syria, Cyprus and Egypt.

Centuries-old history knows more than one capital of the Assyrian kingdom:

1. Ashur (the first capital, was located 250 km from modern Baghdad).
2. Ekallatum (the capital of upper Mesopotamia, located in the middle reaches of the Tigris).
3. Nineveh (located in present-day Iraq).

Historical periods of development

Since the history of the Assyrian kingdom takes too long a period of time, the era of its existence is conditionally divided into three periods:

• Old Assyrian period - XX-XVI centuries BC.
• Middle Assyrian period - XV-XI centuries BC.
• Neo-Assyrian kingdom - X-VII centuries BC.

Each of the periods was characterized by its domestic and foreign policy of the state, monarchs from various dynasties were in power, each subsequent period began with the rise and flourishing of the Assyrian statehood, a change in the geography of the kingdom and a change in foreign policy guidelines.

Old Assyrian period

The Assyrians came to the territory of the Euphrates River in the middle of the 20th century. BC e., said these tribes on the first city they built was Ashur, named after their supreme deity.

During this period, there was still no single Assyrian state, so Ashur, who was a vassal of the kingdom of Mitania and Kassite Babylonia, became the largest sovereign nome. Nome retained some independence in the internal affairs of the settlements. The Ashur nome included several small rural settlements headed by elders. The city developed quite quickly due to its favorable geographical location: it was through it that trade routes from the south, west and east passed.

It is not customary to talk about monarchs ruling during this period, since the rulers did not have all the political rights characteristic of holders of such a status. This period in the history of Assyria has been singled out by historians for convenience as the prehistory of the Assyrian kingdom. Until the fall of Akkad in the 22nd century BC. Ashur was part of it, and after his disappearance became independent for a short period of time, and only in the 21st century BC. e. was captured by Ur. Only 200 years later, power passes to the rulers - Ashurians, from that moment the rapid growth of trade and commodity production begins. However, such a situation within the state did not last long, and after 100 years Ashur loses its significance as a central city, and one of the sons of the Shamsht-Adad ruler becomes its governor. Soon the city was under the rule of the king of Babylon, Hammurabi, and only around 1720 BC. e. the gradual flowering of the independent Assyrian state begins.

Second period

Starting from the XIV century BC, the Assyrian rulers in official documents are already referred to as kings. Moreover, when addressing the pharaoh of Egypt, they say "Our brother." During this period, there is an active military colonization of the lands: invasions are carried out into the territory of the state of the Hittites, raids on the Babylonian kingdom, in the cities of Phenicia and Syria, and in 1290-1260. BC e. Territorial registration of the Assyrian Empire ends.

A new rise in the Assyrian wars of conquest began under King Tiglath-Pileser, who was able to capture Northern Syria, Phenicia and part of Asia Minor, moreover, the king went on ships to the Mediterranean Sea several times to show his superiority over Egypt. After the death of the conquering monarch, the state begins to decline, and all subsequent kings can no longer save the previously captured lands. The Assyrian kingdom was driven out to its indigenous lands. Documents of the period of the XI-X centuries BC. e. not preserved, which indicates the decline.

Neo-Assyrian kingdom

A new stage in the development of Assyria began after the Assyrians managed to get rid of the Aramaean tribes who came to their territory. It is the state created during this period that is considered to be the first empire in the history of mankind. The protracted crisis of the Assyrian kingdom was able to stop the kings Adad-Nirari II and Adid-Nirari III (it is with his mother Semiramis that the existence of one of the 7 wonders of the world, the Hanging Gardens, is associated). Unfortunately, the next three kings could not withstand the blows of an external enemy - the kingdom of Urartu, and pursued an illiterate domestic policy, which significantly weakened the state.

Assyria under Tiglapalasar III

The real rise of the kingdom began in the era of King Tiglapalasar III. Being in power in 745-727. BC e., he was able to seize the lands of Phoenicia, Palestine, Syria, the Kingdom of Damascus, it was during his reign that the long-term military conflict with the state of Urartu was resolved.

Successes in foreign policy are due to the implementation of domestic political reforms. Thus, the king began the forcible resettlement of inhabitants from the occupied states, along with their families and property, to their lands, which led to the spread of the Aramaic language throughout Assyria. The tsar solved the problem of separatism within the country by dividing large regions into many small ones headed by governors, thus preventing the emergence of new dynasties. The tsar also took up the reformation, which consisted of militias and military colonists, was reorganized into a professional regular army, which received a salary from the treasury, new types of troops were introduced - regular cavalry and sappers, special attention was paid to the organization of intelligence and communications services.

Successful military campaigns allowed Tiglathpalasar to create an empire that stretched from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea, and even to be crowned as the king of Babylon - Poole.

Urartu - a kingdom (Transcaucasia), which was invaded by Assyrian rulers

The kingdom of Urartu was located on the highlands and occupied the territory of modern Armenia, eastern Turkey, northwestern Iran and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. The heyday of the state came at the end of the 9th - the middle of the 8th century BC, the decline of Urartu was largely facilitated by the wars with the Assyrian kingdom.

Having received the throne after the death of his father, King Tiglath-Pileser III sought to regain control of the Asia Minor trade routes for his state. In 735 BC. e. in a decisive battle on the western bank of the Euphrates, the Assyrians were able to defeat the army of Urartu and move deep into the kingdom. The monarch of Urartu, Sarduri, fled and soon died, the state was in a deplorable state. His successor Rusa I was able to establish a temporary truce with Assyria, which was soon broken by the Assyrian king Sargon II.

Taking advantage of the fact that Urartu was weakened by the defeat received from the tribes of the Cimmerians, Sargon II in 714 BC. e. destroyed the Urartian army, and thus Urartu and the kingdoms dependent on it were under the rule of Assyria. After these events, Urartu lost its importance on the world stage.

Politics of the last Assyrian kings

The successor of Tiglath-Pileser III was unable to keep in his hands the empire founded by his predecessor, and eventually Babylon declared its independence. The next king, Sargon II, in his foreign policy was not limited to the possession of only the kingdom of Urartu, he was able to return Babylon to the control of Assyria and was crowned as the Babylonian king, he also managed to suppress all the uprisings arising on the territory of the empire.

The reign of Sennacherib (705-680 BC) was characterized by a constant confrontation between the king and the priests and townspeople. During his reign, the former king of Babylon again tried to restore his power, this led to the fact that Sennacherib brutally cracked down on the Babylonians and completely destroyed Babylon. Dissatisfaction with the policy of the king led to the weakening of the state and, as a result, outbreaks of uprisings, some states regained independence, and Urartu regained a number of territories. This policy led to the assassination of the king.

Having received power, the heir of the murdered king, Esarhaddon, first of all took up the restoration of Babylon and the establishment of relations with the priests. As for foreign policy, the king managed to repel the Cimmerian invasion, suppress the anti-Assyrian uprisings in Phenicia and undertake a successful campaign in Egypt, which resulted in the capture of Memphis and the ascension to the throne of Egypt, but the king failed to keep this victory due to an unexpected death.

The last king of Assyria

The last strong king of Assyria was Ashurbanipal, known as the most competent ruler of the Assyrian state. It was he who collected a unique library of clay tablets in his palace. The time of his reign was characterized by a constant struggle with vassal states wishing to regain their independence. Assyria during this period was at war with the kingdom of Elam, which led to the complete defeat of the latter. Egypt and Babylon wanted to regain their independence, but as a result of numerous conflicts, they did not succeed. Ashurbanipal managed to extend his influence to Lydia, Media, Phrygia, to defeat Thebes.

The death of the Assyrian kingdom

The death of Ashurbanipal marked the beginning of the turmoil. Assyria was defeated by the Median kingdom, and Babylon gained independence. By the combined armies of the Medes and their allies in 612 BC. e. The main city of the Assyrian kingdom, Nineveh, was destroyed. In 605 B.C. e. under Carchemish, the Babylonian heir Nebuchadnezzar defeated the last military units of Assyria, thus the Assyrian Empire was destroyed.

Historical significance of Assyria

The ancient Assyrian kingdom left behind many cultural and historical monuments. Many bas-reliefs with scenes from the life of kings and nobles, six-meter sculptures of winged gods, a lot of ceramics and jewelry have survived to our time.

A great contribution to the development of knowledge about the Ancient World was made by the discovered library with thirty thousand clay tablets of King Ashurbanipal, where knowledge was collected on medicine, astronomy, engineering, and even the Great Flood was mentioned.

Engineering was at a high level of development - the Assyrians were able to build a canal-water pipeline and an aqueduct 13 meters wide and 3 thousand meters long.

The Assyrians were able to create one of the strongest armies of their time, they were armed with chariots, rams, spears, warriors used trained dogs in battles, the army was well equipped.

After the fall of the Assyrian state, Babylon became the heir to centuries of achievements.

a mountainous country located along the Tigris River, which in ancient times constituted a powerful state. The capital of Assyria, Nineveh, was founded by the mythical king Ninn and his wife Semiramis. The Assyrian kings waged wars with Babylon, the Israelites and expanded the boundaries of their state. But under Sardanapal, in 612 BC. e., Assyria fell under the rule of Babylon. The Assyrians were Semites by origin and professed a religion similar to that of the Babylonians.

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ASSYRIA

(assyria), originally the city-state of Ashur, at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. expanded north to include the area around present-day Mosul. Later, Nimrud and Nineveh also became capitals, and for a short time also Khorsabad. Military campaigns were periodically made from this territory to Syria, Turkey, Iran, and especially to Lower Mesopotamia. Despite the almost constant enmity with Babylon, culturally A. was very close to him. The royal library of Ashurbanipal clearly shows respect for an earlier civilization. The main achievements, not counting the military, were in the field of architecture and sculpture, the manifestation of which were, in particular, guardian geniuses in the form of winged bulls, who stood at all entrances to the palace, and majestic reliefs depicting battles, hunting and military processions. Many of the ivory carvings are Syriac rather than Assyrian. However, Armenia went down in history primarily due to its military power, which was based on weapons made of iron. Her period of greatness (883-612 B.C.) was an almost continuous succession of wars fought to conquer and then to hold (which was no less difficult) a vast empire that stretched from the Nile almost to the Caspian Sea and from Cilicia to the Persian Gulf. The greatest kings of A. were the warriors Ashurnasirpal II, Shalmaneser III, Tiglathpalasar III, Sargon II, Sinacherib and Ashurbanipal, who achieved that the name of A. began to inspire horror throughout the Ancient East, partly due to their military talent, partly due to bestial cruelty.

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Assyria

one of the most powerful, most influential and longest lasting kingdoms of antiquity. It was formed by the descendants of Assur in the upper reaches of the Tigris. Its main city was Assur (in Hebrew Ashur) (in Gen 2.14-Assyria, see "before") and Ashur was also the main deity. Gradually, this kingdom grew stronger, Nineveh became its capital. It reached its highest power by the time of the formation of the kingdom of Israel, that is, approximately in the 9th century. to RH. Assyria ruled by this time over the lands from the Mediterranean to Babylon. She always pursued a very aggressive policy, therefore, in the Holy Scriptures, other conquerors and oppressors are sometimes called this word: Persia (Ezra 6.22), Babylon (Lamentations 5.6), Syria (Zech 10.10).

The following Assyrian kings are mentioned in Scripture:

Feglaffellasar or Ful (Tiglath-Pelezer) (747-727 BC),

Shalmaneser (727-722 BC),

Sargon (722-705 BC),

Sennacherib (705-681 BC),

Asardan (681-668 BC).

The first two of these kings conquered the kingdom of Israel (northern) and took its inhabitants into captivity. In the reign of Sargon, Merodach-Valadan reigned in Babylon, subject to Assyria, but was overthrown. Sennacherib destroyed Babylon, but his son Asardan restored it again. By this time, Assyrian dominion had already extended to Egypt. Asardan's successor Ashurbanipal (668-626 BC) subjugated all of Egypt, he also took Manasseh in chains to Babylon (2 Chronicles 33.11), but after that the great kingdom began to decline. Ashurbanipal's brother became king in Babylon and separated from Assyria. Gradually, this seceded kingdom grew stronger and, under Nebuchadnezzar, already owned almost all the lands of Assyria. After Babylon, Persia rose. (See Asnafar, Babylon, Paradise)

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Assyria

Assyria (Assyria), region. all in. Mesopotamia with a center in the city of Ashur (or Assur), where the Semitic state was formed. The 1st Assyrian state was founded in the beginning. 2nd millennium BC Numerous documents found in Anatolia testify to the lively bargaining and connections of this region. Shamshiadad I (reigned c. 1813-1781 BC) established control over all of Mesopotamia, but after his death, the state collapsed. First, she fell under the rule of the king of Babylon, Hammurabi, then she was captured by the Mitannians - the people who came from 3. The state was again strengthened under Ashshuruballit I (c. 1362-1327 BC) and his successors. The state of Mitanni was conquered, the North was occupied. Mesopotamia, King Tikultininurte I (reigned 1242-1206 BC) captured Babylon. After his death, luck changed A., but Tiglath-Pileser I (reigned c. 1114-1076 BC) restored the state, despite the constant threat to its stability from the Aramaean nomads. Period from 911 to 824 BC was a period of expansion, A. went to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The trade in iron, which became the main A source of wealth A. A. reached its highest cultural flourishing under King Tiglath-Pileser III (reigned 744-727 BC), who again conquered Babylon, but allowed him to keep the border. autonomy. Such a policy did not ensure peace, and in 689 BC. Babylon was destroyed by Sennacherib, who made Nineveh his capital. His son Esarhaddon conquered Egypt and ruled it with the help of the local nobility. The Egyptians revolted when his successor Ashurbanipal was in power, and other rebellions followed, which further weakened the state. In 625 BC Chaldean Nabopolassar captured Babylon and, together with the Medes, crushed the Assyrian power. The Assyrians, known as fierce warriors, armed. wish. weapons, they were very skillful not only on the battlefield, but also in state affairs, lawsuits and construction.

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Assyria

state on the Tigris in the North. Mesopotamia with another capital in the city of Ashur (modern Kalat-Shargat) and the same name. urban deity. Already in the 3rd gys. BC e. Ashur was known as a commercial and cultural center. In the beginning. 2nd millennium he became Ch. city ​​of the state, which in the 18th century. BC e. under Shamshiadad I, it occupied the entire Upper Mesopotamia (other - Assyrian era). Later, it became dependent on the Babylonian and Mitannian kingdoms and again strengthened in the period from the 14th to the 11th century. (cf. - Assyrian era) under the kings Ashshuruballit 1, Adadnerari I, Salmanasar 1 and Tiglathpalasar I. The Assyrian state reached its highest power in the 9th-7th centuries. BC e. (new Assyrian era), when it subjugated almost all of Asia Minor and temporarily Egypt. An active aggressive policy was pursued by the kings Ashurnasirpal II, Shalmaneser III (9th century), Tiglathpalasar III, Sargon II, Sennacherib, Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal (8th - 7th centuries). All R. 8th c. the conquered areas were transformed into Assyrian. prov. The uprisings were subdued, the population was brutally suppressed; residents of the prov. often evicted to other parts of the country. Lack of internal Assyrian stability. states in con. 7th c. BC e. ensured the success of Media and Babylon in the struggle against him; Assyrian fell in 612. the capital is Nineveh (modern Kuyundzhik). Armenia became part of the New Babylonian (Chaldean) kingdom, and later the Persian Empire. Peru Herodotus and Ctesias belonged to sat. legends stories about A. In 115, part of the Parthian kingdom conquered by the Romans was transformed into a prov. A. The uprising of the local population that broke out in the same year forced the Romans to abandon A. as prov. and transfer power to the Parthian prince. During excavations, explorer. in Ashur (separate finds are in the Berlin Museum of Western Asia) and other Assyrian. cities, such as Kalakh (Nimrud), Dur-Sharrukin (Khorsabad), were discovered numerous. works of art, primarily reliefs and collections of clay tablets.

rice. Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II shooting from a bow (Assyrian bas-relief from Nimrud).

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ASSYRIA

from Assur; 2 Kings 15:19) is the most powerful empire in Asia, the fate of which in its greatness and glory, as well as in its disasters and destruction, was most strikingly predicted by the prophet (Ezek 31). In all likelihood, Assyria was founded by Assur, who built Nineveh and other cities, and according to others by Nimrod, 120 years after the flood. In the general sense of the word, Assyria included all countries and peoples up to the Mediterranean Sea on the z. and to r. Indus on c. It is noteworthy that in St. Scripture under the word Assyrians means the people of Assyria, or the empire, the main city of which was Nineveh; under the name of the Babylonians, or Chaldeans, of course, the people of the country in which Babylon was the main city, and finally, under the name Syriaie, the people of the country where the cities were first Tsoba, and after Damascus, and which bordered to the south. and Yu.-V. the land of Canaan. According to ancient legends, Bela, or Vila, is considered the founder of Assyria, 2,000 years before Christ. Semiramis, the wife of Nin, king of Assyria, founded or built Babylon and adorned it with the most magnificent buildings, palaces, hanging gardens, etc. According to Ctesias, the last king of Syria was Sardanapal, known for his luxury and voluptuousness, who, being besieged in Nineveh by Nabopolassar, burned himself along with his wives and treasures in his palace, after which Assyria was divided among the conquerors. The Assyrian kings were especially famous for their knowledge of architecture and were distinguished by their special courage during wars: their palaces were huge buildings and were built mostly on artificial earth mounds. The spear, sword, arrows and bow served as weapons of the Assyrians from the most ancient times. Warriors, especially those who fought on chariots, wore copper armor and helmets. Sometimes mobile towers were used in war. At present, only the excavations of hills or mounds near Mosul, and the remains and entire rooms of a vast and magnificent palace discovered here, the walls of which are covered with nail-like inscriptions, sculptural images of wars, victories, etc., serve as evidence of the ancient greatness and glory of the Assyrian kingdom.

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ASSYRIA

??????? (or ???????, actually Asur, in ancient Persian Athur?, ? Hebrew Aschur), A. in the proper sense (in the broadest sense, the name means the entire Assyrian state).

1. Geographically: Armenia was separated in the north by the Nifat Mountains from Armenia, in the west and southwest by the Tigris from Mesopotamia and Babylonia, in the southeast it bordered on Susiana, in the east - on Media. It was a long, narrow, mountainous country, fertile in places, but mostly treeless, rich in asphalt and oil springs. hdt. 1, 192. Arr. 7, 19. The main mountain range of the country is Zagr, n. Zagrom, stretching along the eastern border, the rivers are the eastern tributaries of the Tigris. The inhabitants belonging to the Syrian tribe were culturally much lower than the Babylonians, and in character and customs resembled the Persians. Ptolemy names the following regions of the country: Arrapachitis, Kalakina, Adiabene, Arbelitida, Apolloniatis and Sittakena. Significant cities were: the ancient capital of Nin, in the Old Testament Nineveh (?inkvk), i.e. "victory of the god Nin", on the Tigris (ruins near Mosul); Arbela and Gaugamela, known from the battle between Darius and Alexander (in 331); Artenut; Ctesiphon, which later became the most important city and the winter residence of the Parthian kings. 2) In historical terms, the most ancient history of the Assyrian state is in some connection with the Babylonian; but it is difficult to determine whether it was founded by the Assur tribe, descendants of one of the sons of Shem, or whether it should be considered a colony of Nimrod. The latter assumption is consistent with the fact that in the northern colonies, apparently earlier than in Babylonia, the supreme power passed from the hands of the priests to secular rulers. In this case, the name Nin is the personification of this Babylonian colony. Leo considers Ninus, his wife Semiramis and their son Niniya ( cm. Ninus, I, Nin) as symbolic representatives of two directions in the veneration of heavenly saints; the supreme power was at first in the hands of the priests of Bel in the person of his son Nin, then, on a par with them, the priests of Derketides or Dercetes (Dercetis) began to use it, who gradually ousted the former (Semiramide kills Nin). This also explains the mythical legends about the campaigns of Semiramis, full of inconsistencies. Finally, in the person of Ninia, the power of the priests is overthrown and passes to secular rulers. Further, in the history of the Assyrian state, a gap of 30 generations follows, then the name of Sardanapal is put forward, and then a gap follows again. The history of the Assyrians becomes more famous after their contact with the Israelites. Kings: Ful (774 - 753), Tiglath Pileser (753-734) and Shalmanassar (734 - 716) waged successful wars with the Israelites, and the latter, having taken Samaria, destroyed their state in 720. But already Sanherib (714-696) lost everything conquered, and although Assargaddon, or Esargaddon, kept the state from disintegration for some time, nevertheless, under Sardanapal And it was destroyed. The culture of the Assyrians stopped at a very low level of development. It was a military-despotic state in which all the highest honors belonged to the military class. The class of priests, although it continued to exist, did not enjoy great influence. The religion of the Assyrians, which consisted in the veneration of heavenly bodies, was similar to the Babylonian and differed from it only in the names of deities. cf.: Kruger, Geschichte der Assyrer und Iranier (1856). M.v. Nibuhr, Geschichte Assurs und Babels (1857). M. Duncker, Geschichte des Alterthums, t. II.

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ASSYRIA

slave owner state-in, which existed in antiquity on the territory. modern Iraq to con. 7th c. BC e. The core of A. was Ashur, the oldest archaeological. layers to-rogo belong to the 4th millennium BC. e. During this period (the era of the Neolithic and Eneolithic, the archaeological cultures "Tel-Khalaf", "Samarra", etc.), the region of the foothills of Iran and the tributaries of the Tigris was the area of ​​​​the highest development of agriculture, mainly. on the waters of mountain streams. The oldest population of Ashur, presumably, consisted of Subareans, or Hurrians (works by the German Assyriologist A. Ungnad, the American Assyriologist E. A. Speiser), but by 2000 the main. The bulk of the inhabitants were Semites-Akkadians. Ashur then played the role of an intermediary in transit trade between the south. Mesopotamia and M. Asia. In a number of points of M. Asia, as shown by him. Assyriologist B. Landsberger; Assyriologist Yu. Levi about the existence of an extensive Assyrian during this period. empire is now rejected. In the early 18th century BC e. Ashur becomes the center of a major power of the Amorite Shamshiadad I. The cities closest to Ashur - Shibaniba (modern Tel - Billa), Arbela (modern Erbil), Nineveh (modern Kuyunjik), Ekallate and others - made up the kingdom of Shamshiadad I's son - Ishmedagan I ; this terr. subsequently it was called A. In the 18th century. A. obeyed Babylonia (under the Babylonian king Hammurabi), and in the 16-15 centuries. - Kingdom of Mitanni. The ruler of Ashur, Ashshuruballit I (late 15th - early 14th centuries), managed to create a strong state and subjugate Babylonia to his influence. His grandson Arikdenilu first assumed the title of "King of Assyria". During the 14-13 centuries. Assyria managed to conquer the entire Sev. Mesopotamia and capture all the supply routes to Babylonia - along the Euphrates, the Tigris and its tributaries. Among others, the state of Arrapha (modern Kirkuk) was also captured. The documents of the period preceding the conquest (examined by P. Koshaker, E. A. Speiser, the American Assyriologist R. Starr, and others) that have come down to us (the city of Nuzu, the modern settlement of Iorgan-Tepe), give an exceptionally vivid picture of the life of others. -east. community and its expansion under the influence of usurers. credit (works of the Soviet historian N. V. Yankovskaya). The history of A. of this period was developed by the English. scientist S. Smith, Social relations were studied by owls. researchers - the author of this article, L. A. Lipin and others. Self-governing villages are characteristic. or mountains. a community (alu) with a periodically redistributed land fund in its ownership, to which family and tribal communities (bitu) directly owned. Property. stratification has gone far already in the ancient period, however ch. arr. due to the fact that the know, included in the bargain. companies profited from the caravan trade. In the 18th century A. has lost its monopoly in the caravan trade. At the same time, the intensification and specialization of the village began. x-va and in connection with this development usurers. loan. This led to the creation of large private zem. possessions bargaining-usurious. to know and to enslavement and ruin means. parts of ordinary community members. The needs of large landowners in the labor force were initially met in the main. due to debt bondage, but already from the 13th century. as a result of the military campaigns increased the influx of slave prisoners of war. Between the 16th and 13th centuries. The Sat., which has come down to us, was compiled. assir. court. decrees: family, land, debt law, etc. (published by English scientists G. R. Driver and J. Miles, in Russian by I. M. Dyakonov with comments by him and Y. M. Magaziner) . Assir. the right of this time was characterized by exclusion. the cruelty of punishments, the defenselessness of debtors and the powerlessness of women. The question of the rights of various ethnic. groups A. is still debatable. In the owls science expressed the opinion (L. A. Lipin) that various ethnic. groups were unequal in A., against which the author objected. articles. From the 13th century clashes between the royal power and the nobility began, caused by means. strengthening the role of the king-commander, as a result of military. expansion A. After the time. weakening (12th century), a new rise in the power of Armenia began under Tiglath-pileser I (late 12th - early 11th centuries). He led successful wars in Babylonia, Sev. Syria and Phoenicia and raided Arm. highlands. However, in the 2nd half. the reign of Tiglathpalasar I began the movement of the Aramaean tribes from the Syrian steppe to the North. Syria and Sev. Mesopotamia. Assir. the state was weakened and dismembered. As a result of the struggle with the nobility, the residence of the kings of A. from the privileged city of Ashur was transferred to other cities - first to Kalkha (the modern settlement of Nimrud), and in the 8th-7th centuries. to Dur-Sharrukin (Khorsa-bad) and Nineveh (Kuyundzhik). A new upsurge will conquer. policy of Assyria was caused by the desire of the Assyrians. slave-owners forcibly seize districts rich in raw materials, to-rye before (in the 2nd millennium BC) due to their economic. backwardness were exploited Assir. merchants and usurers, and from the 10th century, as a result of the development of their own. crafts, ceased to need a wide international. exchange. In con. 10th-9th centuries assir. the kings managed to restore their power in the North. Mesopotamia and in the mountains to the East from A. Assir. troops repeatedly invaded the south - Babylonia, the north - Urartu, and the east. - to Media, to the west - to Syria. However, A. met here with fierce resistance from the Syrian alliance of states and the Assyrians. dominance in Syria proved fragile. From con. 9th c. in A. began for a long time. socio-political the crisis connected with ruin during wars of page - x. districts. In the struggle against large states and coalitions, especially Urartu, Armenia lost part of the conquered regions. Political a form of crisis were long. civil wars between the party of the priesthood and the privileged bargaining. and service nobility and military. party (the existence of these parties was first noted by the German Assyriologist G. Winkler). As a result, the 3rd civil. war, Tiglathpalasar III (745-727) became king, who carried out a number of reforms, which boiled down to the following: 1) the policy of extermination of the conquered population was replaced by the policy of its mass resettlement from the ethnic. mixing of inhabitants; 2) the governorships are disaggregated, and the rights of the governors are limited (observation of the German Assyriologist E. Forrer); 3) created a clear military. org-tion, which is based on the "royal regiment" - a standing army in full state. contentment. The social significance of the last reform, which strengthened the position of ordinary farmers who were involved in the army, was explained by Sov. scientists acad. V. V. Struve. Under Tiglath-Pileser III, A. again moved to conquer. politics. Within 100 years, the whole of Western Asia was conquered (except for Urartu and some outlying regions). During this period, the struggle between the two parties continued in Armenia. If Tiglath-Pileser III and his son Shalmaneser V (727-722), and later Sennacherib (705-680) were supporters of the military. parties and limited the rights of the nobility, abolishing the privileges of self-governing bargaining. cities both in Armenia itself (Ashur, Harran) and in Babylonia (Babylon, Nippur, Sippar, Uruk, etc.), and Sennacherib even completely destroyed Babylon, then Sargon II (722-705) and especially Esarhaddon (680- 669) were blocked with priests. party and the Babylonian privileged cities. The most detailed foreign policy the history of this period is developed by the English. Assyriologist A. T. Olmsted. In 679-672, A. waged stubborn wars in the north and east with the Cimmerians, Scythians, and Medes. More from con. 8th c. A.'s opponents tried to counter it with a coalition of states (Babylonia, Elam, sometimes Egypt, the states of Syria, Phenicia and Palestine) and tribes (Chaldean, Arab, etc.). Under King Ashurbanipal (669-c. 633) Armenia's war with a coalition led by his brother, the Babylonian king Shamashshumukin, finally undermined Armenia's strength. worsened. They were overlaid with heavy natures. taxes and duties and are bound by communal mutual responsibility. For the most part, they used land that was the property of the king by right of conquest, or land donated by the king to the nobles. The estates of the nobility were partly cultivated by slaves planted on the land, in a significant part - from among prisoners of war and resettled. Temples enjoyed special privileges. Predatory wars ruined the population of the conquered countries and exhausted Armenia. The morale of the army deteriorated. Military-technical achievements of Azerbaijan by the 7th century. ceased to be its monopoly. After a long war, the coalition of Babylonia and Media defeated A., destroyed its main. cities and destroyed the Assyrians. state-in (605). Assir. the nobility was slaughtered during the war, the rest of the population mixed with the Arameans of Mesopotamia. For the study of A., see also Art. Assyriology. The most important excavation sites (ancient names are given in brackets): Arpachia, Balavat, Kalat-Shargat (Ashur), Kuyunjik and Tel-Nebi-Yunus (Nineveh), Nimrud (Kalhu), Tel-Ahmar (Til-Barsib), Tel- Billa (Shibaniba), Tepe-Gaura, Khorsabad (Dur-Sharrukin). -***-***-***- Chronology 4th millennium BC e. - the first settlement on the site of the city of Ashur; 20th century - the city-state of Ashur. The first Assyrian inscriptions. rulers, Assyrian archive. bargain. the colony of Canes; early 18th century - the power of Shamshiadad I, in its heyday included Mari on Wed. Euphrates, b. h. Sev. Mesopotamia, foothills to the East from A. and part of the South. Mesopotamia; ser. 18th century - A. under the rule of the Babylonian king Hammurabi; 16th-15th centuries - A. under the rule of the state of Mitanni; con. 15 - beg. 14th century - defeat of Mitanni by the Hittites. Creation of Assir. powers; con. 14 - 1st floor. 13th centuries - expansion of A. in the North. Mesopotamia to the borders of Syria and M. Asia under Adadnerari I and Shalmaneser I. The first information about the arrival of a large number of prisoners; 2nd floor 13th c. - continuation of the expansion of A. under Tukultininurt I. Transfer of the capital from Ashur to the specially built city of Kar-Tukultininurta (modern Tulul-Akir). The murder of Tukultininurta I by the nobility; early 12th c. - the period of A.'s dependence on Babylonia; con. 12 - beg. 11th century - a new elevation of A. under Tiglath-palasar I. Campaigns in Syria, Phoenicia, Babylonia, in Arm. highlands; early 11 - beg. 10th century - the movement of the Aramaic tribes in the North. Syria and Sev. Mesopotamia. Time collapse of Assyria. powers; con. 10th c. - the beginning of the reconstruction of Assir. powers; 9th c. - Ashurnasirpal's campaigns in the North. Mesopotamia and in the foothills east of A. A series of campaigns of Shalmaneser III in the highlands of Iran, against Urartu, in Babylonia, and in Syria; 853 - battle at Karkara in the valley of the river. Orontes between the troops of A. and south. -Syrian Union. Time termination of assir. expansion into Syria; 841 - victory over Damascus; 827-822 - 1st civil. war in A. Loss of Assir. the power of Syria; con. 9th c. - penetration of the Assyrians deep into Iran during the regency of Queen Sammuramat; 772-758 - 2nd civil. war in A.; 746-745 - 3rd civil. war in A.; 743 - the defeat of the Urartian king Sarduri II in the North. Syria. The campaign of the Assyrians across the entire territory. Urartu. Submission to them sowing. and south. Syrian alliances; 732 - Assyrian campaign in Phoenicia and Palestine. Capture of Damascus; 729 - proclamation of Tiglathpalasar III as king of Babylon under the name of Pulu; 30s 8th century - the abolition of the privileges of cities by Shalmaneser V; 722 - the deposition of Shalmaneser V by supporters of the priests. parties. Destruction of A. state-va Israel. The defeat of A. from the Babylonian-Chaldean and Elamite troops in Babylonia; 717 - liquidation by the Assyrians of the last independent Syrian state of Carchemish; 714 - campaign of Sargon II against Urartu. The defeat of the troops of Urartu at Uaush; con. 8 - beg. 7th century - continuous wars of A. with coalitions led by Babylonia and Elam; 689 - destruction of Babylon by Sennacherib; 680 - the murder of Sennacherib. 4th civil. war. Accession to the throne of Esarhaddon, protege of the priests. parties. Restoration by Esarhaddon of Babylon (679-678) and the privileges of cities, the introduction of new taxes in favor of temples; 679 - A. war with the Cimmerians; 673-672 - uprising in the Median provinces, supported by the Cimmerians and Scythians; 672 - formation of the Median state. Union A. with the Scythians; 671 - Assyrians capture Memphis in Egypt; 657-655 - falling away of Egypt from A.; 655 - A. war with Elam; OK. 653-648 - Shamashshumukin's uprising in Babylon with the support of Elam, Media and a number of states and tribes of Syria and Arabia. Defeat and suicide of Shamashshumukin; 652-639 - A. wars with the Elamites. Defeat of Elam; 627 - falling away from A. Babylonia; 626 - accession of Nabopolassar in Babylonia; OK. 616 - the conclusion of the alliance of the Assyrians. king Sinsharrishkun (Sarak) with the state of Mana and Egypt against Babylonia and Media; 614 - the capture of Assur by the troops of the Indian king Cyaxares; 612 - the capture of Nineveh by the troops of Nabopolassar and Cyaxares. Suicide of Sarak; 605 BC e. - finished. the defeat of the Egyptian-Assir. troops under Carchemish by the troops of Babylon. prince Nebuchadnezzar. Section Assir. powers between Media and Babylonia. The most prominent rulers and kings (*1); Ititi - 22 c., Ushpiya - 22 c., Kikia - 22 c., Zarikum - 21 c., Puzurashshur 1-20 c., Ilushuma - 20 c., Irishum 1-20 c. 18th century (adopted the royal title for the first time), Ishmedagan 1-18 c. , Ashshurnirari 1-16th century, Ashurrimnisheshu - 15th century, Ashshurnadinahi - 15th century, Ashshuruballit I - end. 15 - beg. 14th century, Arikdenilu - 14th century. (beginning with him, all the rulers of Assyria take the royal title), Adadnirari I - c. 1300-1280, Shalmaneser I - c. 1280-1260, Tukultininurta I - c. 1250, Tiglathpalasar I - con. 12 - beg. 11th century, Ashurdan II - 10th century, Adadnirari II - 911-891, Tukulti-ninurta II - 890-884, Ashurnasirpal II - 883-859, Shalmaneser III - 859-824, Shamshiadad - 823-811, regency of Queen Sammuramat (Semiramides) - 810-806, Adadnirari III - 810-782, Shalmaneser IV - 781-772, Ashurdan III - 771-754, Ashshurnirari V - 753-746. Dynasty of Tiglath-Pileser III: Tiglath-Pileser III - 745-727, Shalmaneser V - 727-722, Sargon II - 722-705, Sennacherib - 705-680, Esarhaddon - 680-669, Ashurbanipal - 669 - c.633, Ashshuretilani - 633-621 , Sinnarrishkun - 620-612, Ashuruballit II - 612-605. Lit .: General works - World history, vol. 1, M., 1955; Dyakonov I. M., Development of land relations in Assyria, L., 1949; Essays on the history of technology Dr. East, ed. acad. V. V. Struve. Leningrad, 1940. Luckenbill D. D., Ancient records of Assyria and Babylonia, v. 1-2, Chi., (1926-27); Meissner B., Babylonien und Assyrien, Bd 1-2, Hdlb., 1920-25; Olmstead, A. T. E., History of Assyria, N. Y., (1923); Winckller H., Geschichte Babyloniens und Assyriens, Lpz., 1892; Reallexikon der Assyriologie, hrsg. von E. Ebeling und B. Meissner, Bd 1-3, B.-Lpz., 1932-1957; Landsberger B., Assyrische Königsliste und "Dunkles Zeitalter", "Journal of Cuneiform Studies", 1954, v. 8, Nos. 1-3. The oldest periods (4-3 thousand BC) - Christian V., Altertumskunde des Zweistromlandes..., Bd 1, Lpz., 1940; Speiser E. A., Mesopotamian origins..., Phil.-Lpz., 1930; Ungnad A, Subartu, B.-L., 1936. Old Assyrian period (20th-16th centuries) - Archives royales de Mari, t. 1-6, P., 1941-53; Eisser G. u. Lewy J., Die altassirischen Rechtsurkunden.., Bd 1-4, Lpz., 1930-35; Landsberger B., Assyrische Handelskolonien in Kleinasien, "Der Alte Orient", 1925, No 24; Smith S., Early history of Assyria, L., 1928. Middle Assyrian period (15th-11th centuries) - Dyakonov I.M., Ethnos and social division in Assyria, "SV", 1958, No 6; Lipin L. A., From the history of social relations in Assyria, in the book: Palestine collection, M.-L. 1958, No 3 (66); Yankovskaya N.V., Land ownership of large-family house communities in cuneiform sources, VDI, 1959, No 1; her own, Hurrian Arrapha, "VDI", 1957, No 1; Laws of Babylonia, Assyria and the Hittite Kingdom, trans. and comm. I. M. Dyakonov and Ya. M. Magazener, "VDI", 1952, No 4; The Assyrian laws, transl. by G. R. Driver and J. C. Miles, Oxf., 1935; Koschaker P., Neue keilschriftliche Rechtsurkunden aus der El-Amarna-Zeit, Lpz. 1928 ; Batsieva S. M., The struggle between Assyria and Urartu for Syria, "VDI", 1953, No 2; Dyakonov I.M., History of Media..., M.-L., 1956; his own, Assyro-Babylonian sources on the history of Urartu, "VDI", 1951, No 2-3; his own, Babylonian political. composition of the 8th-7th centuries. BC e., "VDI", 1946, No 4; Waterman L., Royal correspondence of the Assyrian empire, pt 1-4, Ann Arbor, 1930-36; Gadd C. J., The fall of Nineveh, L., 1923; Johns C. H. W., Assyrian deeds and documents..., v. 1-4, Camb.-L., 1898-1923; Forrer, E., Die Provinzeinteilung des Assyrischen Reiches, Lpz., 1921; Kohler J.u. Ungnad A., Assyrische Rechtsurkunden..., Lpz., 1913; Klauber E., Assyrisches Beamtentum nach Briefen aus der Sargonidenzeit, Lpz., 1910. I. M. Dyakonov. Leningrad. -***-***-***- (*1) Transcription of names is given according to the generally accepted in the encyclopedic. editions of the system. -***-***-***- Assyria in the XX-VII centuries. BC.

Great Definition

Incomplete definition ↓

ASSYRIA

slave owner state., folded. all in. Mesopotamia in con. 3rd millennium BC and pro-beings. to con. 7th c. BC. Actually A. was located along the upper. tech. Tigra, from Nizh. Zaba in the south to the mountains of Zagra in the east and the mountains of Masios (in Assyrian Shad-Kashiari) in the northwest. The Syrian-Mesopotamian steppe stretched to the west from Africa. On S. terr. A. capture. part of the Armenian Highlands. The steppes and mountains surrounding A. were covered with sparse vegetation. The Tigris Valley was well irrigated naturally. precipitation and periodic spills. However, in some districts they resorted to artificial irrigation and even built canals. In the mountainous districts, stone and metal were mined. ore. Bargaining crossed in A. the paths that went to the south along the Tigris to the Persian Gulf, to the east - to the Iranian plateau, to the north - through mountain passes in the region of lakes Urmia, Van and Sevan (Gokcha), in the region. Transcaucasia, in the S.-W. - to the borders of Syria and M. Asia, to the west - to bargaining. Syrian-Phoenician cities. coast. In the 4th millennium BC. on the territory A. lived Subarean tribes that were part of the peoples who originally inhabited the sowing. part of Western Asia. Subareans in language, culture and history. connections were very close to the Hurrians who inhabited the north-west. part of Mesopotamia and North. Syria, the Urartians of Transcaucasia, and the mountain tribes who lived east of the Tigris. From con. 3rd and from the beginning 2nd millennium BC subarean tribes mixing. with Semites, close to the Semites of Akkad (in the central part of Mesopotamia) and the Amorites, who inhabited the Syrian-Mesopotamian steppe and Syria. In the era of education Assyrian. state Subareans began to dissolve among the Semites. Dominant language. in A. there was an Assyrian, a member of the group of other Semites. lang. Assir. tribes from ancient times were engaged in cattle breeding, using for this purpose ch. arr. mountain meadows and steppes. In addition to the small and large. horned. livestock, pigs and donkeys, in x-ve use. horse, and in the 1st millennium BC. in A. appeared. camel, to-rym polzov. for the transport of goods. Along with cattle breeding, the Assyrians were engaged in agriculture. In Assir. laws there are articles indicating. on the custom of communal use of water from canals. A large number of diff. raw materials, ch. arr. wood, stone and ore, aids. early and widespread development of crafts. Especially big value. had metallurgy. For three thousand years BC. copper was used to make tools, weapons and household items. In the beginning. 3rd millennium BC appeared bronze. The economy of A., in the main, is firmly preserved. your ancient natural. character, but growth produces. strength gradually. led to the emergence exchange trade. Already 2 thousand years BC. the Assyrians established bargain. connections with the Hittite tribes of M. Asia. Judging by the inscriptions from Kul-Tepe (on the Kyzyl-Irmak River in Minor Asia), metals, especially lead, played an important role in the Assyro-Hittite trade. Trading with the Hittites, the Assyrians founded their colonies in their country. They had a special control, received. instructions from the capital of A. - Ashur - and obeyed the tops. judgment of Ashur. Slavery, as well as the growth of trade from the sowing. countries led to the development of the military. policy A., to the capture of foreign. raw materials, markets and bargaining. ways. Captives were usually turned into slaves. The development of slavery contributes. also debt bondage. Lack of fixers. interest on loans in grain or money made it possible for creditors to take any interest. Often the insolvent debtor turned into slavery. Assir. 14th century laws BC. witness. about the dominance of the patriarchal. families. The head of the family had complete authority over his wife and children. He could punish them, sell them into slavery, and even kill his wife in the case of spouses. infidelity. Strengthening the patriarchal. Favor families. birthright and le-virate marriage, established. customary law and enshrined. by law. The custom of levirate, i.e. obligatory marriage of a widow with a relative of her husband, contributing. also focus. property within the same family. Development x-va, founded. on slavery, led to the formation of slavery. state., to-roe, concentrating in their hands irrigats. structures, defended the interests of slave owners in their struggle against slaves and the poor, led to conquer. policy and security defense of the country from foreign attack. A., location away from big centers and small seas. ways, long saved. primitive society. system and archaic. state type, still close. to tribal union. The most ancient rulers of A. wore polubrech. title ishakkum, resp. Sumer. patesi, and concentrator. in their hands the highest priest. and military power. Along with them was a council of elders, which ruled Asia Minor. colonies and had a court. functions. In the 20th century BC. assir. rulers fought against the Amorites. kings of Babylon, relying on the support of the ancients. cities of Sumer (in South Mesopotamia). In the 18th century BC. King Shamshia-dad strengthened A., relying on broad layers of free. population. He received tribute from the kings of Tukrish and the Highlands, located. to S. and V. from A., made trips to the country of Laban (Lebanon) on the shores of the “Great Sea” (Mediterranean m.), Subjected the state to his influence. Marie on the river Euphrates, to the south-west. from A. Preserved. information about economic activities of Shamshia-dada (established fixed prices for grain, oil and wool). K ser. 18th century BC. A. weakens and falls under the power of Babylon. king Hammurabi. In the 16th - 15th centuries. BC. next to A., a strong Mitannian kingdom grew up, which, relying on the help of Egypt, conquered. a number of neighboring regions, including A. The Mitannian king Shaushshatar defeated A., captured the city of Ashur and took rich booty to his capital Vasugani. However, by the end. 15th c. BC. Mitannian kingdom, weakened. long and stubborn struggle with the Hittites, gradual. loses its influence in sowing. parts of Western Asia. Assir. kings use. this and began to conduct themselves. ext. politics. The kings of Ashshurnadinakh and Ashshuruballit established a diplomatic connections with Egypt and received. from there gold. Ashshuruballit succeeded in liberating Armenia from Mitanni domination, making a campaign in Babylonia, and placing his great-grandson Kurigalza III on the Babylonian throne. Converted A. in a strong military. power was associated with the development of slavery and the Assyrians. trade. The fall of Mitanni opened A. roads to the west, to the shores of the Mediterranean. m. However, the development of external. A.'s trade was hindered in the west by the tribes of the Arameans (ahlamu), and in the south and east by the Kassite Babylon, which restored the east against A.. the Zagra tribes. The successors of Ashshuruballit waged wars with the aim of capturing territories, booty, slaves and securing bargaining. ways. Adad-Nirari I penetrated to the west as far as Syria and captured the territory. from Harran to Carchemish (on the river Euphrates). Shalmaneser I in the 13th century BC. started fighting with the sowing. tribes of the country of Urartu and founded the Assir there. colonies. Tukulti-Ninurta made major wars. campaigns to the east and southeast, to Elam, and also to the west in the countries of Khan and Mari (on the Euphrates river). All in. Syria, he defeated the Syro-Hittite principalities, and to the west of the lake. Wang defeated the coalition of 43 princes of the Nairi country. Finally, Tukulti-Ninurta captured Babylon, destroyed its fortifications and plundered. In con. 12th c. BC. King A. Tiglathpalasar I captured important Phoenician years. Byblos, Sidon and Arad, and imposed tribute on them. He made a campaign in Babylonia and captured Babylon and Sippar, but could not hold them. Shortly after his death, A., weakened. wars, began to decline. Will devastate. Aramean raids led to the collapse of the Assyrians. power. In the 13th century BC. appeared in A. iron, which is gradual. replaces bronze. The development of ironworks. crafts made a revolution in technology, led to the development of trade and equipping the troops with new, more perfect. type of weapon. All this is helpful. restored relics A. Strengthening A. assistance. also the merging of the Subareans with the Arameans, who settled. in A., and the dissolution of these tribes among the Assyrians. Under Ashurnasirpal II (884 - 859 BC), A. again turned. into a strong military power. Ashurnasirpal II restored the influence of A. in the country of Nairi, subjugated Carchemish (on the Euphrates River), reached the mountains of Aman (in M. Asia) and invaded Syria, paving the way to the Mediterranean m. Preserved. the ruins of his luxury. palace in Kalah. The activities of Ashurnasirpal were continued by Shalmaneser III. Moving to the west, he met resistance. from Damascus, united. the forces of the Syrian principalities. In the battle of Karkara (854 BC), Shalmaneser defeated the Syrian troops, but could not realize his victory, due to the large. damage suffered. Assyrians. Despite repeated attempts, Shalmaneser was unable to conquer Damascus. He subjugated Israel, Tire and Sidon. More luck. Shalmaneser's campaigns were in Babylonia. The Assyrians reached the swamps of the Maritime country near the Persian Gulf, conquering all of Babylonia. Shalmaneser III had to wage a stubborn struggle with the kingdom of Urartu. Although Assir. invading troops. to Urartu, they could not defeat Urartu. King Sardur I. Duration. wars weakened the forces of A. Troubles began in the country. The Urartian kings Menua (810 - 781 BC), Argishti (781 - 760 BC), Sardur II (760 - 730 BC) began to push A. In the middle. 8th c. A. became stronger again. Tiglath-Pileser III resumed his conquest. the policies of their predecessors. This new flowering of the military. power A. explained. further development of slaveholding. x-va A. Along with the grain x-tion developed. garden. The mountain slopes have become in the terraces and planted fruit. trees. In the large royal gardens grown. valuable foreign plants, olives, a myrtle tree and a “tree that brings wool” (cotton). Attempts were made to acclimatize. grapes and date palms. A number of large canals were dug. Means. handicrafts reached development. Widespread. manufacturing technique. glass crockery, glassware faience and tiles covered with colorful multicolor. glaze. These tiles are usually used for decoration. walls and gates of large buildings, palaces and temples. The presence of an ability stone. development of stoneworks. and stone cutter. affairs. Limestone was mined near Nineveh, from which they made large monolithic statues, depicting. geniuses-patrons of the king in the form of winged bulls with a human head. Special. distribution and tech. metallurgy reached perfection. In the palace of Sargon II at Dur-Sharrukin (to the north of Nineveh), a large storehouse of iron objects was discovered - hammers, hoes, shovels, plowshares, etc. Growth produces. forces caused further development of trade. From Primorskaya Chaldea (on the northern and western shores of the Persian Gulf), reeds, necessary for buildings, were delivered. Lapis lazuli was brought from Sogdiana (modern Tajikistan) through Media, and gems from Arabia. stones, from Egypt - ivory products. The development of trade required wide. road building In the mountain districts for the first time appeared. stone paved roads. Assir. well maintained roads. On defined. dist. signs were placed. Every two hours, guards passed along these roads, to-paradise for the transmission of important messages of use. fire signals. The Assyrians built bridges, mostly wooden, but sometimes made of stone. The presence of roads made it possible. organize the state communication service. In larger populations. points were officials who were in charge of the delivery of royal letters. Save remnants of the Assyrians. guidebooks, in which the distance is indicated. between department. inhabited. points in hours and days of travel. Despite the development of trade, x-in the country largely preserved. his primitive natural. character Taxes and tributes were usually collected in kind. At the royal palaces were extensive. warehouses, where they accumulated different. material. values ​​and goods. Invader. in the war, prisoners, to-rykh in a large number were driven to A., as before. turned into slavery. A large number of slaves worked in with. x-ve. Sometimes land was sold. plots along with those slaves who worked for them. Sharp property. and class. stratification led to concentration. great wealth in the hands of slave owners. aristocracy. The largest owner and landowner was the state. in the person of the king, who was considered the supreme owner of all the land. Along with this, more and more strengthened representation. on the right of individuals to own land. Sargon II, buying land for the construction of the new capital of Dur-Sharrukin, paid the owners the cost of alienation. they have land. Along with the king of large. Temples owned estates. Aristocratic and temple estates of liberation. sometimes from taxes. Documents say that large estates were 40 times larger than small ones. Duration wars, exhausting the country's forces, led to a decrease. number of free population. In order to replenish the troops, Assir. the kings were forced to take measures to strengthen. small peasant. land ownership. Continuing the policy of the Babylonian kings, the Assyrians. kings distributed land. plots to free people, imposing on them the duty to serve in the troops. These soldiers. colonists usually settled on the borders of the state. Warriors-colonists found. under cover. king. Their lands. allotments were inalienable. Under Tiglath-Pileser III and Sargon (8th century BC), a military campaign was carried out. reform. State. the device was adapted to the military. needs. Assir. the army began to replenish with sets among the free. population. The troops also included contingents of conquered tribes. The standing army served to suppress. uprisings. The bulk of the troops were infantry, consisting of archers, shield-bearers, spearmen and javelin throwers. He came to 200 infantrymen. about 10 horsemen and 1 chariot. For the first time in A. appeared. a kind of engineering troops, to-rye use. for laying roads, construction. bridges and camps. The Assyrians knew how to build large, defensive. walls and towers, fortress camps. type. Fortresses were usually protected by several. rows of walls, supply. towers, giving the ability to fire on the enemy from the flanks. During the siege of the fortress, it was surrounded by a rampart, a moat and a platform, on which it was installed. siege weapons are the oldest wall-beaters. guns, the striking part of which was a log upholstered with metal and suspended. on chains. Assyrian tactics. the army knew frontal and flank attacks, as well as their combination during the offensive. wide front. Night attacks were often used. The Assyrians aspired to complete annihilation. the combat strength of the enemy, striving. and stubbornly pursuing a defeated enemy. His sea. A. had almost no fleet and was forced to rely on the subjugated fleets. countries. Conquer. Assyrian policy. kings determined the system of state. management All control threads country converged to the royal palace, with Krom consisted of the most important state. officials in charge of the department. management industries. The extensive size of the state. required education complex. state apparatus. In an inscription from the 7th c. BC. enumerated 150 positions of officials. Along with military there was also a financial and tax department. Provinces, affiliated to A., paid tribute in kind: cattle breeder. districts - 5% of livestock, farmers. - 10% of the harvest, cities paid tribute in gold and silver. Exempt from taxes. only to know and certain cities, in which they were influential. priestly colleges, such as: Babylon, Borsippa, Sippar, Nippur, Ashur and Haran. Taxes and duties were collected from the population on the basis of census materials. In the saved lists from the district of Harran indicating. names of people, their relatives. vzaimootnosh., their property, the number of land belonging to them and the name of the official, to-Krom should be paid. debts. The founder of the great Assir. power was Tiglath-Pileser III (745 - 727 BC). He made a campaign against Urartu and inflicted a number of defeats. Sarduru II. The Urartian kingdom was not conquered, but was so weakened that A. was able to restore its influence in the northwest. parts of Western Asia. Tiglath-Pileser III also subjugated the Aramaic tribes and restored Aramaic dominance in Syria, Phoenicia, and Palestine. He was paid tribute by Tire, Sidon, Israel, Judea and the Philistine city of Gaza (in South Palestine). Having struck at the tribes of Arabia, Tiglathpalasar established a connection with Egypt. In 732 BC A. captured Damascus. In the south, Merodach-Baladan, the king of the Maritime country (on the shores of the Persian Gulf), expressed the obedience of the Assyrians. conqueror. Having captured in 729 BC. Babylon, Tiglath-Pileser III to A. all Babylonia. On V., he reached the region. Mussels, in the N.-W. - Mountains of Aman. Tiglath-Pileser III created a huge state. In order to saturate the country with labor, the tsar brought in many slaves from the subjugated. region, resettling entire tribes from one part of the state. to another. Mass system. resettlement has since become one of the ways to suppress. conquests. countries. Conquer. the policy of Tiglath-Pileser III was continued by Sargon II (722 - 705 BC). Having made a campaign in Syria, Sargon II suppressed the uprising of the Syrian princes, relying on. to support Egypt. Assir. the king defeated Israel, taking its capital Samaria, and took 25 thousand Israelis into captivity. After a long siege of the city of Tyre, Sargon forced the king of the city of Tyre to submit and pay tribute to him. Finally, at the Battle of Raphia, Sargon defeated the United. troops of Gaza and Egypt. Having conquered Carchemish, Sargon II took possession of all of Syria - from the borders of M. Asia to the borders of Egypt and Arabia. He made a trip to the country of Urartu and took out rich booty from there. Great difficulties for A. represented. struggle with Babylon, which relied on the support of Elam. However, in this war, Sargon also won, using the discontent of other cities and Babylon. priesthood by the policy of Merodach-Baladan (who had taken possession of Babylon shortly before). Cyprus recognized the power of A. and sent tribute to Sargon. Assir. the king built a new luxurious residence Dur-Sharrukin. However, the power of A. was fragile. After the death of Sargon II, the power he created began to decline. Small kingdoms of Syria, Phoenicia and Palestine combined. against A. Tire and Judea, feeling the support of Egypt, revolted. Despite the big military. forces, Sennacherib (705 - 681 BC), the son and successor of Sargon II, failed to strengthen. his state Him arrival. put down rebellions in Babylonia. In 689 he captured and destroyed Babylon. Esarhaddon (681 - 668 BC) came to the throne as a result of the palace. coup, during which his father and predecessor were killed. Fragile position forced Esarhaddon to seek support from Babylon. priesthood and restore Babylon. Ch. military purpose. Esarhaddon's policy was the defeat of his main. enemy - Ethiopian. king of Taharka, reigning. in Egypt, to-ry support. enemies of A. in Palestine, Syria and Phoenicia. In 671 BC Esarhaddon moved against Egypt and conquered it. On S. Esarhaddon continued to fight with the Cimmerians, having come. from the banks of the Azov Sea, and on the east - with the tribes of Iran. Last large the king of Assyria Ashurbanipal (668 - 631 BC) had in tech. of all kingdoms. support with great difficulty. unity is huge. state, absorbing a number of countries - from zap. the borders of Iran, in the east to the Mediterranean m. in the west, from Transcaucasia in the north to Ethiopia in the south. Ashurbanipal installed his brother Shamashshumukin as the Babylonian king, who, however, raised an uprising against A., united. with the rebels of Chaldea, Elam and other neighboring countries. join this coalition. and Egypt. Speaking out against the rebels, Ashurbanipal defeated the Babylonians and Elamites and in 647 BC. took Babylon, and then captured and sacked Susa, the capital of Elam. Great difficulties presented. for A. war with Egypt. Ashurbanipal tried to rely on Egypt. aristocracy, in private on Necho, semi-independent. the ruler of Sais (located in the Nile Delta). However, Psamtik, the son of Necho, revolted and re-formed the independence. Egyptian kingdom. Only with great difficulty Ashurbanipal managed to save. control over Phoenicia and Syria. Assir. kings, aspiring to world domination and formed a huge military. power, could not suppress the resistance. conquered. peoples. Separate parts of Assir. powers, this is huge., but not strong. state, were not economically connected with each other. Shortly after the death of Ashurbanipal, the forces of Media and Babylon attacked A. and defeated the Assyrians. army. In 612 BC fell Nineveh. In 605 BC the last remnants of the Assyrians were defeated. troops, and all Assyria. the state collapsed under the blows of the rebellious peoples. Assir. culture almost entirely grew on the soil of a high tree. culture of the Babylonians, from which the Assyrians borrowed. cuneiform, adapting it to the peculiarities of their language. Lit. texts found. in the library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh (Kuyundzhik), indicating. to the fact that the Assyrians borrowed. among the Babylonians lit. produced, for example, the poem about Gilgamesh and the myth of the creation of the world. High development reached in A. special lit. genre - descriptions of the military. campaigns of kings, clothed. in the form of a chronicle to the deity. Assir. religion developed. heavily influenced by religion. views and cults of the Sumerians, Akkadians and Babylonians. Therefore, in Assyria were widely distributed. the cults of Enlil, Anu, Ishtar, Shamash and Bel-Marduk. Typically Assyrian. there was only a cult of the god Ashur, the patron saint of the ancient Assir. the city of Asshura, all of Assir. state and Assir. king. Scientific knowledge of the Assyrians grew on the basis of the wide. use knowledge, accumulation in tech. millennia by the Sumerians and Babylonians. So, in the library of Ashurbanipal, many more were found. astronomical , honey. and philological. texts. They were especially widespread. so-called syllabars, i.e. lists of cuneiform signs with decree. their pronunciation in Sumerian and Semitic. lang.

Assyria is one of the first empires in the world, a civilization that originated on the territory of Mesopotamia. Assyria dates back to the 24th century and has existed for almost two millennia.

Assyria in antiquity

Assyria was one of the most powerful empires in the 1st millennium BC. e., its heyday and golden age fall precisely on this period. Until that time, it was a simple state in the north

Mesopotamia, which was mainly engaged in trade, since it was located on important trade routes.

Assyria was then subjected to attacks by nomads, such as the Arameans, who led to the decline of the state in the 11th century BC. e.

In total, historians conditionally divide into three periods:

• Old Assyrian;
• Middle Assyrian;
• Neo-Assyrian.

In the latter, Assyria becomes the first empire in the world. In the VIII century, the golden age of the empire begins, then it is ruled by King Tiglath-Pileser III. Assyria crushes the state of Urartu. At the end of the 8th century, she subjugates Israel, and in the 7th century she also captures Egypt. When Ashurbanipal becomes king, Assyria subdues Media, Thebes, Lydia.
After the death of Ashurbanipal, Assyria could not resist the onslaught of Babylon and Media, the end of the empire comes.

Where is ancient Assyria now

Now Assyria as a state does not exist; in the 21st century, countries have settled on the territory of the former empire: Iraq, Iran and others. The peoples of the Semitic group live on its territory: Arabs, Jews and some others. The dominant religion in the territory of the former Assyria is Islam. The largest territory belonging to Assyria is now occupied by Iraq. Now Iraq is on the brink of civil war. On the territory of Iraq there is a diaspora of those ancient Assyrians who founded the world's first empire that conquered almost the entire Arabian Peninsula (Mesopotamia).

What does Assyria look like today?

Now the world, according to some data that is not confirmed, is inhabited by about a million Assyrians. In the modern world, they do not have their own state, they inhabit Iran, Iraq, the USA, Syria, there are also small diasporas in Russia and Ukraine. Modern Assyrians mainly speak Arabic and Turkish. And their ancient, native language is on the verge of extinction.
Modern Assyria is not a state, but only one million descendants of the ancient Assyrians, who carry a unique Assyrian culture and folklore.

Where is Assyria

“Out of this land came Asshur and built Nineveh, Rehobothir, Kalah and Resen between Nineveh and between Kalah; this is a great city"(Gen. 10:11,12)

Assyria is one of the greatest states of the ancient world, which went down in history thanks to its outstanding military campaigns and conquests, cultural achievements, art and cruelty, knowledge and strength. As with all the great powers of antiquity, Assyria can be looked at with different eyes. It was Assyria that possessed the first professional, disciplined army of the ancient world, a victorious army that made neighboring peoples tremble in fear, an army that sowed horror and fear. But it was in the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal that an unusually large and valuable collection of clay tablets was preserved, which became the most valuable source for studying the science, culture, religion, art and life of those distant times.

Where is Assyria

Assyria, at the time of its highest development, owned vast territories both between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and the vast eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. To the east, the possessions of the Assyrians extended almost to the Caspian Sea. Today, on the territory of the former Assyrian kingdom there are such modern countries as Iraq, Iran, part of Turkey, part of Saudi Arabia.

History of Assyria

The greatness of Assyria, however, like all great powers, did not manifest itself in history immediately, it was preceded by a long period of formation and emergence of Assyrian statehood. This power was formed from nomadic Bedouin shepherds who once lived in the Arabian desert. Although the desert is there now, and earlier there was a very pleasant steppe, but the climate has changed, droughts have come and many Bedouin shepherds, as a result of this reason, chose to move to the fertile lands in the Tigris River valley, where they founded the city of Ashur, which became the beginning of the creation of a mighty Assyrian state. The location of Assur was chosen very well - it was at the crossroads of trade routes, other developed states of the ancient world were located in the neighborhood: Sumer, Akkad, which intensively traded (but not only, sometimes fought) with each other. In a word, very soon Ashur turned into a developed trade and cultural center, where merchants played the leading role.

At first, Ashur, the heart of the Assyrian state, like the Assyrians themselves, did not even have political independence: at first it was under the control of Akkad, then it came under the control of the Babylonian king Hammurabi, famous for his code of laws, then under the rule of Mitania. Ashur remained under the rule of Mitania for a whole 100 years, although, of course, he also had his own autonomy, Ashur was headed by a ruler, who was a kind of vassal of the Mitanian king. But in the 14th century BC e. Mitania fell into decay and Ashur (and with it the Assyrian people) gained true political independence. From this moment begins a glorious period in the history of the Assyrian kingdom.

Under King Tiglapalasar III, who ruled from 745 to 727 BC. e. Ashur, or Assyria is turning into a real superpower of antiquity, active militant expansion has been chosen as a foreign policy, constant victorious wars with neighbors are being waged, bringing an influx of gold, slaves, new lands and related benefits to the country. And now the warriors of the militant Assyrian king are marching through the streets of ancient Babylon: the Babylonian kingdom, which once itself ruled the Assyrians and arrogantly considers itself their “elder brothers” (reminds nothing?) is defeated by its former subjects.

The Assyrians owe their brilliant victories to the very important military reform that King Tiglapalasar carried out - it was he who created the first professional army in history. After all, before, as it was, the army was made up mainly of tillers, who replaced the plow with a sword for the period of the war. Now it was staffed by professional soldiers who did not have their own land plots, all the expenses for their maintenance were paid by the state. And instead of plowing the land in peacetime, they improved their military skills all the time. Also, the use of metal weapons, which actively came into use at that time, played a big role in the victory of the Assyrian troops.

The Assyrian king Sargon II, who ruled from 721 to 705 BC. e. strengthened the conquests of his predecessor, finally conquering the Urartian kingdom, which was the last strong opponent of the rapidly gaining strength of Assyria. True, Sargon, without knowing it, was helped by those who attacked the northern borders of Urartu. Sargon, being a smart and prudent strategist, simply could not help but take advantage of such a great opportunity to finally finish off his already weakened opponent.

Fall of Assyria

Assyria grew rapidly, new and new occupied lands brought into the country a constant stream of gold, slaves, Assyrian kings built luxurious cities, so the new capital of the Assyrian kingdom, the city of Nineveh, was built. But on the other hand, the aggressive policy of the Assyrians bred the hatred of the captured, conquered peoples. Here and there rebellions and uprisings broke out, many of them were drowned in blood, for example, the son of Sargon Sineherib, after suppressing the uprising in Babylon, brutally cracked down on the rebels, ordered the remaining population to be deported, and Babylon itself was razed to the ground, flooded with the waters of the Euphrates. And only under the son of Sineherib, king Assarhaddon, this great city was rebuilt.

The cruelty of the Assyrians towards the conquered peoples was also reflected in the Bible, in the Old Testament Assyria is mentioned more than once, for example, in the story of the prophet Jonah, God tells him to go preach in Nineveh, which he really did not want to do, as a result he ended up in the womb of a large fish, and after a miraculous salvation, he still went to Nineveh to preach repentance. But the Assyrians did not appease the sermons of the biblical prophets, and already around 713 BC. e. The prophet Nahum prophesied about the death of the sinful Assyrian kingdom.

Well, his prophecy came true. All the surrounding countries united against Assyria: Babylon, Media, Arab Bedouins, and even the Scythians. The combined forces defeated the Assyrians in 614 BC. That is, they besieged and destroyed the heart of Assyria - the city of Ashur, and two years later a similar fate befell the capital of Nineveh. At the same time, the legendary Babylon returned to its former power. In 605 B.C. e. the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar in the battle of Carchemish finally defeated the Assyrians.

Culture of Assyria

Despite the fact that the Assyrian state left an unkind mark in ancient history, nevertheless, during its heyday, it had many cultural achievements, which cannot be ignored.

In Assyria, writing actively developed and flourished, libraries were created, the largest of them, the library of King Ashurbanipal, consisted of 25 thousand clay tablets. According to the grandiose plan of the king, the library, which served part-time as a state archive, was supposed to become not more, not less, but a repository of all the knowledge ever accumulated by mankind. What is there just not there: the legendary Sumerian epic and Gilgamesh, and the works of the ancient Chaldean priests (and in fact scientists) on astronomy and mathematics, and the oldest treatises on medicine giving us the most interesting information about the history of medicine in antiquity, and countless religious hymns, and pragmatic business records, and scrupulous legal documents. A whole specially trained team of scribes worked at the library, whose task was to copy all the significant works of Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia.

The architecture of Assyria also received significant development, Assyrian architects achieved considerable skill in the construction of palaces and temples. Some of the decorations in Assyrian palaces are excellent examples of Assyrian art.

Art of Assyria

The famous Assyrian bas-reliefs, which were once the interior decorations of the palaces of the Assyrian kings and have survived to this day, give us a unique opportunity to touch the Assyrian art.

In general, the art of ancient Assyria is full of pathos, strength, valor, it glorifies the courage and victory of the conquerors. On the bas-reliefs, images of winged bulls with human faces are often found; they symbolize the Assyrian kings - arrogant, cruel, powerful, formidable. That is what they were in reality.

Assyrian art subsequently had a great influence on the formation of art.

Religion of Assyria

The religion of the ancient Assyrian state was largely borrowed from Babylon and many Assyrians worshiped the same pagan gods as the Babylonians, but with one significant difference - the true Assyrian god Ashur was revered as the supreme god, who was considered the head even of the god Marduk - the supreme god of the Babylonian pantheon. In general, the gods of Assyria, as well as Babylon, are somewhat similar to the gods of ancient Greece, they are powerful, immortal, but at the same time they have weaknesses and shortcomings of mere mortals: they can be envious or adulterous with earthly beauties (as Zeus liked to do).

Different groups of people, depending on their occupation, could have a different patron god, to whom they gave the most honors. There was a strong belief in various magical ceremonies, as well as magical amulets, superstitions. Part of the Assyrians preserved the remnants of even more ancient pagan beliefs of those times when their ancestors were still nomadic shepherds.

Assyria - masters of war, video

And in conclusion, we suggest you watch an interesting documentary about Assyria on the Culture channel.

Mighty Assyria is one of the first empires built by people.

The appearance of Assyria on the world map

In the Old Assyrian period, the state of Assyria occupied a relatively small territory, the center of which was the city Ashur. The population of the country was engaged in agriculture: they grew barley and spelt, planted grapes using natural irrigation (rain and snow precipitation), wells and, in a small amount - with the help of irrigation facilities - the waters of the Tigris River. In the eastern regions of the country, cattle breeding with the use of mountain meadows for summer grazing had a great influence. But the main role in the life of the early Assyrian society was played by trade.

The fact is that the most important trade routes passed through Assyria at that time: from the Mediterranean and from Asia Minor along the Tigris to the regions of Central and Southern Mesopotamia and further to. Ashur sought to create his own trading colonies in order to gain a foothold on these main frontiers. Already at the turn of 3-2 thousand BC. he subjugates the former Sumerian-Akkadian colony Gasur(east of the Tigris). The eastern part of Asia Minor was especially actively colonized, from where raw materials important for Assyria were exported: metals (copper, lead, silver), livestock, wool, leather, wood - and where grain, fabrics, ready-made clothes and handicrafts were imported.

The Old Assyrian society was a slave society, but retained strong remnants of the tribal system. There were royal (or palace) and temple farms, the land of which was cultivated by community members and slaves. Most of the land was owned by the community. Land plots were owned by large family communities " bitumen“, which included several generations of the closest relatives. The land was subjected to regular redistribution, but could also be in frequent ownership. During this period, the trading nobility stood out, becoming rich as a result of international trade. Slavery was already widespread. Slaves were acquired through debt slavery, purchases from other tribes, and also as a result of successful military campaigns.

The Assyrian state at that time was called Alum Ashur, which simply meant "city" or "community" of Ashur. People's assemblies and councils of elders, who elected ukullum- an official in charge of the judicial and administrative affairs of the city of the state. There was also a hereditary position of the ruler - ishshakkuma, who had religious functions, supervised temple construction and other public works, and during the war became a military leader. Sometimes these two positions were combined in the hands of one person.

Assyria becomes one of the leading powers in the region

At the beginning of the 20th century BC. the international situation for Assyria is developing unsuccessfully: the rise of the state Marie in the Euphrates region became a serious obstacle to the western trade of Assur, and education soon brought to naught the activities of Assyrian merchants in Asia Minor. Trade was also hampered by the advance of the Amorite tribes in Mesopotamia. Apparently, with the aim of restoring Ashur to the reign Ilushuma undertakes the first trips to the west, to the Euphrates, and to the south, along the Tigris.

Especially active foreign policy, in which the western direction prevails, Assyria conducts during (1813-1781 BC). Her troops capture North Mesopotamian cities, subdue Mari, capture a Syrian city Katnoy. Intermediary trade with the West passes to Ashur. with southern neighbors Babylonia and Eshnunnoy Assyria maintains peaceful relations, but in the east she has to wage constant wars with the Hurrians. Thus, at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 18th century BC. Assyria turned into a large state and Shamshi-Adad I appropriated the title " king of sets«.

The Assyrian state was reorganized. The king headed an extensive administrative apparatus, became the supreme commander and judge, and managed the royal economy. The entire territory of the Assyrian state was divided into districts, or provinces ( halsum), headed by governors appointed by the king. The basic unit of the Assyrian state was the community - alum. The entire population of the state paid taxes to the treasury and performed various labor duties. The army consisted of professional soldiers and general militia.

Assyria loses independence

Under the successors of Shamshi-Adad I, Assyria began to suffer defeats from the Babylonian state, where it then ruled Hammurabi. He, in alliance with Mari, defeated Assyria and she, at the end of the 16th century BC. became the prey of the young state -. Assyrian trade declined as the Hittites forced Assyrian merchants out of Asia Minor, Egypt out of Syria, and Mitanni closed the west.

Assyria in the Middle Assyrian period (2nd half of the 2nd millennium BC).

Assyria regains independence with the help of Egypt

In the 15th century BC. Assyrians are trying to restore the former position of their state. They opposed their enemies - the Babylonian, Mitannian and Hittite kingdoms - with an alliance with Egypt, which began to play in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. leading role in the Middle East.

An example of Assyrian architecture - the royal palace

Assyrian Empire

Assyria - a state-soldier or ... a state-robber

Having survived this time, Assyria, which in past periods was not known for its peacefulness, turned into a real “terrorist”, using fear as its most important weapon.

Attacking quickly and ruthlessly, the Assyrians ensured that the name of their people alone was enough to make the hearts of their neighbors tremble (and the few remaining to clench their fists). Most often, prisoners were not taken at all: if the population of the captured city resisted, it was completely destroyed as a warning to all the disobedient.
Seeking obedience from the vanquished, they were deprived of their homeland, driving thousands of new subjects of the king to other places, often very far away. Everything was done in order to frighten the conquered peoples, to break their spirit, their will to freedom. The Assyrians plundered the conquered countries for decades.

However, the formidable Assyrian kings were never able to unite the conquered countries for a long time, to create a strong state. Their empire was based solely on fear. It turned out to be impossible to endlessly plunder the conquered countries: there was no one to sow their own fields and engage in crafts. The Assyrians had too many military leaders and too few officials to collect taxes. The scribe could replace the soldier only where the population voluntarily agreed to live under the rule of the Assyrians. There were no such peoples in the Ancient East - the invaders (and especially such as the Assyrians) were hated by everyone.

The Assyrians also had difficulty with trading cities, which throughout their history enjoyed special rights: they did not pay high taxes, their inhabitants were exempted from military service. The Assyrians did not want to keep these privileges, but they could not cancel them either, fearing constant rebellions.

One of these free cities was Babylon. The Assyrians mainly adopted culture, religion and writing from Babylon. The respect for this city was so great that for some time it became, as it were, the second capital of Assyria. The kings who ruled in Nineveh made rich gifts to the Babylonian temples, decorated the city with palaces and statues, and Babylon, nevertheless, remained the center of dangerous conspiracies and rebellions against the Assyrian authorities. It ended with the king Sennacherib in 689 BC ordered to destroy the entire city and flood the place where he stood.

The terrible act of the king caused discontent even in Nineveh itself, and although the city was quickly rebuilt under the son of Sennacherib Assarhoddon, relations between Assyria and Babylon deteriorated completely. Assyria was never able to rely on the authority of the most important religious and cultural center of Western Asia.

The lessons of the war with Urartu and the reform of the Assyrian army

At the end of the 9th - beginning of the 8th century BC. The Assyrian state again enters a period of decline. Most of the Assyrian population was involved in constant campaigns, as a result of which the country's economy was in decline. In 763 BC a rebellion broke out in Ashur, and other regions and cities of the country soon rebelled: Arraphu, Guzanu. Only five years later all these rebellions were suppressed. A fierce struggle was waged within the state itself. The trading elite wanted the world to trade. The military elite wanted to continue campaigns to capture new prey.

The decline of Assyria at this time was facilitated by the change by the beginning of the 8th century BC. international situation. Urartu, a young state with a strong army, which made successful campaigns in the Transcaucasus, the southeast of Asia Minor, and even the territory of Assyria itself, advanced to the first place among the states of Western Asia.

In 746-745. BC. after the defeat suffered by Assyria from Urartu, an uprising broke out in Kalkha, as a result of which Tiglathpalasar 3 came to power in Assyria. He carried out important reforms. Firstly, he carried out the disaggregation of the former governorships, in such a way that too much power would not be concentrated in the hands of any civil servant. The entire territory was divided into small areas.

The second reform of Tiglathpalasar was carried out in the field of military affairs and the army. Previously, Assyria waged wars with militia forces, as well as colonist soldiers who received land plots for their service.

In the campaign and in peacetime, each warrior supplied himself. Now a standing army was created, which was recruited from recruits and was fully supplied by the king. The division according to the types of troops was fixed. The number of light infantry has been increased. Cavalry began to be widely used. The striking force of the Assyrian army was made up of war chariots.

The army was well armed and trained. Armor, shields, helmets were used to protect warriors. Horses were sometimes covered with protective gear made of felt and leather. During the siege of cities, rams were used, embankments were erected to the fortress walls, tunnels were made. To protect the troops, the Assyrians built a fortified camp surrounded by a rampart and a moat. All major Assyrian cities had strong walls that could withstand a long siege.

The Assyrians already had a kind of sapper troops who built bridges, paved passages in the mountains. In important areas, the Assyrians laid paved roads. Assyrian gunsmiths were famous for their work. The army was accompanied by scribes who kept records of booty and captives. The army included priests, soothsayers, musicians. Assyria had a fleet, but it did not play a significant role, since Assyria waged its main wars on land.

The fleet for Assyria was usually built. Intelligence was an important part of the Assyrian army. Assyria had a huge agent in the countries she conquered, which allowed her to prevent speeches. During the war, many spies were sent to meet the enemy, who collected information about the number of enemy troops and their whereabouts. Intelligence was usually led by the Crown Prince. Assyria almost did not use mercenary troops. There were such military positions - general (slave-reshi), head of the regiment of the prince, great herald ( shaku slave). The army was divided into detachments of 10, 50, 100, 1000 people. There were banners and standards, usually with the image of the supreme god Ashur.

The largest number of the Assyrian army reached 120,000 people.

End of Assyrian rule

With a renewed army, Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727 BC) resumed his aggressive activities. In 743-740. BC. he defeated a coalition of northern Syrian and Asia Minor rulers and received tribute from 18 kings. Then, in 738 and 735. BC. he made two successful trips to the territory of Urartu.

In 734-732. BC. a new coalition was organized against Assyria, which included the kingdom of Damascus and Israel, many coastal cities, Arab principalities and Elam. In the east, by 737 B.C. Tiglathpalasar managed to gain a foothold in a number of areas of Media. In the south, Babylon was defeated, and Tiglath-Pileser himself was crowned in it with the crown of the Babylonian king. The conquered territories were given under the authority of the administration appointed by the Assyrian king. It was under Tiglath-Pileser III that the systematic migration of the conquered peoples began, with the aim of mixing and assimilating them. From Syria alone, 73,000 people were displaced.

Under the successor of Tiglath-Pileser III - Shalmaneser V (727-722 BC), a broad policy of conquest was continued. Shalmaneser V tried to restrict the rights of wealthy priests and merchants, but was overthrown by Sargon II (722-705 BC) as a result. Under him, Assyria defeated the rebellious kingdom of Israel. After a three-year siege, in 722 BC. Assyrians stormed the capital of the kingdom - Samaria, and then completely destroyed it. Residents were relocated to new places. The kingdom of Israel is gone. In 714 BC a heavy defeat was inflicted on the state of Urartu. A heavy struggle went on for Babylon, which had to be recaptured several times. In the last years of his reign, Sargon II waged a hard struggle with the tribes of the Cimmerians.

The son of Sargon II - Sennacherib (705-681 BC) also led a fierce struggle for Babylon. In the west, the Assyrians in 701 B.C. besieged the capital of the Kingdom of Judah - Jerusalem. The Jewish king Hezkiah brought tribute to Sennacherib. The Assyrians approached the border of Egypt. However, at this time, Sennacherib was killed as a result of a palace coup and his youngest son, Esarhaddon (681-669 BC), ascended the throne.

Esarhaddon makes campaigns to the north, suppresses the uprisings of the Phoenician cities, asserts his power in Cyprus, conquers the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula. In 671, he conquers Egypt and assumes the title of Egyptian pharaoh. He died during a campaign against the newly rebellious Babylon.

In Assyria, Ashurbanapal (669 - about 635/627 BC) came to power. He was a very smart, educated man. He spoke several languages, knew how to write, had literary talent, acquired mathematical and astronomical knowledge. He created the largest library of 20,000 clay tablets. Under him, numerous temples and palaces were built and restored.

However, Assyria's foreign policy did not go so smoothly. Egypt rises (667-663 BC), Cyprus, Western Syrian possessions (Judea, Moab, Edom, Ammon). Urartu and Manna attack Assyria, Elam opposes Assyria, and the Median rulers revolt. Only by the year 655, Assyria manages to suppress all these speeches and repulse the attacks, but it is no longer possible to return Egypt.

In 652-648. BC. rebellious Babylon rises again, joined by Elam, Arab tribes, Phoenician cities and other conquered peoples. By 639 B.C. most of the speeches were suppressed, but these were the last military successes of Assyria.

Events developed rapidly. In 627 BC Babylonia fell away. In 625 BC - Mussel. These two states conclude an alliance against Assyria. In 614 BC Ashur fell, in 612 - Nineveh. The last Assyrian troops were defeated in the battles of Harran (609 BC) and Carchemish (605 BC). The Assyrian nobility was destroyed, the Assyrian cities were destroyed, the ordinary Assyrian population mixed with other peoples.

Assyria has disappeared from the face of the earth. It turned out that it was impossible to create a strong state with the help of fear, violence and robbery. This is also taught by the history of a small town, the merchants of which at first wanted only one thing - to trade freely in the peaceful eastern markets.