Neo-Assyrian Empire

Neo-Assyrian Empire 𒆳𒀸𒋩𒆠 māt Aššur  (Akkadian)[1]
911 BC–609 BC
Map of the Neo-Assyrian Empire in 824 BC (dark green) and in its apex in 671 BC (light green) under King Esarhaddon
Capital	Aššur (911 BC) Kalhu (879 BC) Dur-Sharrukin (706 BC) Nineveh (705 BC) Harran (612 BC)
Common languages	Akkadian (official) Aramaic (official) Sumerian (declining) Hittite Hurrian Phoenician Egyptian
Religion	Polytheism
Government	Monarchy
King
• 911–891 BC	Adad-nirari II (first)
• 612–609 BC	Ashur-uballit II (last)
Historical era	Iron Age
• Reign of Adad-nirari II	911 BC
• Battle of Nineveh	612 BC
• Siege of Harran	609 BC
Area
670 BC[2]	1,400,000 km2 (540,000 sq mi)
Preceded by Succeeded by Middle Assyrian Empire Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) Elam Median Empire Neo-Babylonian Empire Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt
Today part of	Iraq Syria Israel Turkey Egypt Sudan Saudi Arabia Jordan Iran Kuwait Lebanon Cyprus Palestine

The Neo-Assyrian Empire was an empire in Mesopotamia during the Iron Age. During its existence from 911-609 BC, it was the largest empire in the world up to that time,^[3] doing many early techniques of imperialism which became normal in later empires.^[4] It was, according to many historians, the first real empire in history.^[5] It also pioneered many tactics such as arming themselves with iron weapons and employing advanced, effective military tactics.

After the conquests of Adad-nirari II in the 900s BC, the Neo-Assyrian Empire became the successor to the Old Assyrian Empire (2025-1378 BC) and the Middle Assyrian Empire (1365-934 BC), and dominated the Ancient Near East, the East Mediterranean, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and parts of both the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa, conquering and lasting longer than their rivals, such as Babylonia, Elam, Persia, Urartu, Lydia, the Medes, Phrygia, the Cimmerians, Israel, Judah, Phoenicia, the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Canaan, the Kushite Empire, and Ancient Egypt.

The empire began to fall in 631 BC when Ashurbanipal died, and many civil wars, allowing Cyaxares, King of Persia and the Medes, to form an alliance with Nabopolassar, Ruler of Babylonia and the Cimmerians and invade Assyria.^[6] Assyria allied itself with Egypt, but they both fell at the Fall of Harran in 609 BC. The second Siege of Harran finally ended Assyria. However, even today there are still Assyrian people living in Iran, Iraq, and elsewhere.

1. ↑ "RINAP (Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period Project)".
2. ↑ Taagepera, Rein (1979). "Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D". Social Science History. 3 (3/4): 121. doi:10.2307/1170959. JSTOR 1170959.
3. ↑ "10 Facts On The Ancient Assyrian Empire of Mesopotamia | Learnodo Newtonic". learnodo-newtonic.com. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
4. ↑ Tignor, Robert; Adelman, Jeremy; Brown, Peter; Elman, Benjamin; Kotkin, Stephen; Prakash, Gyan; Shaw, Brent; Aron, Stephen; Liu, Xinru (2013-10-28). Worlds Together, Worlds Apart: A History of the World: From the Beginnings of Humankind to the Present (Fourth Edition) (Vol. One-Volume). W. W. Norton. ISBN 978-0-393-92207-3.
5. ↑ "Neo-Assyrian Empire". Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
6. ↑ Frahm, Eckart (2017-03-24). A Companion to Assyria. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-32523-0.