HISTORIA ANTIGUA. GENERAL

1. ASIRIA / NEOASIRIA
900 – 600 BC

2. Assyrian Empire – 650 B.C.

3. HOY

4. For hundreds of years the Assyrians occupied
lands that were bordered by more powerful
civilizations. As a result, the Assyrians were
frequently attacked by their neighbors. The
constant threat of attack led the Assyrians to
develop what would become the most powerful
army in the region.

5. By 650 B.C. the Assyrians had conquered a
vast empire, stretching between the Persian
Gulf, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the
Black Sea, and the Caspian Sea.

7. OTROS IMPERIOS ZONA
ANTERIOR_POSTERIOR

8. Babylon Empire – 1787 B.C.

9. Persian (Aquemenida) Empire – 490 B.C.

10. INVASIONES ASIA MENOR

14. EXPANSION ASIRIA
En el mapa se aprecia
claramente el proceso
paralelo de expansión de
las dos potencias rivales,
y aunque hasta la fecha
no habían chocado con
fuerza, a partir de ahora
lucharan, entre otras
cosas, por el control del
las tierras al otro lado del
Eufrates, los reinos
neohititas y arameos,
libres hasta el momento,
que se sepa, de guerras
de gran envergadura, se
van a ver obligados a
movilizar todos sus
recursos para hacer
frente al, principalmente,
poderoso ejército asirio

15. Cuando Tiglat-Pileser avanza
sobre Siria para poner fin al avance
urarteo en la región, los nuevos
vasallos de Sarduri II se preparan
para la batalla, el propio rey urarteo
acude con sus fuerzas, el choque
será en el territorio de Kummukh,
en Kishtan, y la victoria aplastante
para los asirios. Tras expulsar a
Urartu de todos los territorios a
ambos lados del Eufrates, Tiglat
Pileser se revuelve contra el líder
arameo de la resistencia en Siria,
Mati´El de Arpad. Tras tres años de
asedio la ciudad es conquistada,
ahora, y en el plazo de 8 años,
todos los estados desde el Eufrates
hasta la frontera egipcia se
someterán voluntariamente o por la
fuerza, los estados neohititas
quedaran, en su mayor parte, solo
sujetos a tributo.

16. ASIRIA Y CRECIENTE FERTIL
CONTEXTO

18. TIMELINE

20. 5000 B.C. – First site of Ninevah inhabited
4750 B.C. – First temple of Ashur built
2000 B.C. – The Assyrians in Cappadocia began trade with the city of
Ashur in tin and textiles.
1760 B.C. – Hammurabi of Babylon conquers Ashur ending the early
Assyrian Empire.
1500 B.C. – Assyria subject to Mitanni rule.
1365 B.C. – Ashur-uballit lays the foundations of the first Assyrian
Empire
1363 B.C. – Ashur-ubalit revolts against Mitanni rule and founds the
Assyrian Empire.
1273 B.C. – Shalmanesar of Assyria conquers the Mitanni.
1240 B.C. – Assyrians attack Babylon.
1115 B.C. – Tiglath-Pileser establishes the second Assyrian Empire.
1115 B.C. - The Aramean invasions of Assyria begin.
1114 – 1076 B.C. – Reign of Tiglath-Pileser I of Assyria.
934 B.C. – Usher-dan II establishes the Neo-Assyrian Empire
880 B.C. – Ashur-nasirpal II mosves the Assyrian capital to Calah.
856 B.C. – Shalmeneser III of Assyrian defeats the first known king of
Urartu
774 B.C. – Assyrian incursions of Phoenicia begin.
752 B.C. – Aramaic is made an official language of the empire
alongside Akkadiam.

21. Timeline continued
745 B.C. – Tiglath Pileser III rebuilds the decaying Assyrian empire.
722 B.C. – Sargon II reorganizes the Assyrian empire into 70
provinces.
705 B.C. – Capital moved to Dur Sharrukin and Assyria attacks
Jerusalem.
700 B.C. – Sennacherib moves the capital to Ninevah.
689 B.C. – Assyrians destroy Babylon.
671-651 B.C. – Assyrians rule in Egypt.
612 B.C. – Medes ally with Babylonia to conquer Assyria.
609 B.C – Ashur – Uballit II, the last Assyrian king, is defeated at
Harran and the Assyrian Empire came to its end.

22. MAPAS

23. Assyrian Empire was ruled from Ninevah. They were harsh rulers,
whose kings ruled their kingdom through local leaders. Communication
between cities was done by messengers on horseback.

24. From 3500 BC to 600 BC many great civilizations developed in SW Asia

25. In the 14th century B.C. Assyria was still limited to the area around Nineveh and Assur. Its
greatest expansion was in the 7th century. In 854 Shalmanassar clashed with the allied
armies of 11 kings, including king Ahab of Israel; in 732 Damascus was taken by Piglath-
pileser III; in 722 Samaria fell to Sargon II (II Kings 17:6); in 701 Jerusalem was besieged by
Sennacherib (II Kings 19), who destroyed Babylon in 689; in 670 the Assyrian king
Essarhaddon conquered Egypt and defeated Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia (II Kings 19:9).

26. INTRODUCCION GENERAL

27. Assyrian aggression: Tiglat P.III
• Like a lion on the Serenget, Assyria represented the lion, and the Serengeti represented the Middle East.
• Tiglath-pileser IIIs first footstep outside of Assyria stained the desert floor blood red. I'm not joking!
None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the
girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken: Whose arrows are
sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels
like a whirlwind: Isaiah 5:27-28
• In order to secure his holdings, Tiglath-pileser III sent his new professional army to secure his empire by
attacking the upstart Syrian-Urartu alliance that posed a potential threat as they had in the past.
• Tiglath-pileser III Led his forces towards the Aramaean Syrian tribes which had always given Assyria
trouble.
• Powerful Aramaean tribes had invaded the Kingdom of Babylonia from the south, taken the cities of
Sippar and Dur-Kurigalzu, undermined the Babylonian way of life, as well as threatening to destabilize
Assyria's power, influence, and prestige they had done to that of Babylonia.
• Because of this, the weakened state of Babylonia needed a champion.
• Assyria's hatred for the troublesome Aramaeans gave them the reason to strike, and to reestablish their
rule over Babylonia.
• Tiglath-pileser III would go on pushing further south for sometime, winning battle after battle with his new
army.
• Gaining ever more confidence after each engagement with the enemy before turning east and crossing
the Tigris River.
• While on the east side of the Tigris Tiglath-pileser III began attacking along the mountains of Elam, taking
many nomadic tribes captive.
• He then turned westward crossing the Tigris, and began his assault on the Aramaeans till he pushed
them out of the cities of Sippar, and Dur-Kurigalzu, and continued to push south till he reached Nippur, an
ancient city of Babylon, before turning back.
• The people of Babylon looked to Tiglath-pileser III as the savior of Babylonia which in turn did not bode
well for Nabonassar, the King of Babylon.
• Tiglath-pileser III began by setting up a new government in Babylonia and placing the kingdom under the
suzerainty of Assyria. Never before had Babylonia been under the complete rule of Assyria. Thus
Nabonassar became a mere vassal king, a symbol of state and not power. While the real King was Tiglath-
pileser III, the conqueror and savior of Babylonia.

28. TIGLAT – PILESER III
Tiglath-Pileser III. Stone panel, Assyrian
Asshur, 8th or 7th century BC artwork, ca. 728 BC.
bas-relief (Louvre) From the Central Palace in Nimrud.

29. Rebirth of Assyria 745 BCE
• The event, the Northern Ten Tribes, and much of the Middle east, were about to become
dissembled by the powerful Assyrian Empire under their king Tiglath-pileser III also know
as Pul in (1 Chronicles 5:26).
• Tiglath-pileser III is regarded as the founder of the second Assyrian empire.
• The origins of Tiglath-pileser are obscure and we do not know his real name for sure, but
it may have been Pul.
• We shall discuss the name Pul later.
• The name Tiglath-pileser is a name he took once he ascended the throne.
• What we can say is that he must have been a charismatic man with the ability to lead, and
because of this he was able to seize the crown of Assyria, and unite the warring factions
into a single unit, and provide a network of security and trade within the empire.
• That would one day extend to those he conquered, or made into vassals attached to the
Assyrian empire.
• What we have here is what the History Channel would call Man, Moment, and Machine.
• The moment was now for Assyria.
• All one has to do is look in the bible and realize that Assyria had no outside threats.
• The Hittites, and Egyptians, are a shell of their former glory, and imposed no threat to the
Assyrian borders.
• The once United Kingdom of Israel under King David, and King Solomon, was divided
and to busy fighting amongst themselves, and worshiping other gods they knew not
before.
• Syria was not even a threat.
• Phoenicia was unstable on land, and had no real standing army other then those they
relied on.
• The rest of the smaller tribal groups were mere principalities, or city states similar to
Phoenicia.

30. Rebirth of Assyria
• From the view that I & 2 Kings gives us, as well as I & 2 Chronicles, one could easily
say the Middle East was easy to take because it was so fragmented.
• The Machine was the powerful Assyrian army.
• Tiglath-pileser III rejuvenated the Assyrian army by changing the methods in which
it used to be conducted.
• In the past Assyria relied on their provincial governors to supply the army.
• Military forces were really provincial militias made up of your typical workforce, and
the only permanent army was the royal guards.
• What Tiglath-pileser III did was reorganize the army into a permanent standing
fighting force that over time became a professional army.
• By creating a permanent army, Tiglath-pileser III had a tighter control on his
Kingdom due to the fact that the army was loyal to him, and not to provincial
governors that provided the army temporally.
• Because of this, Tiglath-pileser III transformed the population back into a model
military society based on war and expansion, and to quench the thirst of their
rejuvenated philosophy, which was the worship of war.

31. • The ANCIENT FIRST
Kingdom of Assyria,
c. 1900 B.C.
– Became dominant city-
state due to control of
trade between
Anatolia and
Mesopotamia
– Encouragement of
private enterprise
rather than state
monopoly

32. THE NEW ASSIRIAN
New Empire
Semitic-speaking people who exploited the use of iron weapons
to build an empire by 700 B.C.
Semitic-Speaking
Spoke Semitic language
Included Territory From
including Mesopotamia, some of the Iranian Plateau, Asia
Minor, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt.

33. EXPANSION

35. •
Assyrian Expansion
After securing Babylon and driving out the Aramaean raiders. Tiglath-pileser III was to
turn his army loose on the known world. His first campaign of aggression would be
against Northern Syria an ally of Urartu. Urartu was a rival to Assyria, and at the time
was gaining much influence over the former vassals of Assyria. This posed a threat to
Assyria. Because of the threat it imposed on the weakened state of Assyria Tiglath-
pileser III decided it was time to take action, and to restore the right of Assyria's might.
Tiglath-pileser III didn't want to take the chance of invading Urartu head on. The
Kingdom of Urartu was located on a mountainous plateau of what is today eastern
Turkey, and Armenia, and leads up into the Caucasus Mountains with Lake Van in the
middle of the kingdom. It would have been difficult for the Assyrian army to invade
head on. This may indicate that the Assyrian army wasn't built for mountainous
warfare. Tiglath-pileser III knew that he had to ether conquer them, or to beat them so
badly that he could come back later and finish the job. The Kingdom of Urartu would be
no joke for Assyria.
Tiglath-pileser III assembled his army, crossed the Euphrates, and headed for Northern
Syria to the city of Arpad. Before Tiglath-pileser III reached the city of Arpad, a coalition
was already assembled to counter the Assyrians. The armies of Urartu were led by
King Sardui II, and the armies of Arpad were led by King Matiil, as well as many other
Syrian tribal kings. Both the coalition and Assyria would meet head on. The Assyrians
were victorious. Over 70,000 are said to have been slain or captured.[3]
Tiglath-pileser III was to then turn his attention back to the land of Medes conquering
them on the Iranian plateau. Tiglath-pileser III would deport 65,000 and later another
154,000. Also the Syrians would suffer from deportation as 30,000 were placed in the
region of the Zargos Mountains.[4]
From what we read in a time span of 6 to 5 years the Assyrian army had conquered a
vast amount of land in a short time. I don't want to get off track but it's important that
we take a look at the speed and structure of the Assyrian army. The person I
recommend that all should read who take interest in Military History is a man by the
name of Richard A. Gabriel. Richard Gabriel is probably the leading expert in military
history. What I'm about to show you are some passages from the book that he, and
Karen Metz collaborated on. The title of the book is "From Sumer to Rome":

37. E
X
P
A
N
S
I
O
N

39. 3.- Periodo Asirio (1360 –
612 a.c.) surge un
nacionalismo religioso,
violento en el Norte de
Mesopotamia: Asiria. Poco
a poco intervienen en los
sucesos políticos del
territorio y gracias a la
creación de un ejército
dividido, por vez primera,
en tres armas (infantería-
artillería-caballería) realizan
una rápida expansión que,
con los reinados de Sargón
II y Asurbanipal,
alcanzará su máxima
extensión, incluyendo Siria,
Palestina y Egipto. Su
capital es Ninive

40. • The first strong Assyrian state was formed in the late
Bronze Age in the wake of the decline of the Mitanni, a
confederation of tribes living along the upper reaches of
the Tigris River.
• In the fourteenth century B.C.E., Ashururballit led his
people in an expansion westward, during which they
came to control the upper arch of the Fertile Crescent for
approximately a century.
• The Assyrians ran up against the power of Aram
(situated in modern-day Syria), which blocked their
access to western trade routes.
• Still, the early success coupled with the continued
fighting against Aram made the Assyrian army strong
and experienced, able to defend itself and mount major
raids far to the south and west.
• With this powerful military, Assyria dominated the Near
East by the 900s B.C.

41. • Initially, the Assyrians’ main objective was to expand
to the Mediterranean coast in order to control the
major trade routes of ancient times.
• Assyrian armies finally overcame the resistance of
nations led by Aram, and they captured the major city of
Damascus in 732 B.C.E.
• Old Testament accounts tell of Assyrian attacks into
Samaria and Judah, and fighting against the Egyptians.
• Assyria established empire status under the leadership
of Sargon II (722–705 B.C.E.), who named himself after
the Sumerian leader Sargon the Great, the first well-
known conqueror.
• Sargon II’s son Sennacherib maintained the lands his
father had conquered, and raided Asia Minor after 700
B.C.E.
• Sennacherib established control over Phoenician
towns on the Mediterranean coast all the way to the
Egyptian frontier.

42. • The last of the great emperors was Esarhaddon (681–
668 B.C.E.), who came to the throne by murdering his
father Sennacherib.
• To secure his frontiers, Esarhaddon coupled diplomacy
with warfare.
• He entered into agreements with the Medes to the east
and the Cimmerians to the north, but also invaded Egypt,
a nation seemingly always in rebellion against the
Assyrian demands for tribute.
• By the end of Esarhaddon’s reign, Assyrian territory
stretched from the Persian Gulf across the Fertile
Crescent and halfway down the Nile in Egypt.
• Assurbanipal was the last of the Assyrian kings.
• More of a scholar than a warrior, he let his generals
punish the rebellious while he established a large library
at Nineveh

43. Map of the Ancient Near East during the Amarna Period, showing the great powers of the period:
Egypt (green), Hatti (yellow), the Kassite kingdom of Babylon (purple), Assyria (grey), and Mittani (
Lighter areas show direct control, darker areas represent spheres of influence.
The extent of the Achaean/Mycenaean civilization is shown in orange.
PERIODO AMARNA
Ca. 1350 BC

44. EN EL MAXIMO APOGEO

46. • The Assyrian Empire came to an abrupt end in 612 B.C.
• Three hundred years of warfare, both conquests and the
suppression of almost constant rebellions, had put a serious strain
on Assyrian manpower.
• The birthrate had not kept up with the casualty rate, and the
Assyrians had been obliged to use conscript troops, who proved of
doubtful loyalty.
• Agreements with neighbors lapsed, and enemies pressed from all
directions.
• Ultimately the Medes led a coalition that laid siege to the Assyrian
capital city of Nineveh, which fell after three months, spelling the
end of the empire, an end more celebrated than lamented.
• The biblical prophet Nahum wrote, “All who hear the news of you
clap their hands over you.
• For upon whom has not come your unceasing evil?” Nahum
summed it up perfectly;
• Assyria had built and maintained its empire by military force
and terror, showing no mercy to any defeated foe, whether in
conquest or rebellion.

48. • The Assyrians were the first people to
institutionalize cruelty to control the lands they
acquired.
• Towns destroyed in battle were left in ruins as an
example to other possible foes.
• Ashurnasipal bragged, “I caused great slaughter. I
destroyed, I demolished, I burned. I took their warriors
prisoner and impaled them on stakes before their cities. I
flayed the nobles, as many as had rebelled, and spread
their skins out on the piles [of dead bodies].Many of the
captives I burned in a fire. Many I took alive; from some I
cut off their hands to the wrist, from others I cut off their
noses, ears and fingers; I put out the eyes of many
soldiers. I burnt their young men and women to death.”
• This boast was not just Ashurnasipal’s; every leader
acted in the same fashion.
• It is not surprising that they had to deal with constant
rebellion; they certainly inspired no loyalty from their
subjects.

49. • Despite this negative characteristic, the Assyrians contributed to
society and culture.
• Some of the world’s oldest roads were built in the time of Sargon II.
• This road system allowed for freer trade and the development of a
postal system.
• The Assyrian Empire was the first to construct aqueducts.
• Adopting cuneiform script from the Babylonians, the Assyrians
became the world’s first serious historians.
• They established a number of libraries, where they recorded
scientific knowledge acquired on their own and from Babylon.
• They also inaugurated the first widespread use of iron.
• Though iron was used by the Hittites, the Assyrians were the first
to use the metal for weapons.
• As more iron-producing territory came under their control, it became
the most common metal in tool production, far outperforming
anything made from bronze.
• Their artists are regarded as masters of relief work, with realistic
and emotional portrayals of kings at war and sport.

50. • The Assyrians are best remembered, however, for their accomplishments in
warfare.
• Using chariots (already invented), they were the first to add cavalry to their
army, which often proved the decisive factor in their victories.
• Assyria was the first state, but certainly not the last, to build its society around the
armed forces.
• They established what may be called the first true empire, because whereas most
previous warriors cam paigned mainly for loot and tribute, the Assyrians
established political control by appointing governors in conquered lands.
• Had they had the statesmanship skills to match their military prowess, they could
not only have lasted longer as an empire, but they would also have had an even
greater impact on the progress of ancient society and culture.

51. "Native-Ruled" Babylonian Empire (1125 - 732 BC): Nebuchadrezzar I (not to be
confused with Nebuchadnezzar of Biblical notoriety) re-established Babylonia, driving
out the Elamites, and reasserting native Mesopotamian rule for the first time in
centuries. The city of Babylon became prominent once again, but it did not project
influence much beyond city borders. Many other previously great
Mesopotamian/Sumerian city-states regressed, resembling villages more than city-states.
Babylon managed to defend itself against the much more powerful Assyrian Kingdom to
the north.
Failed Assyrian Invasion of Babylonia (1120 BC): Assyria also attempted to capitalize
upon the collapse of the Kassite Empire in Southern Mesopotamia, but failed to unseat
the conquering Elamites from SW Iran.
Assyrian Expansion to Mediterranean Sea (1120 - 1100 BC): Assyria draws nearer to
matching its ancient glory, by establishing control over the all important Phoenician
coastal area, and its valuable ports.
Reassertion of Assyrian Control (911 - 745 BC): After a long period
of weakness from about 1100 - 911 BC, Assyria began to assert its
dominance once again. Before 911 BC, nomadic tribes had
undermined its ability to maintain control over its empire, reducing it to
a collection of affiliated and often independent cities and settlements.
From 911 BC to 745 BC, Assyrian kings successfully waged
campaigns to return these territories to its rule.
Babylonia Captured by Assyria (732 BC): Assyria conquers Babylon
and all of Babylonia. Rule in Babylonia would prove tumultuous though,
as the Assyrians would face multiple revolts there until it became
independent in 627 BC.

52. CONQUISTAS
ASIRIAS
Assyrian Deportations.
To suppress uprisings, the Assyrians
would deport portions of conquered
nations to the northern regions of their
empire, where they intermixed with
Northern Mesopotamian peoples.
Tens of thousands of Syrians and
Israelites were deported in this manner.

53. DECLIVE

54. • Nomadic Raids in Assyria (627 BC): Nomadic tribes such as the
Scynthians from the north, and the Iranian Medes from the east,
began to infiltrate Assyrian borders at will, penetrating as far as
Egypt. This is likely due to Assyria being overextended from its
overly ambitious expansionism. The Assyrian Empire proceeded to
quickly crumble as a result.
• Babylon Independence (627 BC): As a result of the crumbling
condition of the Assyrian Empire, Babylon was able to assert its
independence, taking control over the city and surrounding
Mesopotamian regions. Babylonians continued to battle the
remnants of the Assyrian army in expanding their sphere of control
to the north.
• Fall of Assyrian Capital of Nineveh (612 BC): The capital, and
heart of the Assyrian Empire, was destroyed by Babylonian and
Median armies, effectively ending the Assyrian Empire. A remnant
of the Assyrian army survived, continuing the fight to revive the
empire.
• Battle of Megiddo (605 BC): Egypt sent forces to the north,
defeating Judah along the way, in order to join the remaining
Assyrian troops. They met at Megiddo, where they encountered the
advancing Babylonian army. The Assyrian-Egyptian army was
defeated by the Babylonians, extinguishing the final hope for the
Assyrian Empire.

55. End of Assyrian Empire (605 BC): After being completely defeated, the Assyrians
remained a distinct "nation" of people in Northern Mesopotamia, but would forever
exist under the rule of foreign masters.

56. HECHO SINGULAR
DEPORTACIONES DE JUDIOS

57. DEPORTACIONES ASIRIAS HEBREOS 734 – 715 BC
TIGLAT PILESER III, SHALMANESER V y SARGON II

58. DEPORTACION ASIRIA DE SAMARIA A MEDIA 722 BC
SARGON II

59. DEPORTACIONES DE JUDIOS
TIGLAT PILESER / SARGON II

61. Places of Exile
Source: "The Tribes" by
Yair Davidiy