Political Structure and Militarism
The structure of Assyrian society, as a warrior nation, was militaristic in nature. Their ruler was not just king, but also chief commander of the military forces, and the males were subject to obligatory military service. Even officials performing civil tasks had military ranks, and these official positions were often hereditary; a son learning the profession by watching his father. The army expanded by enlisting the male populations of the conquered territories in its ranks, so that by the time of the Assyrian Empire expanded, the majority of the army was not even of Assyrian blood – a fact that contributed to the eventual downfall of the empire.
The military campaigns they performed over the years developed from simple, quick raids to carefully thought-out, well-structured operations. Their strategy embodied not only lengthy sieges and battles, but warfare also. Because the former two were costly affairs, the Assyrians attempted to apply the use of rhetoric: they would compare the relative size of their armies for instance, ridiculing the other army and encouraging their own. The Assyrians would then promise peace and prosperity if the inhabitants of the region would simply give up without a fight. If this particular brand of diplomacy failed them, they would attack one or a couple of smaller cities that were easy to take and commit such atrocious acts of cruelty as to bully the inhabitants into surrendering.
The military campaigns they performed over the years developed from simple, quick raids to carefully thought-out, well-structured operations. Their strategy embodied not only lengthy sieges and battles, but warfare also. Because the former two were costly affairs, the Assyrians attempted to apply the use of rhetoric: they would compare the relative size of their armies for instance, ridiculing the other army and encouraging their own. The Assyrians would then promise peace and prosperity if the inhabitants of the region would simply give up without a fight. If this particular brand of diplomacy failed them, they would attack one or a couple of smaller cities that were easy to take and commit such atrocious acts of cruelty as to bully the inhabitants into surrendering.
Famous Rulers
Assyria started off being a small civilization, without their violent leaders and harsh rules they wouldn't have became the vast empire they are now known to be. Leaders, like those below, without their destructive mindset and nature couldn't of had made Assyria the fiercest empire.
- Shamshi-Adad I (1813 -1791 BC) - Shamshi-Adad conquered many surrounding city-states in northern Mesopotamia. He was an excellent leader and organizer. He established the first Assyrian Empire.
- Tiglath-Pileser III (reigned 745 - 727 BC) - Tiglath-Pileser III introduced many advances to the Assyrian Empire including military and political systems. He established the world's first professional standing army and greatly expanded the Assyrian Empire.
- Sennacherib (reigned 705 - 681 BC) - Sennacherib conquered the city of Babylon. He also rebuilt much of the Assyrian city of Nineveh turning it into one of the great cities of ancient history.
- Ashurbanipal (reigned 668 - 627 BC) - Ashurbanipal was the last strong king of the Assyrian Empire. He built a massive library in the capital city of Nineveh that contained over 30,000 clay tablets. He ruled Assyria for 42 years, but the empire began to decline after he died.
The Fall
The Assyrian Empire fell under the reign of Assur-etil-ilani in 610 BC, because the majority of the army was not even of Assyrian Blood, there were many rebellions that started and the event of Assyria's fall is thought to be because the population of the army had communicated with destroyed cities and traded giving codes as to when the rebellion would start and how it would happen