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Description
The civilisation of Assyria accounted for about nineteen centuries of history, centred on and named for its traditional capital of Ashur in northern Mesopotamia. In what became known as the Neo-Assyrian Period (911-609 BCE), the Assyrians embarked on a campaign to become the dominant power in the Near East and beyond, ultimately ruling an empire reaching from southern Egypt to the Caucasus and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.

Following the agricultural and governmental reforms of Ashur-Dan II (r. 934-912 BCE) in the Assyrian heartland, his son Adad-nirari II (r. 911-891 BCE) earnestly launched a war of conquest on Assyria's neighbours, particularly gaining ground against the Aramaeans and Babylonians. Assyrian expansion gained further momentum under Ashurnasirpal II (r. 883-859 BCE) and Shalmaneser III (r. 858-824 BCE), whose reigns were marked by continuously successful efforts to bring Assyrian rule to most peoples in the Middle East and parts of Asia Minor and the Caucasus, either through direct annexation or extraction of tribute. Assyria's position of power thus achieved during the ninth century BCE was consolidated and further expanded by its able rulers of the eighth century BCE, most notably Tiglath-pileser III (r. 744-727 BCE), Sargon II (r. 721-705 BCE) and Sennacherib (r. 704-681 BCE). They conquered the southern Levant, penetrated east towards the Persian Gulf, drove back the peoples on the Assyrian frontiers (particularly the Egyptians, Urartians, Cimmerians and Scythians) and ruthlessly smashed the rebellions erupting all over the empire, thereby securing Assyria's dominion over the entire Near East at the dawn of the seventh century BCE. More Assyrian successes followed under Esarhaddon (r. 680-669 BCE), who conquered Egypt as far south as Thebes in 671 BCE. However, the long era of Assyrian supremacy came to a sudden end upon the death of its last great ruler Ashurbanipal (r. 668-627 BCE). The empire plunged into a series of civil wars and competing kings, an opportunity which the conquered peoples seized wholehandedly. A coalition of Babylonians and Medes invaded Assyria, taking Ashur in 614 BCE, Nineveh in 612 BCE and finally Harran in 609 BCE. Thus the might and splendour of the Neo-Assyrian Period was put to an end.

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Description
The civilisation of Assyria accounted for about nineteen centuries of history, centred on and named for its traditional capital of Ashur in northern Mesopotamia. In what became known as the Neo-Assyrian Period (911-609 BCE), the Assyrians embarked on a campaign to become the dominant power in the Near East and beyond, ultimately ruling an empire reaching from southern Egypt to the Caucasus and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.

Following the agricultural and governmental reforms of Ashur-Dan II (r. 934-912 BCE) in the Assyrian heartland, his son Adad-nirari II (r. 911-891 BCE) earnestly launched a war of conquest on Assyria's neighbours, particularly gaining ground against the Aramaeans and Babylonians. Assyrian expansion gained further momentum under Ashurnasirpal II (r. 883-859 BCE) and Shalmaneser III (r. 858-824 BCE), whose reigns were marked by continuously successful efforts to bring Assyrian rule to most peoples in the Middle East and parts of Asia Minor and the Caucasus, either through direct annexation or extraction of tribute. Assyria's position of power thus achieved during the ninth century BCE was consolidated and further expanded by its able rulers of the eighth century BCE, most notably Tiglath-pileser III (r. 744-727 BCE), Sargon II (r. 721-705 BCE) and Sennacherib (r. 704-681 BCE). They conquered the southern Levant, penetrated east towards the Persian Gulf, drove back the peoples on the Assyrian frontiers (particularly the Egyptians, Urartians, Cimmerians and Scythians) and ruthlessly smashed the rebellions erupting all over the empire, thereby securing Assyria's dominion over the entire Near East at the dawn of the seventh century BCE. More Assyrian successes followed under Esarhaddon (r. 680-669 BCE), who conquered Egypt as far south as Thebes in 671 BCE. However, the long era of Assyrian supremacy came to a sudden end upon the death of its last great ruler Ashurbanipal (r. 668-627 BCE). The empire plunged into a series of civil wars and competing kings, an opportunity which the conquered peoples seized wholehandedly. A coalition of Babylonians and Medes invaded Assyria, taking Ashur in 614 BCE, Nineveh in 612 BCE and finally Harran in 609 BCE. Thus the might and splendour of the Neo-Assyrian Period was put to an end.

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