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Assyrians: Cavalry and Conquests
By USHistory.org, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.21.17

Word Count 862
Level 940L
Relief depicting Assyrian archers. An Assyrian soldier holds a large shield to protect two archers as they take aim. Photo from Wikimedia
Commons.
Assyria was a Mesopotamian empire, just to the north of its rival Babylonia, the region which
contained the famous city of Babylon. The people of Babylonia and Assyria worshiped some of the
same gods, spoke similar languages and went to war with each other.
The history of Assyria starts in about 2000 B.C., when the cities of Nineveh and Calah were
founded. Assyria ended when Nineveh was destroyed around 606 B.C.
Assyria is remembered for its military abilities, impressive weapon technology and conquests.
Geographically, Assyria sat in the middle and northern part of Mesopotamia. It was situated
between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, and its major cities were Calah, Zab, Ashur and the
capital, Nineveh.
The reign of Tiglath-pileser I
Tiglath-pileser I was an early Assyrian king who began his rule in about 1100 B.C. He went to war
against the Babylonians, Syrians and many others.
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

He claimed to have conquered 42 kings and peoples. The king wrote, "I carried away their
possessions, burned their cities with fire, demanded from their hostages tribute and contributions
and laid on them the heavy yoke of my rule."
The Assyrian ruler also claimed to be an expert hunter. On one trip, he is said to have killed over
900 lions and captured several elephants.
At Nineveh, he started a botanical garden in which he planted trees and animals gathered during
his military campaigns.
All the power
"I am powerful, I am all-powerful .... I am without equal among all kings."
This was the boast of King Esarhaddon (680-669 B.C.), who expanded the Assyrian empire to its
greatest extent. At the height of his great power, in 671 B.C., he conquered Egypt in less than a
month.
The Egyptian kingdom was considered one of the strongest in the Middle East. The Egyptians had
ruled over their own land mostly undisturbed by outside forces for 2,500 years.
Once Egypt was captured in 671 B.C., Esarhaddon and the next king, Assurbanipal (680-626 B.C.),
ruled an empire that stretched over 1,000 miles. In its time, the Assyrian Empire was the greatest
the world had ever seen. The center of the empire was located in what is now northern Iraq, and
its capital was called Nineveh.
Strong and experienced armies
How did the Assyrians take over such strong enemies?

Their armies were highly trained and professional.
And their troops had a great deal of experience in
battle. They were well organized into various units of
charioteers, cavalry, bowmen and lancers.
Assyrian armies also had a mobile group that used

iron-headed battering rams to knock down walls of
towns.
Soldiers used iron weapons, which were much

stronger than the bronze weapons of some of their
foes. The Assyrians also built roads so troops could move quickly and easily. That way, conquered
enemy groups could easily be brought back under control.
Fear was another tool used by the Assyrians, who were notorious for their use of torture. The
words of an early Assyrian king, Assurnarsipal, show just how cruel the Assyrians could be: "Many
captives ... I burned with fire ... From some I cut off their hands and their fingers, and from others
I cut off their noses, their ears ... of many I put out the eyes," he said.
The spoils of victory
In ancient times, kings usually led their troops into battle and were highly skilled soldiers
themselves. Assyrian kings traditionally carved stories about their victories on the walls of their

immense and extravagant palaces.
Empires meant power. This power led to extravagant

wealth for the winners. They forced the conquered
peoples into paying them tribute or taxes. The
Assyrian kings had no end of such wealth.
Archaeologists discovered a tablet with the words of

the Assyrian king Sennacherib (704-681 B.C.). It
describes the wealth he took from the Hebrew king
Hezekiah. Hezekiah stood strong against the
Assyrians' attack in the capital city of Jerusalem in an
event that also appears in the Bible.
Sennacherib explains: "He sent [a convoy] after me to Nineveh, my royal city with 30 talents of
gold, 800 talents of silver, jewels ... couches of ivory, easy chairs inlaid with ivory, elephants'
hides, elephants' tusks ... all kinds of valuable treasures, and his daughters ... and male and female
singers."
We built this city
With all this wealth, the Assyrian kings built the strong and beautiful cities of Nineveh and Calah.
Assyrians were more than warriors. They built huge grand palaces in these cities. Many experts
believe that Assyrians invented things we still use today: the first glassmaking, the lock and key
and even the game backgammon.
Just as the Assyrian Empire reached its peak, it began to crumble. Fighting between King
Assurbanipal and his brother weakened the empire. Soon, foreign invaders came in. The Assyrian
Empire was eventually destroyed in 612 B.C. by the Medes from Iran and the Chaldeans of
Babylonia.
It never rose again.

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Assyrians: Cavalry and Conquests

By USHistory.org, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.21.17

The reign of Tiglath-pileser I

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

All the power

"I am powerful, I am all-powerful .... I am without equal among all kings."

Strong and experienced armies

How did the Assyrians take over such strong enemies?

Assyrian armies also had a mobile group that used

Soldiers used iron weapons, which were much

The spoils of victory

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

Empires meant power. This power led to extravagant

Archaeologists discovered a tablet with the words of

We built this city

It never rose again.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

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