Chadwick/First Civilizations, 6. The Assyrians

This chapter looks at how the Assyrians, a small 'nation' of farmers and herders on the upper Tigris river, were able to exploit a power vacuum caused by disarray among the traditional powers of the region and become a major force. The chapter covers their rise and fall. Topics discussed: - Assyrian warfare - Assurnasirpal II - hunting wild animals - civil war and decline - administrative reforms under Tiglath-pileser III - problems in the south - the Sargonid Kings - Sennacherib and Babylon - Nineveh at the time of Sennacherib - the conquest of Egypt - Assurbanipal, zenith of power and the collapse of Assyria - the great revolt - Assyria on the defensive - the library of Assurbanipal