Assyrian Warfare

From the earliest periods ancient Near Eastern leaders considered war a legitimate way to acquire resources, territory, and security, though they always sought the gods’ approval before going to war. Assyria’s location in what is now northern Iraq put it at the center of trade routes and surrounded by enemies. From the middle of the 2nd millennium bce the reality of their geopolitical situation compelled the Assyrians to develop into a formidable military power. At its height in the Sargonid period (8th and 7th centuries bce), the empire stretched from the Zagros Mountains in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and the Taurus Mountains in the north to the Persian Gulf in the south. During the 7th century, it included Egypt for a brief period. The Assyrians outmatched their rivals in resources, military organization, administrative ability, intelligence gathering, and political finesse, yet in terms of tactics (including violent punishment), army unit types, and military technology they were not significantly different from their contemporaries. Soldiers wore bronze or iron armor, used shields, hand-held weapons, and simple technology such as chariots, siege towers, and battering rams. Artillery had not yet been invented. What made the Assyrians stand out from their contemporaries was their imperial vision and the fact that they had the economic resources and will to carry it out. Although this article includes material dealing with the Middle Assyrian period (15th-11th centuries bce), it concentrates on the Neo-Assyrian period (10th-7th centuries bce), when the empire reached its pinnacle and the Assyrian army flourished.