Assyria
The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire
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The first comprehensive account of the rise and fall of what historians consider to be the world's very first empire: Assyria
'A work of remarkable synthesis. The range of its sources is truly extraordinary . . . Frahm punctures a fair share of myths too' Pratinav Anil, The Times
At its height in 660 BCE, the kingdom of Assyria stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. It was the first empire the world had ever seen.
Here, historian Eckart Frahm tells the epic story of Assyria and its formative role in global history. Assyria's wide-ranging conquests have long been known from the Hebrew Bible and later Greek accounts. But nearly two centuries of research now permit a rich picture of the Assyrians and their empire beyond the battlefield: their vast libraries and monumental sculptures, their elaborate trade and information networks, and the crucial role played by royal women.
Although Assyria was crushed by rising powers in the late seventh century BCE, its legacy endured from the Babylonian and Persian empires to Rome and beyond. Assyria is a stunning and authoritative account of a civilisation essential to understanding the ancient world and our own.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Yale historian Frahm (coeditor, Ancient Mesopotamia Speaks) delivers a comprehensive and accessible look at the rise, fall, and historical impact of the Assyrian Empire. From its beginnings at the city-state of Ashur in the 14th century BCE, Frahm documents the initial growth of the Assyrian kingdom, noting a pattern of setbacks and expansion up to the 744–727 BCE reign of Tiglath-pileser III, who more than doubled the size of the empire. From there, Frahm recounts the conflicts that brought Assyria to the height of its power and influence and profiles prominent kings including Sennacherib, whose attack on Jerusalem in 701 BCE is described in the Hebrew Bible, and Esarhaddon, who conquered Egypt in 671 BCE. Besieged by Babylonian and Median troops and buffeted by "climate-induced drought" and political turmoil, the Assyrian Empire collapsed around 612 BCE. Frahm makes a persuasive case that the more celebrated Persian, Greek, and Roman empires drew from Assyrian bureaucracies, communication systems, and arts, and details how modern-day war and terrorism in the Middle East threaten Assyrian and Babylonian artifacts. Sweeping in scope yet meticulously detailed, this is a worthy introduction to a significant yet lesser-known chapter of ancient history.
