Western Civilization

much while independent, but they ultimately fell sub-

ject to the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Persians.

The Assyrian Empire

Q FOCUSQUESTION: What

methods and institutions did the

Assyrians use to amass and

maintain their empire?

The existence of independent states

in Canaan was possible only because

of the power vacuum existing in

the ancient Near East after the

demise of the Hittite kingdom and

the weakening of Egypt. But this con-

dition did not last; new empires soon

came to dominate vast stretches of

the ancient Near East. The first of

these empires emerged in Assyria, an

area whose location on the upper

Tigris River brought it into both cul-

tural and political contact with south-

ern Mesopotamia.

Although part of Mesopotamia,

Assyria, with its hills and adequate if

not ample rainfall, had a different

terrain and climate. The Assyrians

were a Semitic-speaking people who

exploited the use of iron weapons to

establish an empire that by 700B.C.E.

included Mesopotamia, parts of the

Iranian Plateau, sections of Asia

Minor, Syria, Canaan, and Egypt

down to Thebes (see Map 2.2). Yet

the empire’s size contributed to its undoing. Ashurbani-

pal (ah-shur-BAH-nuh-pahl)(669–627B.C.E.) was one of

the strongest Assyrian rulers, but it was already becom-

ing apparent during his reign that the Assyrian Empire

was greatly overextended. Internal strife intensified as

powerful Assyrian nobles gained control of vast

TABLE 2.2 A Comparison of the Phoenician, Greek, and Latin Alphabets (Letters A–F)

Phoenician Greek Latin

Phoenician Phoenician

Name

Modern

Symbol

Early Greek Classical Greek Greek Name Early Latin Classical

Latin

’aleph ’ alpha A

beth b beta B

gimel g gamma C

daleth d delta D

he h epsilon E

waw w digamma F

Source: Andrew Robinson,The Story of Writing(London: Thames & Hudson, 1995), p. 170.

Caspian

Sea

Mediterranean

Sea

Thebes

Memphis

Jerusalem

Tyre

Byblos Babylon

Susa

Nineveh

R.

Euphrat

es

Tig

ris

R.

Red

Sea

Persian

Arabian Gulf

Desert

Sahara

CYPRUS

SYRIA

BABYLONIA

ASIA

MINOR

Nimrud

Khorsabad

ELAM

PHOENICIA

EGYPT

Dead

Sea

Taurus Mts.

Nile

R.

Ur

D

Ashurr

0 200 400 Miles

0 200 400 600 Kilometers

Assyrian Empire, ca. 700 B.C.E.

Neo-Babylonian Empire, ca. 562 B.C.E.

MAP 2.2The Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian Empires.The Assyrian Empire

expanded in large part due to its brutal military methods. It maintained its rule

through use of a common language and religion, along with extremely violent

suppression of internal revolts. It was overthrown by Chaldeans in Babylonia,

leading to the Neo-Babylonian Empire epitomized by Nebuchadnezzar.

Q Why was control of Babylonia crucial to both empires?

36 Chapter 2 The Ancient Near East: Peoples and Empires

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