ANCIENT ASSYRIAN EMPIRE

CATEGORY
1. POLITICAL SYSTEM

DESCRIPTION
Organization:
The main form of government is monarchy.
The structure of Assyrian society was militaristic in
nature. Their ruler was not just a king but also a chief
commander of the military forces, and the male were
subject to obligatory military services.
Political leader:
Assyria was ruled a king. He then selected officials to
govern parts of the empire called provinces.
There are three officers under the king, namely: the
turtannu or the field marshal; the ummanu, the vicechancellor; and the rab sa muhhi ekalli, the major-domo
who have the direct access to the king.
The officials made provinces loyal dependent territories to
the king.

2. SOCIAL STRUCTURE

How it is developed?

The Assyrian social hierarchy was very similar to that

of other Mesopotamian cultures.
The only real difference is in this highest category.
The Assyrian people were a very warlike people so
prestigious warriors were set at the top.
Job create social classes and ranking.
3. SOCIAL CLASS

Social class:
a) Upper Class :King, Nobles, Generals, Scribes
b) Middle Class: Merchants, Artisans, Poets, and
Musicians
c) Lower Class: Farmers and Slaves

4. ECONOMY/TRADE
SYSTEM

Their economy was based on agriculture and herding.

They used silver as a form of payment.
Assyrian traded for metal, timber, and stone.
Merchants transported goods along water routes with the

help of the ships.

They also pay taxes and tributes in the form of food,

goods, gold, labor, military supplies, and citizens for the

military. If people refuse to pay the king, then the city
would be burned down and the people exiled.
5. TECHNOLOGIES

Dagger, Arrowheads, Armour Scales and Agricultural tools

like hoes made of Iron

6. KNOWLEDGE/
INVENTIONS/WRITINGS

Invention of spoke wheels

Chariots
Lock and Key
Developed the first plumbing and flushing toilets
First Library
First Paved Roads
Postal system
Beer
The Assyrians were a Semitic people who originally spoke

and wrote Akkadian

Aramaic to replace Akkadian as the lingua franca of the

empire and, as Aramaic survived as a written language,

Aramic allowed later scholars to decipher Akkadian

writings and then Sumerian

Assyrians were so well known through the primary

sources of the Greek and Roman writers

Advancements in military technology
Made a significant progress in medicine, building on the
foundation of the Sumerians and drawing on the
knowledge and talents of those who had been conquered

and assimilated.
Ashurnasirpal II made the first systematic lists of plants
and animals in the empire and brought scribes with him on

7. RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

campaign to record new finds.

Schools were established throughout the empire but were

only for the sons of the wealthy and nobility.

Assyrians have practiced two religions throughout their
history:
1.

ASHURISM
-

The first religion of the Assyrians.

The very word Assyrian, in its Latin form, derives

from the name of Ashur, the Assyrian god.

Assyrians continued to practice Ashurism until 256

A.D, although by that time, most Assyrians had

accepted Christianity.
WHAT THEY BELIEVED?
-

Had a deep and all-embracing belief in signs and omens

The gods, they felt, were always wishing to communicate

their wishes to men, and did so through the movements of
sun, moon or stars, the flight of birds, the state of chicken
livers and so on.

They always consult their decision to the priests on

whether it was in the will of gods.

2.

CHRISTIANITY
-

First nation to accept Christianity,

Assyrian Church was founded in 33 A.D. by Thomas,

Bortholemew and Thaddeus.

8. ART AND
ARCHITECTURE

ART
-

Artists and craftsmen reached a peak of perfection in their

work by using fabulous jewels

They use huge amount of gold and precious stones
Superb sculptures, lifelike and detailed sculptures
Produce sculptures in the round, but friezes

PASSION FOR BUILDING

9. RIVER SYSTEM

They built themselves magnificent palaces, temples and

other public buildings, and laid out beautiful royal parks

Art of landscape gardening to a new level
Laying out vast parks and gardens near their palaces and

diverting whole rivers to water them.

Two great rivers run through Assyria, the Tigris and the

Euhprates, and many lesser ones

Upper Zab and Lower Zab, both tributaries to the Tigris.
Strategically surrounding the Tigris and the two Zabs are
the Assyrian cities of Nineveh, Ashur, Arbel, Nimrod and

10. CITY-STATE

Arrapkha.
The kingdom of Assyria
- Assyria was divided into the Assyrian homeland, the
kingdom of Assyria, and a much larger area.
-

At the centre stood the Assyrian homeland. Here was

located the Assyrian capital, with its magnificent palaces,
parks and temples.

Nineveh - the capital of the Assyrian empire and was

certainly one of the largest cities in the world at that time.

-

In earlier times this was covered by vassal kingdoms, but

later much of it was governed directly from the Assyrian
court through provincial governors.
Vassal kingdoms
-

Most of these vassal kingdoms were small states.

One of the largest vassal kingdom is Mesopotamia

Provinces
-

As it, the small vassal kingdoms were abolished, their

kings being replaced by officials appointed by the
Assyrian king.

These provincial governors were supported by new

garrisons of Assyrian troops, stationed in the provinces on
a permanent basis.

References:
http://www.mrdowling.com/603-assyrians.html
https://prezi.com/acientassyrian.html
http://ancientpeoples.tumblr.com/
http://www.timemaps.com/civilization-assyria
http://www.aina.org/brief.html