2. Assyria  The Assyrians came from the northern part of Mesopotamia  Environment made them a target for invasions  Developed warlike behavior  Around 850 B.C., Assyria acquired a large empire stretching from the Tigris River to Egypt.

3. Military Organization  Assyrian society glorified military strength. Their soldiers used stiff leather and metal armor to protect themselves in battle. They were equipped with iron-swords and iron-pointed spears for weaponry, far advanced from those surrounding them.

4. Assimilation  Between 850 and 650 B.C. Assyrian kings beat Syrian, Palestine, and Babylonia.  Assyrian policy was to deport conquered peoples to other lands within the empire, thus destroying their sense of nationalism, and breaking any hope of rebellion. They replaced them with strangers from far away.

5. Military Organization  Assyrians were great warriors. They were the most ferocious of all the peoples of their time. Their very name became a synonym for cruelty and atrocity. Nowhere are the pages of history more bloody than in the records of their wars.  The Assyrian King Sennacherib bragged that he had destroyed 89 cities, 820 villages, had burned Babylon and ordered most of its inhabitants killed.

6. Cruelty They skinned their prisoners alive, and cut off various body parts to inspire terror in their enemies. There are records of Assyrian officials pulling out tongues and displaying mounds of human skulls all to bring about stark horror and wealthy tribute from surrounding nations.

7. Assyrian Lion Hunting

8. Assyrian Culture  While Assyria’s reputation of fearsome warriors was dominant, they were also great builders.  They established the capital Nineveh with huge walls surrounding it, and making it one of the largest cities of its day. Archaeologists found one of the ancient world’s largest libraries here, with more than 20,000 tablets from the conquered provinces.

9. The Walls of Ninevah

10. The Empire Crumbles With great cruelty – comes many enemies. In 612 B.C., various armies including Medes and Chaldeans combined their strength and burned Nineveh to the ground. Many people rejoiced at Nineveh’s destruction.

11. Nebuchadnezzar  The Chaldeans made Babylon their capital after defeating the Assyrians.  By 600 B.C. Babylon was the center of a new empire  Nebuchadnezzar was a Chaldean king who helped restore the city. He even restored the famous hanging gardens – one of the seven ancient wonders of the world.

12. Babylon “I am Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon” This was inscribed on the bricks of the wall surrounding the city, rumored to be wide enough that a four-horse chariot could wheel around on top of them. 300 feet high stood a seven tiered ziggurat visible for miles. Many started studying the position of the planets, and formed the basis for astronomy and astrology. After Nebuchadnezzar’s death, the Chaldean empire fell.

13. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon