Assyria began as a city-state around Ashur on the Tigris in northern Mesopotamia, and in its early period merchants from the city ran trading colonies in Anatolia. Its great imperial age came centuries later, from the ninth to seventh centuries BCE, when kings such as Ashurnasirpal II, Tiglath-Pileser III, Sargon II and Sennacherib conquered lands from Egypt to the Persian Gulf with a disciplined army. Capitals such as Nimrud and Nineveh were adorned with palace reliefs, and Ashurbanipal assembled a famous library of cuneiform tablets. The Assyrians were known for harsh treatment of rebels. A coalition of Babylonians and Medes destroyed Nineveh in 612 BCE, ending the empire.
Before and after
- from c. 2,050 BCE to 2,000 BCETenth Dynasty of Egypt
- c. 2,050 BCECode of Ur-Nammu
- from c. 2,040 BCE to 1,782 BCEMiddle Kingdom of Egypt
- c. 2,040 BCEEruption of Long Island
- from c. 2,025 BCE to 609 BCEAssyrian Empire
- from 3rd millennium BCE to 2nd millenniumMaya civilization
- 3rd millennium BCEOrigins of Damascus
- 21st century BCEThe last mammoths die out on Wrangel Island
- from c. 2,000 BCE to 1,500 BCEPhilippine Jade Artifacts
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- c. 1,274 BCEConstruction of Abu Simbel
- from 351 BCE to 1494Construction of Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
- from 323 BCE to 30 BCEHellenistic period
- 323 BCEConstruction of Temple of Ephesian Artemis
- 248 BCEConstruction of Terracotta Army
- from 375 CE to 568 CEMigration Period
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 21st century BCE.