Assyrian people are among the oldest indigenous communities of Syria and Beth Nahrin (Mesopotamia). Descendants of a rich and ...

Despite this cultural durability, the significance of ancient Assyria lies in the spectacular rise and fall of the Neo-Assyrian empire, whose deep influence contrasts with its relatively brief life.

In his new book “Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire” (Basic Books), Yale professor Eckart Frahm offers a comprehensive history of the ancient civilization (circa 2025 BCE to 609 ...

Was this the world’s first empire?

The Assyrians are well known for their vast ancient empire in the Middle East; ancient cities, such as Nimrud and Nineveh; and their fierce invasions, including into the Kingdom of Judah and Egypt.

A carved panel found at Nimrud depicts Assyrian soldiers swimming across a river and using inflatable goat skins as floaties.

And the collapse of the Neo-Assyrian Empire offers a warning to today’s societies. Climate change is here to stay. In the 21st century, people have what Neo-Assyrians did not: ...

In 1911, the explorer Gertrude Bell visited the German excavations at Ashur, the founding capital of the Assyrian empire. Emerging from communities on the banks of the Tigris, in present-day Iraq ...

Archaeologists have unearthed a peculiar ancient stone slab in Iraq depicting an Assyrian emperor from the seventh century BC surrounded by deities worshipped in the Mesopotamian civilisation. The ...

In his new book “Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire” (Basic Books), Yale professor Eckart Frahm offers a comprehensive history of the ancient civilization (circa 2025 BCE to 609 ...