History of Mesopotamia - Neo-Assyrian Empire, 746-609

history of Mesopotamia

Table of Contents

Introduction
Mesopotamia to the end of the Old Babylonian period
- The origins of Mesopotamian history
  - The background
    - The character and influence of ancient Mesopotamia
    - The achievements of ancient Mesopotamia
    - The classical and medieval views of Mesopotamia; its rediscovery in modern times
    - Modern archaeological excavations
  - The emergence of Mesopotamian civilization
    - The emergence of cultures
    - Mesopotamian protohistory
- Sumerian civilization
  - The Sumerians to the end of the Early Dynastic period
    - Literary and other historical sources
    - First historical personalities
    - Emergent city-states
    - Territorial states
  - Sumer and Akkad from 2350 to 2000 bce
    - Sargon’s reign
    - Ascendancy of Akkad
    - The end of the dynasty
  - The 3rd dynasty of Ur
    - Administration
    - Ethnic, geographic, and intellectual constituents
    - Ur III in decline
- The Old Babylonian period
  - Isin and Larsa
    - Political fragmentation
    - Literary texts and increasing decentralization
  - Early history of Assyria
  - The Old Babylonian empire
    - Political fortunes
    - Babylonian law
    - Babylonian literature
  - The Hurrians
Mesopotamia to the end of the Achaemenian period
- The Kassites, the Mitanni, and the rise of Assyria
  - The Kassites in Babylonia
  - The Hurrian and Mitanni kingdoms
  - The rise of Assyria
- Assyria and Babylonia at the end of the 2nd millennium
  - Babylonia under the 2nd dynasty of Isin
  - Assyria between 1200 and 1000 bce
- Assyria and Babylonia from c. 1000 to c. 750 bce
  - Assyria and Babylonia until Ashurnasirpal II
  - Shalmaneser III and Shamshi-Adad V of Assyria
  - Adad-nirari III and his successors
- The Neo-Assyrian Empire (746–609)
  - Tiglath-pileser III and Shalmaneser V
  - Sargon II (721–705) and Marduk-apal-iddina of Babylonia
  - Sennacherib
  - Esarhaddon
  - Ashurbanipal (668–627) and Shamash-shum-ukin (668–648)
  - Decline of the Assyrian empire
- The Neo-Babylonian Empire
  - Nebuchadrezzar II
  - The last kings of Babylonia
- Mesopotamia under the Persians
Mesopotamia from c. 320 bce to c. 620 ce
- The Seleucid period
- The Parthian period
- The Sasanian period

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Sites associated with ancient Mesopotamian history

Learn about the culture of Mesopotamia in the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

relief of a spirit holding a poppy flower

Mesopotamia in the Seleucid and Parthian periods

For Students

Mesopotamia summary

Read Next

Are the Middle East and the Near East the Same Thing?

Discover

Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson

Vietnam War Timeline

solar eclipse, sun, moon, astronomy, space

How Do You Tell the Difference Between Total, Annular, Solar, and Lunar Eclipses?

VAN, TURKEY - OCTOBER 25: A building and car ruined during the earthquake of Van-Ercis on October 25, 2011 in Van, Turkey. It is 604 killed and 4152 injured in Van-Ercis Earthquake.

What Is an Aftershock?

Person paying with a credit card using a credit card terminal. Cashless payment, credit card reader

What Is a Cashless Society and How Does It Work?

In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.

6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters

African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.

The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950

For no other period of Assyrian history is there an abundance of sources comparable to those available for the interval from roughly 745 to 640. Aside from the large number of royal inscriptions, about 2,400 letters, most of them more or less fragmentary, have been published. Usually the senders and recipients of these letters are the king and high government officials. Among them are reports from royal agents about foreign affairs and letters about cultic matters. Treaties, oracles, queries to the sun god about political matters, and prayers of or for kings contain a great deal of additional information. Last ...(100 of 42142 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.