ASSYRIA, an ancient Semitic king dom of Asia, the native name of which was Ashur or Asshur, and thus also called by the Hebrews. It was inter sected by the middle course of the Tigris with its two affluents, the Upper Zab and the Lower Zab, and had the Arme nian Mountains on the N. and Babylonia on the S. The Assyrian conquests during the 8th and 7th centuries B. C. enlarged its boundaries, and at one time it in cluded Babylonia, parts of Elam, Pales tine, Egypt, parts of Arabia and Asia Minor. The chief cities of Assyria in the days of its prosperity were Ashur, the most ancient, then Nineveh, the site of which is marked by mounds opposite Mosul (Nebi Yunus and Koyunjik), Calah or Kalakh (the modern Nimrud), Dur-Sargina (Khorsabad), and Arbela (Arbil). Lower down the Tigris ex hibits a line of ruins from Telkrit to Bagdad. The country, probably some time before the 16th century B. c., be came independent. At the end of the 14th century its king, Shalmaneser, is said to have founded the city of Calah; his son Tiglath-ninip conquered the whole of the valley of the Euphrates. The following 5ve reigns were chiefly occupied by wars with the Babylonians. About 1120, a date fixed by Sennacherib, 705-681 B. C., Tiglath-pileser I., one of the greatest of the sovereigns of the first Assyrian monarchy, ascended the throne, and carried his conquests to the Mediter ranean on the one side and to the Caspian and the Persian Gulf on the other. At his death ensued a period of decline, which lasted over 150 years. Under Assur nasir-pal, who reigned from 884 to 859 B. c., Assyria once more advanced to the Omri, and Jehu of Israel, from whom he exacted tribute, as also from the kings of Tyre and Sidon. The old dynasty came to an end in the person of As surnirari II., who was driven from the throne by a usurper, Tiglath-pileser III., in 745, after a struggle of some years. He was the first Assyrian king mentioned by the Hebrews, identical with Pul. No sooner was this able ruler firmly seated position of the leading power in the world, his kingdom being greater in ex tent than that of Tiglath-pileser.
History.—In 859 Assur-nasir-pal was succeeded by his son Shalmaneser II. (859 824), who was the first Assyrian king to have relations with Israel, and whose annals are found inscribed on the famous Black Obelisk in the British Museum, and on the bulls and slabs from his palace at Calah. His career of conquest was equally successful. He reduced Babylon to a state of vassalage, and came into hostile contact with Benhadad and Hazael of Damascus, and with Ahab, son of on the throne than he made an expedition into Babylonia, followed by another to the east in 744. A year later he defeated the confederate princes of Armenia, Syria, etc., and, advancing against Syria, overthrew the ancient kingdoms of Da mascus and Hamath, and in 733 he placed his vassal Hosea on the throne of Samaria. Having reduced the west to
submission the Assyrian King now at tacked Chaldea, and, after a severe war, commencing in 731 B. c., he defeated and slew Ukin-ziru, the Kinziros of the Canon of Ptolemy, and was proclaimed King of Sumir and Akkad, in 729 B. c. Tiglath pileser carried the Assyrian arms from Lake Van on the N. to the Persian Gulf on the S., and from the confines of Susiana on the E. to the Nile on the W. He was, however, driven from his throne by Shalmaneser IV. (727), who blockaded Tyre for five years, invaded Israel, and besieged Samaria, but died before the city was reduced.
Conquests under Sargon.—His suc cessor, Sargon (722-705), a usurper, claimed descent from the ancient Assyrian kings. After taking Samaria and leading over 27,000 people captive, he overthrew the combined forces of soldiers in the new palace, in 705 B. G. Sennacher-ib at once had to take up arms against Merodach-baladan, who had again obtained possession of Babylon. In 701 fresh outbreaks in Syria led him in that direction. He captured Sidon and Askelon, defeated Hezekiah and his Egyptian and Ethiopian allies, and forced him to pay tribute, after which he re turned to Assyria to overawe the Baby lonians, Elamites, and the northern hill tribes. On Dee. 20, 681, he was murdered by his two sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, but they were defeated by their brother Esar-haddon, who then mounted Elam (Susiana) and Babylon. He de feated the King of Hamath, who, with other princes, had revolted, took him prisoner, and flayed him alive; advanced through Philistia, and captured Ashdod; then, pushing southward, totally defeated the forces of Egypt P,n4 laza, at Raphia (719). The revolted Armenians had al so more than once to be put down. In 710 Merodach-baladan was driven out of Babylonia by Sargon, after holding it for 12 years as an independent king, and being supported by the Kings of Egypt and Palestine; his allies were also crushed, Judah was overrun, and Ashdod leveled to the ground. Sargon afterward crossed over and took Cyprus, where he left an inscription telling of his expedi tion. He spent the latter years of his reign in building, in the midst of which he was murdered during a revolt of the the throne. Esar-haddon took the title King of Sumer and Akhad. The most important event of this reign was the conquest of Egypt, about 670. It was reduced to a state of vassalage, the Ethiopian ruler, Tirhakah, was driven out and the land was divided into 20 separate kingdoms, the rulers of which were the vassals of Esar-haddon. He associated the eldest of his four sons, Asshur-banipal, with him in the govern ment of the kingdom (669), and, one year later, this prince (the Sardanapalus of the Greeks) became king.