Why Ashur became a Military state and how they were successful

               I just wanted to talk about what Assyrians did before they became a military might. Also how they expanded their empire through military genius. Ashur was in northern Iraq and had very fertile land, being that the Tigis river ran though Ashur. Near 1000 B.C. Assyrians where tired of yielding to foreign kings. Assyrians where farming people but always had farming equipment in one hand and a sword in the other. 

          Assyrians where masters of farming. Utilizing the floods of the Tigris gave the Assyrians very fertile land and a great water supply. The Tigris flood where unpredictable however, so the Assyrians adapted by using water canals to control the flow of water. like the ancient show offs of their time. I find it amazing how they controlled the power of the river through canals to feed their crop because for a group of people to find out how to that on their own was wonderful.
               The king of Assyria was chosen by Divine powers and was told to by the god Ashur the god of all gods to wage war to "depopulate and repopulate as he wished." Soon Assyria began to expand its boarders. However, as prof. Hunt mentioned the Assyrians lost most of what they gained during autumn when the soldiers returned to their farms. This was due to a lack of armies during rebellions. It was like an endless cycle that got the Assyrians nowhere. I have always wonder why the Assyrians gave up the ground they gained but then I realized that they have to take care of their families and raise their crop.

     















               In 745 B.C Tiglath-Pileser III changed how the Assyrians functioned. Pileser created the first standing army of Assyria. This army consisted of a Calvary (man on horse), Artillery unit (Archers slingshot spears-man) and basic infantry (foot-soldiers). All these men and their equipment the had a home called the Armory. I found this leaders determination very inspiring and could tell that Pileser was determined.
            The armories stored military materials and housed the full time soldiers. With the use of armories and road systems that where very elaborate and the main reason Assyrians found success. The Assyrians where were equipped with iron helmets and bronze chest plates and probably the most important they had leather boots which where very durable.At its peak the Assyrian empire reached from the Persian gulf to the Mediterranean sea. They took down the Babylonian empire and enslaved the tribes of Israel. All these accomplishments make me realize just how advanced the Assyrians were for their times.



      The thing I find so fascinating about the Assyrians is how they specialized every one of their solders.The taller men would be archers and spears men. Being tall help with being an archer because they where significantly more accurate and had more height which would allow them to shoot farther. The shorter men were shield holders which provided cover for the archers. Each warrior was categorized which gave the Assyrians a better advantage. This genius is very fascinating because they had a way to make every man count that much more. The Assyrians fight style was also very strategic and amazing because they would fire down arrows at the hundreds of thousands until the enemy was tired and then they would send in the cavalry and finally the foot solders to "clean up." In my book I look at the Assyrians as the best warriors that rose and fell in the ancient world.