Bible Location

Assyria

Also known as: Assyria (Mesopotamian Semitic state)

Assyria was one of the great civilizations and imperial powers of the ancient Near East. Its homeland lay principally along the upper Tigris River in northern Mesopotamia, in territory now largely within northern Iraq. The kingdom took its name from its early capital and religious center, Assur.

Assyria became especially important in biblical history during the first millennium BC, when its armies expanded westward into Syria and the lands of Israel and Judah. The Neo-Assyrian Empire eventually dominated much of the Near East.

Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and deported many of its inhabitants. It later invaded Judah under Sennacherib, although Jerusalem itself was not captured.

Biblical Significance

Assyria appears repeatedly in the Old Testament as the great imperial power that transformed the political world of Israel and Judah. During the eighth century BC, kings including Tiglath-pileser III, Shalmaneser V, Sargon II, and Sennacherib extended Assyrian control into the Levant.

Second Kings 15 records Assyrian intervention in Israel during the reign of Menahem and later describes Tiglath-pileser's conquest of northern territories. Samaria ultimately fell to Assyria, bringing the northern kingdom of Israel to an end.

Assyria also threatened Judah. Second Kings 18-19 and Isaiah 36-37 describe Sennacherib's invasion during the reign of Hezekiah and the deliverance of Jerusalem. Biblical prophets therefore portray Assyria both as an instrument of divine judgment and as a proud empire itself subject to God's judgment.

Historical Background

Assyria developed from the region surrounding the city of Assur in northern Mesopotamia. Its political importance rose and fell over many centuries before reaching extraordinary power during the Neo-Assyrian period.

Beginning especially in the ninth century BC, Assyrian kings constructed an increasingly centralized empire supported by professional armies, provincial administration, tribute, and the large-scale deportation of conquered populations. Royal capitals included Kalhu, Dur-Sharrukin, and finally Nineveh.

The empire reached its greatest extent during the seventh century BC but collapsed rapidly near the century's end. A coalition including Babylonian and Median forces captured major Assyrian cities, and Nineveh fell in 612 BC.

Modern Identification

The Assyrian heartland is securely located in northern Mesopotamia, principally in modern northern Iraq along and around the Tigris River. Major Assyrian archaeological sites include Assur, Nimrud, Khorsabad, and Nineveh.

At the empire's height, however, Assyrian rule extended far beyond this homeland into parts of modern Syria, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. Consequently, maps of "Assyria" should distinguish the original Assyrian homeland from the much larger territories controlled by the empire at different periods.

Scripture References

Genesis 2:14 2 Kings 15:19 2 Chronicles 28:21

Related Resources

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Sources

Bible: Genesis 2:14, 2 Kings 15-19, 2 Chronicles 28:21, Isaiah 7-10, Isaiah 36-37, Nahum; Encyclopedia of the Bible: Assyria; UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Ashur; Assyrian royal inscriptions and modern histories of the Neo-Assyrian Empire