I just came across the website and found the article about Assyrians pretty amusing thats why I thought to share it with you guys
Warriors: The Assyrians also lived in the land between two rivers. Their home was in northern Mesopotamia towards the mountains. They were famous traders. Their donkeys and caravans were known throughout the Mesopotamian area. Their religion was similar to that of Sumer and Babylon. They worshiped many of the same gods. But they had their own language and their own lifestyle.
The Assyrians were always at war with somebody. Their warriors were fierce, and soon conquered many other people. They tried to conquer the southern regions of Mesopotamia, with an eye especially on controlling Babylonia, but their revolts were put down. They were much more successful attacking and conquering the people to the east and west.
Assyrian artists were very talented. We know a great deal about life in ancient Assyria because of the wonderful legacy of art discovered by archaeologists. Talented artisans used art to tell stories of battles and war heroes with scenes painted on ceramics. There are scenes of warrior camps, men striding in armor, and war chariots, and baked bread. Bread must have been very important to these ancient people.
Religion: Not everyone lived in war camps. The Assyrians also built towns. In each town, they built huge buildings. Each building was decorated with huge demons to protect the building and the town from evil influences.
Archaeologists have discovered artifacts that suggest the ancient Assyrians believed in an afterlife. The ancient Assyrians buried their dead with a few of their favorite possessions, like weapons, drinking cups, and other small personal items. The poor would dig a hole somewhere and bury their dead at home. The rich would build a room just for the burial. In both cases, an oil lamp was kept burning near or at the gravesite, perhaps to light the way between worlds, or perhaps in honor of the deceased.
The Assyrians Conquer Babylon! Around 1200 BCE, the Assyrians finally conquered Babylon. Babylon was the greatest city of the age. Rather than take over the city for their own use, the Assyrians leveled it. They hated the Babylonians. Before they destroyed the town, they forced all the people to move to various places in Assyria. That's what the Assyrians always did when they conquered a new people. They moved them around, different people in different places, so the conquered people would find it difficult to revolt.
After they leveled the city, the Assyrians began to worry. What if Marduk, the great god, thought they were attacking him? They worried and worried, and finally decided to rebuilt the city, so that Marduk would not punish them for destroying a city built in his honor.
They really had no use for the city. They rebuilt Babylon, but left it an empty city. Eventually, people found the empty city and moved in. Babylon rose again.
The Library at Nineveh: Around 600 BCE, before the people of ancient Mesopotamia were conquered by the great Persian Empire, the last Assyrian king started a project. He began collecting a library of clay tablets of all the literature of Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria. No one knows how many tablets he actually collected, but when this library was discovered in modern times, over 30,000 tablets still remained in the great library at Nineveh, his capital city.
These tablets are our single most important source of knowledge about ancient Mesopotamia. The tablets include the Story of Gilgamesh, Hammurabi's Code, and many other important documents and stories created by these amazing people - the ancient Mesopotamians.
Warriors: The Assyrians also lived in the land between two rivers. Their home was in northern Mesopotamia towards the mountains. They were famous traders. Their donkeys and caravans were known throughout the Mesopotamian area. Their religion was similar to that of Sumer and Babylon. They worshiped many of the same gods. But they had their own language and their own lifestyle.
The Assyrians were always at war with somebody. Their warriors were fierce, and soon conquered many other people. They tried to conquer the southern regions of Mesopotamia, with an eye especially on controlling Babylonia, but their revolts were put down. They were much more successful attacking and conquering the people to the east and west.
Assyrian artists were very talented. We know a great deal about life in ancient Assyria because of the wonderful legacy of art discovered by archaeologists. Talented artisans used art to tell stories of battles and war heroes with scenes painted on ceramics. There are scenes of warrior camps, men striding in armor, and war chariots, and baked bread. Bread must have been very important to these ancient people.
Religion: Not everyone lived in war camps. The Assyrians also built towns. In each town, they built huge buildings. Each building was decorated with huge demons to protect the building and the town from evil influences.
Archaeologists have discovered artifacts that suggest the ancient Assyrians believed in an afterlife. The ancient Assyrians buried their dead with a few of their favorite possessions, like weapons, drinking cups, and other small personal items. The poor would dig a hole somewhere and bury their dead at home. The rich would build a room just for the burial. In both cases, an oil lamp was kept burning near or at the gravesite, perhaps to light the way between worlds, or perhaps in honor of the deceased.
The Assyrians Conquer Babylon! Around 1200 BCE, the Assyrians finally conquered Babylon. Babylon was the greatest city of the age. Rather than take over the city for their own use, the Assyrians leveled it. They hated the Babylonians. Before they destroyed the town, they forced all the people to move to various places in Assyria. That's what the Assyrians always did when they conquered a new people. They moved them around, different people in different places, so the conquered people would find it difficult to revolt.
After they leveled the city, the Assyrians began to worry. What if Marduk, the great god, thought they were attacking him? They worried and worried, and finally decided to rebuilt the city, so that Marduk would not punish them for destroying a city built in his honor.
They really had no use for the city. They rebuilt Babylon, but left it an empty city. Eventually, people found the empty city and moved in. Babylon rose again.
The Library at Nineveh: Around 600 BCE, before the people of ancient Mesopotamia were conquered by the great Persian Empire, the last Assyrian king started a project. He began collecting a library of clay tablets of all the literature of Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria. No one knows how many tablets he actually collected, but when this library was discovered in modern times, over 30,000 tablets still remained in the great library at Nineveh, his capital city.
These tablets are our single most important source of knowledge about ancient Mesopotamia. The tablets include the Story of Gilgamesh, Hammurabi's Code, and many other important documents and stories created by these amazing people - the ancient Mesopotamians.