Why were the Assyrians such formidable conquerors

First of all, to describe the ancient Assyrians simply as “formidable conquerors” would be a huge understatement. The Assyrians were the fiercest, most warlike people ever. In fact, the bloodiest pages of history is Assyrian history. Whole towns and villages were known to commit suicide rather than face the wrath of the Assyrians. Their kings hunted lions when they were not at war. Their generals wore ropes around their necks and from them hung the severed heads of conquered kings and princes. They massacred anyone who resisted them and enslaved their enemies. They ceremoniously tortured defeated kings as the Assyrian royal family gazed proudly.

There are numerous reasons why the Assyrians were “such formidable conquerors”. First and foremost, the Assyrians lived in the most dangerous region in the world at the time. Assyria, present-day modern Iraq, has no natural boundaries such as oceans, seas, or mountains. It was exposed to marauding nomadic tribes from all sides. Assyria and Babylonia made up the “Cradle of Civilization”. While the rest of the world was inhabited by nomads consuming the resources of lands and then moving to new areas, Assyria and Babylonia had sophisticated cities, bountiful crops and farms, and the most highly advanced culture/civilization in the ancient world. This made Assyria the most sought after land to invade and plunder. The frequency of invasions, raids and wars resulted in the development of the Assyrians into a ruthless warrior race that routinely attacked others in order to protect themselves and prevent further incursions by hostile neighbors.
In the Biblical context, the Bible names, in the book of Genesis, the progenitor of the Assyrians as a man named Ashur or Asshur. It seems to imply that he and Nimrod created the main cities of Babylonia and Assyria. Nimrod is also described as a “mighty warrior” and the leader of the ancients before they dispersed throughout the world. The dispersion was a result of God confounding them by creating multiple languages for their foolish attempt to reach Heaven by creating the Tower of Babel. Nimrod and Ashur’s warlike and prideful mindsets seem to have a powerful impact on the Assyrian culture and religion. Ashur was later deified by his descendants as both their chief god and war god. The Assyrians would wage war in his name with a banner with his symbol or insignia on it. The Assyrians became an arrogant and extremely fierce people. Isaiah 10:5 describes Assyria as the “instrument”, or “weapon” of God’s indignation. God used the Assyrians as His arm or weapon and chastised His chosen people, the Hebrews, whenever they backslid, by sending the Assyrians to attack and eventually destroy ancient Israel, (720 B.C.). In the book of Isaiah as well as Nahum, the Bible clearly indicates that the Assyrian kings credited themselves as the source of their military success instead of recognizing that the one true God was the behind their exaltation.

Finally, technology and intelligence was another key reason for the Assyrians’ rise to power in the ancient world. Early on in history the Assyrians learned the art of making iron from the Hittites. The Assyrians began using iron in their arsenal. They developed the very first iron swords, daggers, helmets, lances, and battering rams that were equipped with iron rods and parts. Assyrian technology was the most cutting edge. Also the Assyrians were obsessed with war so technological breakthroughs were frequent. The Assyrians had created some of the most advanced mathematical equations and applied their wisdom to the battlefield.

Assyria was conquered around 612 B.C. They were attacked by Chaldeans, Medes, and Scythians during a civil war. They became subjects of the Chaldeans, Persians, Greeks and Romans, respectively. They were the first people to collectively convert to Christianity. They brought Christianity to Asia. From Iraq to China, they converted 80 million souls. Then they suffered massacres and genocides by Mongols, Arabs, Turks, Kurds and Persians. They have suffered a great deal for being Christians in the mostly Muslim Middle-East. Today there are about 3 to 5 million Assyrians scattered throughout the world. I am one of them.

-Youbert D.