Assyrian Empire
Steven Noe
Ancient Assyria
Prof. Thrope
February 25 2013
The Assyrians were a sematic tribes in the area of Mesopotamia (present day Iraq) that lived between the late 25th century and 605 B.C. Due to the extensive period of their existence, they passed through many kings. They are also considered an extremely brutal race of warriors who conquered much of the near east which affected their trading and allies over the many centuries of their existence. The majority of this essay will be focused on the hierarchy, government and trade of the Assyrian kingdom from 950 B.C to 609 B.C.
The social structure of Assyria was similar to most of the structures of the nations that existed at the time. The classes were ranked as follows: Kings, scribes, merchants, artisans, poets and musicians, farmers and slaves. Kings were expects to protect the nations citizens from invaders by maintaining a powerful military. He was also in charge of setting all the laws for the kingdom. Scribes were second to the king because they were the scholars of the time. “They were responsible for writing documents, books and maintaining the judicial, historical and business records in the kingdom.” Merchants were in charge of acquiring materials that could not be provided by the Assyrian Kingdom. They bartered with neighboring countries in order to provide supplies that were not attainable via Assyria’s natural resources. The Assyrian culture knew how to appreciate fine materials such as clothing and pottery; this is why they held their artisans in high esteem. Next in the rankings were the poets and musicians because of their talent to entertain by using their harps, lutes, lyres and other instruments. The farmers are second to last in the rankings mainly because of their financial situation was usually only better than the slaves. Nonetheless, their work was as important as any; the empire could not survive on empty stomachs the military would not have been able to dominate without food
Ancient Assyria
Prof. Thrope
February 25 2013
The Assyrians were a sematic tribes in the area of Mesopotamia (present day Iraq) that lived between the late 25th century and 605 B.C. Due to the extensive period of their existence, they passed through many kings. They are also considered an extremely brutal race of warriors who conquered much of the near east which affected their trading and allies over the many centuries of their existence. The majority of this essay will be focused on the hierarchy, government and trade of the Assyrian kingdom from 950 B.C to 609 B.C.
The social structure of Assyria was similar to most of the structures of the nations that existed at the time. The classes were ranked as follows: Kings, scribes, merchants, artisans, poets and musicians, farmers and slaves. Kings were expects to protect the nations citizens from invaders by maintaining a powerful military. He was also in charge of setting all the laws for the kingdom. Scribes were second to the king because they were the scholars of the time. “They were responsible for writing documents, books and maintaining the judicial, historical and business records in the kingdom.” Merchants were in charge of acquiring materials that could not be provided by the Assyrian Kingdom. They bartered with neighboring countries in order to provide supplies that were not attainable via Assyria’s natural resources. The Assyrian culture knew how to appreciate fine materials such as clothing and pottery; this is why they held their artisans in high esteem. Next in the rankings were the poets and musicians because of their talent to entertain by using their harps, lutes, lyres and other instruments. The farmers are second to last in the rankings mainly because of their financial situation was usually only better than the slaves. Nonetheless, their work was as important as any; the empire could not survive on empty stomachs the military would not have been able to dominate without food
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