Comparing The Hebrews And The Assyrians

The Hebrews and the Assyrians were both great successors in the ancient Near East. The Hebrews, also known as the “Children of Israel”(Spielvogel 33), are known for their ancient history that was written into the Hebrew Bible. This is now recognized as a holy bible for Christians, The Old Testament. The Assyrian Empire, known for its prestigious military and extensive warfare with other realms, has a completely different reason for its notorious success in ancient Near East. Whether it be religiously or martial, both of these groups of people had lasting impacts on the world.
First of all, the Hebrew bible was written centuries ago. It illustrates the hardships and victories of the Israelites religious journeys. Although this bible is used as a guideline for Christians today, many historians are hesitate to believe that everything written is completely true. The Hebrew bible is thought to have been rewritten by several different authors over many years. This has given the idea of possible misconceptions on whether or not it is all exact.
Secondly, the social structure of the Hebrews was something new. They developed an apparent “divisions of the population.”(Spielvogel 37) The social patterns of this new system were not only based on class, nobility, and wealth. Everyone in the
society had an important role. Whether you were an officer of the King or a peasant, you all had the same rights. This is different from previous civilizations where only the high and powerful had rights. The main aspect of the social structure for the Hebrews is family. Family was the most important concept of Hebrew life.
Furthermore, the Assyrian Empire was an immense military success.
They were brimming with military soldiers and leaders.(Spielvogel 41) The Assyrians were able to take on any size military and conquer them easily. In addition to the size of the military, they also were very coordinated and trained. They developed different war strategies that would later become a large part of modern warfare. The Assyrians were not sympathetic toward their captives, they were quite brutal towards them. The Assyrian society didn’t discriminate against other people. Everyone mixed well with each other in terms of race or religion, but there was a distinct grouping between high officials and the lower
class. In conclusion, the Assyrian Empire has had the greatest effect on the modern world. They were the beginning of modern war tactics and that is what has gotten the United States to where it is today. The United States is most like the Assyrians because of the powerful military that we have. It is very organized and we have a great number of soldiers that are willing to die for their country. The people of the United States would probably like to say that we are where we are today because of our self-determination, but it is in fact because of our military involvement in foreign affairs. The United States has managed to get involved in almost any war that has taken place in the past and is determined to be successful. The United States today is closely similar to the ancient Assyrian Empire.