Around 1200 BCE, a period of great unrest began in the Mesopotamian region. A group of invaders known to the Egyptians as the Sea Peoples defeated the Hittites in Anatolia, while the Aramaeans made incursions into Mesopotamia. The Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser I (ruled c. 1114-1076 BCE) reacted strongly to this threat, raiding and razing Aramaean villages and seizing or massacring anyone who did not flee. Nevertheless, the Aramaeans continued their onslaughts. By around 1000 BCE, they were firmly entrenched in the west and seemed poised to take over the entire Assyrian kingdom. Assyria, and indeed the whole region, was entering a dark age, perhaps caused, and certainly made worse, by drought and famine.
During the Middle Empire period, the Assyrian state had developed into a strong military power. Constant battles to protect the Assyrian borders had honed an efficient army (see box, page 108), which was greatly strengthened by the introduction of the horse-drawn chariot. The wealth of the state depended on
THE GROWTH OF THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE
Both agriculture and trade. The region was fertile, and because Assyria was less dependent on man-made irrigation channels than its neighbor, Babylonia, Assyrian farmers could produce abundant crops easily. Breeding and training horses was an important part of the economy, and Assyrian horses were famous throughout the Middle East.
Babylonian culture had an enormous influence on Assyria, particularly during the period after Tukulti-Ninurta I captured Babylon. A good deal of Babylonian literature found its way into Assyria, while many Babylonian religious rituals were adopted, including the cult of the god Marduk. The Assyrians took over the Babylonian calendar and
Assyrian soldiers are depicted defending a fortress in this relief from the eighth century BCE.
Changed their system of weights and measures to that of the Babylonians. The Babylonian influence can also be seen in Assyrian art and architecture.
Many of the tablets discovered by archaeologists have provided a comprehensive picture of the legal system that was in place in the Middle Empire. Punishments for infractions of the law were extremely severe, ranging from beatings to mutilation and death. Women had very few rights. A husband could divorce his wife at will, and if she committed adultery, he could maim her or even kill her. Women led very restricted lives and had to wear veils whenever they went out in public.
World History
