Assyria Rises to Power

City-states fear the cruelty of Invading army

Main Idea

Assyria’s military power and well-organized government helped it to build a vast empire in Mesopotamia by 650 BC.

I. Where is Assyria?

A. Assyria began in northern Mesopotamia near the Tigris River

I. Where is Assyria?

A. Assyria began in northern Mesopotamia near the Tigris River

B. Capital city:NinevehC. By 900 BCE they controlled most of

Mesopotamia

II. Assyrian Warfare

A. The Assyrian army was strong due to its organization1. Foot Soldiers – carried spears/swords

2. Archers – shot bows and arrows

3. Cavalry – men who fought from horseback and chariots

O rganized Fighting

Foot SoldiersC a rried sp ea r, sh ie ld ,

a n d da gg er

ArcherS h o t a rrow s a t e ne m y

CavalryF o ug h t o n h o rse ba ck

a n d ch ario t

A ssyrian A rmy

III. Iron Weapons

A.Assyrian Army was the first to use iron weapons

What is iron? - A soft metal good for tools

B.The Hittites, a neighboring people of Assyria made iron stronger by…Heating iron, hammering it into a shape, then

rapidly cooling in water.

Assyrian Weapons

The Siege of Lachish

Assyrian Warfare Activity

Directions: Imagine you are a Captain in the Assyrian Army. You just conquered an enemy city-state and are writing a letter home to your family telling them what happened.

1. Using pg 28-29, write a 5-6 sentence letter describing

what took place, both during the battle and after. Be as detailed as possible, and ready to share your letter with the class.

Assyria War Letter

• I would like for you to “pair-share” your work to date on your Assyria War Letter.

• Provide constructive criticism of one another’s work.

• Share ideas• Remember to always be creative

and original!

Backdrops:

- These are full sized backdrops, just scale them up!

- Can be Copy-Pasted out of Templates for use anywhere!

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