List of Assyrian kings

The king of Assyria (Akkadian: Iššiʾak Aššur, later šar māt Aššur) was the ruler of the ancient Mesopotamian kingdom of Assyria. This kingdom began in the late 21st century BC and ended in 609 BC. For much of its early time, Assyria was just a small city-state centered on the city Assur. But from the 14th century BC, under strong kings, Assyria grew to become one of the biggest powers in the Ancient Near East. In its last few centuries, it was the largest empire the world had ever seen.

The ancient Assyrians did not think their king was a god. Instead, they saw him as the main representative of their god Ashur on Earth. They believed that Assyria brought order, while places not ruled by the Assyrian king were chaotic and uncivilized. It was the king’s job to expand Assyria’s borders and bring civilization to other lands. As Assyria grew, its kings used bigger and more proud titles. Early kings called themselves Iššiʾak Aššur (representative of Ashur), but later kings used the title šar (king). They even added titles like "king of Sumer and Akkad", "king of the Universe", and "king of the Four Corners of the World" to show their control over all of Mesopotamia.

Today, we know about the Assyrian kings from a list made by the Assyrians themselves, called the Assyrian King List. Though some parts may be made up, this list matches well with lists from the Hittite, Babylonian, and ancient Egyptian peoples, as well as what we find from archaeological record. The last Assyrian king, Ashur-uballit II, was defeated in 609 BC by the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Median Empire. After that, Assyria was no longer an independent country. However, the Assyrian people survived the fall of their empire and kept their traditions, even though they later became Christian. Sometimes, Assyrian cities like Assur had a lot of freedom under later rulers, especially during the times of the Achaemenid and Parthian empires.

Introduction

The king of Assyria was the ruler of the ancient kingdom of Assyria, located in Mesopotamia. This kingdom began around the late 21st century BC and ended in 609 BC. At first, Assyria was a small city-state around the city of Assur. But from the 14th century BC, Assyria grew strong under many warrior kings. It became one of the big powers in the Ancient Near East. At its peak, it was the largest empire in the world at that time. The ancient Assyrians did not think their king was a god, but they believed he was the main representative of their most important god, Ashur, on Earth.