Assyrian Art

Assyria was a geographic region on the Upper Tigris river, named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assure. During the Old Assyrian period (20th to 15th c. BC), Assur controlled much of Upper Mesopotamia. In the Middle Assyrian period (15th to 10th c. BC), its influence waned and was subsequently regained in a series of conquests. The Neo-Assyrian Empire of the Early Iron Age (911 – 612 BC) expanded further, and under Ashurbanipal (r. 668 – 627 BC) for a few decades controlled all of the Fertile Crescent, including Egypt, before succumbing to Neo-Babylonian and Persian expansion.