| abstract
| - Assyrian empire was a state which was situated in the North of Mesopotamia. The legends tell that it was founded by the great hunter Nimrod, in the 3rd century B.C. Archaeological discoveries prove that its founder was in fact Asher, one of the nephews of Noah. Beginning The year 2910 marks the moment in which Ashur and Ninveh were united under the patesi Ninurga. He held control of these two cities until his death making a better union, instead of launching military campaigns of conquest. His son, Tammuz, was deified during his life and extended the state through alliances with neighbours. At the time of his death, half of North Mesopotamia was under Assyrian influence. Mitanni control The next three hundred years are dark for Assyria because it loses its independence. The next king Yakemisi, attacks the state of Mitanni, a powerful and dangerous empire and it's defeated in three major battles. The king is killed, Ashur is burned to the ground and all the nobility is sent into exile. Assyrian historians call the period, "age of darkness". Revenge of Asshur A young noble takes the name Asshur and leads a rebellion against the Mitannians. The Assyrian army defeats the enemy and win its independence. As a revenge for the punishments from the past, Asshur-Adad orders that all the Mitanni cities to be burned to the ground. A new age of conquest begins. A bold king After the conquest of the Mitannian kingdom, Asshur-Adad decided to incorporate the new possession in the Assyrian state as a simple province. He began to destroy all the monuments and culture of the conquered stating the all was dangerous for the sake of the state. After that,the decided to teach the Mitannian children that all of that were just myths created by their ancestors, to boast. In the last years of his reign, Asshur-Adad made an intensive reform beginning with the bureaucracy and ending with the army. But his death led to an uprising of the poor class, the one who endured this new changes. The state fell into anarchy and was divided in two parts. The first kingdom, Ninveh, existed until 2247 when Sargon the Great conquered it. The second state, Haran, maintained its independence through the establishment of a new religion centered in the capital. Under foreign yoke The dark night began for the Assyrian state. For hundred of years, the people suffered the yoke of the Akkadian power. Although the Akkadians were tolerant, the pride of the Assyrians didn't permit them to live peacefully under the rule of their neighbours. Three great rebellions had bloodied the plains of Mesopotamia (2245, 2132 and 1995), every one defeated. After every uprising, the conditions became harder for the Assyrians but that didn't stop them to rebel again. At the end of the last rebellion, the population was nearly halved. The Akkadians hardened their conditions and considered them like cattle and treated them per se. Religious center The kingdom of Haran had another fate. Although diminished, the leaders decided to save themselves by proclaiming the keepers of the relics of Shem. That stopped the assault of the neighbouring states and gain a regional power. When the armies of Sargon arrived near the capital, the priest-king of Haran convinced him to stop his invasion and to not conquer the kingdom. He agreed and kept Haran as an vassal state.
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