This article is about the specific polity Assyrian Empire and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
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Was a major ancient Mesopotamian Empire. The Assyrian heartland was northern Mesopotamia, but at times it was the dominant power in the ancient Near East. The Assyrians ruled the largest empire then yet assembled in world history, spanning from parts of modern-day Iran in the east to Egypt in the west.
Establishment
January 2049 BC: The Third Dynasty of Ur ruled Assyria until about 2050 BC, when it became independent.
January 2049 BC: Erbil was part of Assyria from around 2050 BC.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Military campaigns of Assyrian king Puzur-Ashur I.
January 2024 BC: From approximately 2025 BC, Assyria was again an independent kingdom, ruled by a king named Puzur-Ashur I.
Assyrian ruler Shamshi-Adad I conquers the town of Shekna.
January 1807 BC: Shamshi-Adad I (1813-1781 BC) of Assyria saw the great potential in the rich agricultural production of the newly conquered city of Shekna. He made the ciuty the capital of his empire and conquered the surrounding regions.
Assyrian ruler Shamshi-Adad I conquered the Kingdom of Mari.
January 1794 BC: King Yahdun-Lim of Mari was assassinated by his own servants. The heir to the throne of Mari, Zimri-Lim, was forced to flee to Yamhad. Assyrian King Shamshi-Adad I seized the opportunity and occupied Mari. He placed his sons (Ishme-Dagan I and Yasmah-Adad) in key geographical locations and gave them responsibility to look over those areas. Shamshi-Adad I put his eldest son (Ishme-Dagan I) on the throne of Ekallatum, while Shamshi-Adad I remained in Šubat-Enlil. Shamshi-Adad I put his second son, Yasmah-Adad, on the throne in Mari. With the annexation of Mari, Shamshi-Adad I had carved out a large empire encompassing much of Syria, Anatolia, and the whole of Upper Mesopotamia. Shamshi-Adad I proclaimed himself as "King of All".
Military campaign of King Dadusha of Eshnunna.
January 1780 BC: King Dadusha of Eshnunna made an alliance with Shamshi-Adad I to conquer the area between the two Zab rivers c. 1781 BC. This military campaign of joint forces was commemorated on a victory stele.
Military campaigns of Assyrian king Shamshi-Adad I.
January 1779 BC: In 1780 BC the Kingdom of Assyria, led by Shamshi-Adad I, turned on Eshnunna and conquered the cities of Nerebtum and Shaduppum.
January 1753 BC: Assyrian conquest of Ekallatum and Shubat-Enlil.
January 1740 BC: Assyrian conquest of Mari.
January 1726 BC: The Assyrian Empire re-emerged around 1727 BC.
January 1720 BC: Expansion of the Assyran Empire by c. 1721 BC.
After the death of Assyrian ruler Shamshi-Adad I, the Kingdom of Mari seceded.
January 1774 BC: After the death of Assyrian King Shamshi-Adad I, his Yasmah-Adad was expelled from Mari by Zimri-Lim.
Assyria was conquered and vassalized by the Kingdom of Mitanni.
January 1449 BC: From 1450 Assyria vassal state of Mittani.
Military campaignss of Assyrian king Eriba-Adad I
January 1391 BC: Eriba-Adad I broke Mitanni influence over Assyria.
Military Campaigns of Assyrian King Arik-den-ili.
January 1318 BC: Assyrian king Arik-den-ili’s first victories submtted the chiefs of the Zagros mountains.
Military campaigns of Hittite king Muršili II.
January 1294 BC: Having inherited a position of strength in the east, Hittite King Mursili was able to turn his attention to the west, where he attacked Arzawa and a city known as Millawanda (Miletus), which was under the control of Ahhiyawa.
Military Campaigns of Assyrian King Adad-Nirari I against Mitanni.
January 1273 BC: Hanilgalbat (a region in Syria located between the Euphrates and Khabur rivers) was conquered by the Assyrians under Adad-nirari I.
Military campaigns of Assyrian king Shalmaneser I.
January 1271 BC: The Assyrian king Shalmaneser I expanded his kingdom up to the head of the Euphrates in Anatolia as the Hittite power in the region declined.
January 1262 BC: The Assyrians expanded further, and conquered the royal city of Taidu, and took Washukanni, Amasakku, Kahat, Shuru, Nabula, Hurra and Shuduhu as well. They also conquered Irridu.
January 1243 BC: What remained of the kingdom of Mitanni came under Assyrian control .
January 1243 BC: During his reign Assyrian king Salmanassar I conquered the region of Urartu that encompassed most of Eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus Mountains.
Assyrian King Tukulti-Ninurta I conquered Babylon but the occupation was short-lived.
13.1.Assyrian conquest of Babylonia
Military Campaign of Assyrian King Tukulti-Ninurta I against Babylon.
January 1224 BC: Tukulti-Ninurta I again defeated Kashtiliash IV, the Kassite king of Babylon, capturing his kingdom.
13.2.Independance of Babylon
The Kingdom of Babylon rebelled against Assyria and Babylon became independent again with King Meli-Shipak II.
January 1206 BC: Ashurnasirpal rebelled against his father, king Tukulti-Ninurta I, who was eventually assassinated. Thic caused a new period of decline for the Assyrian Empire: Babylon became independent again.
Military campaigns of Assyrian King Tiglath-Pileser I.
14.1.Assyrian Campaign against Mushku
Military Campaign of Assyrian King Tiglath-Pileser I against Mushku.
January 1111 BC: During a military campaign against the Mushku in 1112 BC, Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser I overran Commagene and eastern Cappadocia, and drove the Hittites from the Assyrian province of Subartu, northeast of Malatia.
14.2.Assyrian Conquest of Malatia
Military Campaign of Assyrian King Tiglath-Pileser I against Malatia.
January 1110 BC: In a military campaign ca.1111 BC, Assyrian forces penetrated into the mountains south of Lake Van and then turned westward to receive the submission of Malatia.
14.3.Campaigns of Tiglath-Pileser I in Syria
Military Campaigns of Assyrian King Tiglath-Pileser I in Syria.
January 1076 BC: The Assyrian Empire campaigned against the Arameans 28 times during the reign of Tiglath-Pileser I from 1115 to 1077 BC. The control of the high road to the Mediterranean was secured by the possession of the Hittite town of Pitru at the junction between the Euphrates and Sajur. Tiglath-Pileser I also conquered Gubal (Byblos), Sidon, and finally Arvad.
Conquest of Elam, in western Persia, by the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
January 910 BC: Elam conquered by Assyrian Empire.
Military Campaigns of Assyrian King Adad-nirari II.
January 910 BC: Assyrian ruler Adad-nirari II annexed a large area of land north of the Diyala River and the towns of Hīt and Zanqu in mid Mesopotamia in the same year. He made further gains over Babylonia under Nabu-shuma-ukin I later in his reign. He also campaigned to the west, subjugating the Aramean cities of Kadmuhand Nisibin. Along with vast amounts of treasure collected, he also secured the Kabur river region.
January 899 BC: Shugab became a tributary of the powerful Assyrian Empire in the 9th century BC.
January 899 BC: Surug became a tributary of the Assyrian Empire in the ninth century BC.
January 899 BC: Mambu was a small city-state which had an Assyrian governor but the Aramaic population was autonomous. It is not mentioned after the ninth century BC.
January 899 BC: In 901 BC and 900 BC King Nur Hadad opposed Adadnirari II(912-891 BC) but ended up paying tribute.
January 899 BC: Immerinu in the 9th century BC was a tributary of Assyria .
January 897 BC: Assyrian ruler Adadnirari II conquered Raqamatu in 898 BC.
January 894 BC: After 900 BC, perhaps around 895 BC, Laqi paid tribute to Adadnirari II of Assyria .
January 894 BC: After 900 BC, perhaps around 895 BC, under Adadnirari II of Assyria, the king claimed victory over the Akhlamu in Suhi.
January 894 BC: After 900 BC, perhaps towards 895 BC, Khindanu was subject to tax for Adadnirari II of Assyria .
January 890 BC: Izalla was subject to tribute by Assyrian king Adadnirari II.
January 890 BC: Assyrian king Adadnirari II subjugated the areas to the north of Assyria previously under only nominal Assyrian vassalage, conquering and deporting Aramean and Hurrian.
January 890 BC: Adad-nirari II twice attacked and defeated Shamash-mudammiq of Babylonia, annexing a large area of land north of the Diyala river and the towns of Hit and Zanqu in mid Mesopotamia.
Military Campaigns of Assyrian King Tukulti-Ninurta II.
January 889 BC: Tukultī-Ninurta was the son and successor of King Adad-nirari II. He conquered some small Aramaic states near Harran, the middle Euphrates Valley and the area between Great Zab and Little Zab when he advanced against Nairi. Tukultī-Ninurta also waged campaigns against the ʾItū and took rich booty, but failed to subdue them definitively.
Military campaigns of Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II.
January 882 BC: Suru was among the cities that in 883 BC took part in the unsuccessful rebellion against the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II.
January 877 BC: Sirqu was conquered by the Assyrian Empire
January 876 BC: In 877 BC the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II left Kalah the June 11 and returned to the area of the Khabur to continue repressing the Syrians maintained that seems instigated by the resistance Bit Adini.
January 875 BC: In 876 BC, the Assyrian Empire conquered the Aramaeans and Neo-Hittites in the region between the Khabur and Euphrates Rivers.
January 869 BC: Khazazu (modern-day Azaz) was invaded by Assyria around 870 BC.
Military campaigns of Assyrian king Shalmaneser III.
January 855 BC: In 856 BC, Shalmaneser III (858-824 BC), son and successor of Ashurnasirpal II, during one of his military expeditions, took over Bit-Zamani and annexed the territory of this state to one of the Assyrian provinces.
January 854 BC: In 856-5 BC, the kingdom of Bit-Adini was conquered and absorbed into the Assyrian Empire.
January 848 BC: Shalmaneser took the neo Hittite state of Carchemish in 849 BC.
January 823 BC: Babylon was occupied, and Babylonia reduced to vassalage by the Assyrian Empire.
Was a period of political instability that followed the death of Pharaoh Ramesses XI and coincided with the Late Bronze Age collapse.
20.1.Egyptian War with Assyria of Pharaoh Osorkon II
Was a war of Ancient Egypt against Assyria for the domain of the Levant.
January 852 BC: Egypt failed in a further expansionist attempt in the Near East. Pharaoh Osorkon II, flanked by numerous allies such as Persia, Israel, Hama, Phenicia, Canaanite, the Arabs, the Arameans and the Neo-Hittites, fought in the battle of Qarqar against the powerful Assyrian king Salmanassar III (853 BC). The coalition was defeated and the Assyrian Empire continued to dominate the Levant.
February 852 BC: Egypt failed in a further expansionist attempt in the Near East. Pharaoh Osorkon II, flanked by numerous allies such as Persia, Israel, Hama, Phenicia, Canaanite, the Arabs, the Arameans and the Neo-Hittites, fought in the battle of Qarqar against the powerful Assyrian king Salmanassar III (853 BC). The coalition was defeated and the Assyrian Empire continued to dominate the Levant.
20.2.Piye´s First Campaign in Syria
Was a military campaign of ancient Kushite King and Egyptian Pharaoh Piye in Syria. .
January 719 BC: In 720 BC Egyptian pharaoh Piye sent the army in support of a rebellion, in Philistia and Gaza, against Assyria.
February 719 BC: The Egyptian army was defeated by Assyrian king Sargon II and had to leave the territories occupied in Philistia.
20.3.Piye´s Second Campaign in Syria
Was a military campaign of ancient Kushite King and Egyptian Pharaoh Piye in Syria. .
January 710 BC: In 711 BC Egyptian pharaoh Piye invaded again Philistia and Gaza.
February 710 BC: The Egyptian army is again defeated by the Assyrians and leaves Philistia.
20.4.Taharqa´s Campaign in Syria
Was a military campaign of ancient Kushite King and Egyptian Pharaoh Taharqa in Syria. .
January 699 BC: From the 10th century BC onwards, Egypt's remaining Semitic allies in Canaan and southern Aramea had fallen to the Mesopotamian based Assyrian Empire, and by 700 BC Egypt invaded Canaan.
February 699 BC: Assyrian king Sennacherib drove the Egyptians from the entire region of Canaan back into Egypt.
20.5.Assyrian conquest of Egypt
Were a series of Assyrian military campaigns that led to the conquest of Egypt.
20.5.1.Esarhaddon's first invasion
Was the first unsuccesful military campaign of Assyrian King Esarhaddon in Eygpt that resulted in the conquest of most of Egyptian Kingdom.
January 673 BC: In 674 BC. King Esarhaddon attempted to invade Egypt but was repulsed by Pharaoh Taharqa. The attempt was repeated in 671 BC with greater commitment, the Assyrian occupied Memphis and Thebes and Taharqa, severely defeated, was driven back to his Nubia.
February 673 BC: In 674 BC. King Esarhaddon attempted to invade Egypt but was repulsed by Pharaoh Taharqa. The attempt was repeated in 671 BC with greater commitment, the Assyrian occupied Memphis and Thebes and Taharqa, severely defeated, was driven back to his Nubia.
20.5.2.Esarhaddon's second invasion
Was a military campaign of Assyrian King Esarhaddon in Egypt that resulted in the conquest of the northern part of the Egyptian Kingdom.
January 670 BC: In -671 BC, King Esarhaddon of the Assyrian Empire launched a second conquest attempt in Egypt. This time, he successfully occupied key cities like Memphis and Thebes, forcing Taharqa, the ruler of Egypt, to retreat to Nubia after a severe defeat.
20.5.3.Kush conquers Egypt Back
The Egyptian Pharaoh Taharqa, that had been ousted by the Assyrians but still controlled Kush, invaded Egypt as far north as Memphis.
January 668 BC: The Assyrians only stationed their own troops in the north, and the native Egyptian puppet rulers installed by the Assyrians were unable to retain total control of the south of country for long. Two years later (669 BC), Taharqa returned from Nubia and seized control Egypt from the native vassal rulers as far north as Memphis.
20.5.4.Ashurbanipal's first invasion
Was a military campaign of Assyrian King Ashurbanipal that conquered southern Egypt (the northern part of the Kingdom was already under Assyrian control).
January 667 BC: Esarhaddon set about returning to Egypt to once more eject Taharqa from the south; however, he fell ill and died in the northern Assyrian city of Harran before departing. His successor Ashurbanipal sent a general with a small, well-trained army corps which easily defeated and ejected Taharqa from Egypt once and for all.
20.5.5.Ashurbanipal's second invasion
Was the second military campaign of Assyrian King Ashurbanipal in Egypt to reconquer the region after an invasion by the Kingdom of Kush.
June 662 BC: The Assyrians led by Ashurbanipal returned to Egypt in force. Together with Psamtik I's army, which comprised Carian mercenaries, they fought a pitched battle in north Memphis, close to the temple of Isis, between the Serapeum and Abusir. Tantamani was defeated and fled to Upper Egypt.
20.6.Independance of Egypt from Assyria
While the Neo-Assyrian Empire was busy with revolts and civil war over control of the throne, Egypt seceeded from the empire.
January 652 BC: The removal of the Assyrian garrisons in Egypt occurred in 653 BC.
Military campaigns of Mariote king Zim-ri-Lim.
January 742 BC: In 743 BC, during the Urartu-Assyria War, the Neo-Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III laid siege to Arpad following the defeat of the Urartian army of Sarduri II at Samsat. But the city of Arpad did not surrender easily. It took Tiglath-Pileser three years of siege to conquer Arpad, whereupon he massacred its inhabitants and destroyed the city. Afterward Arpad served a provincial capital.
January 739 BC: Gurgum became an assyrian vassal after 740 BC.
January 739 BC: Quwê became an assyrian vassal after 740 BC.
January 739 BC: In 740 BC Arpad surrendered to the Assyrians. Assyrian troops crossed Kummukhi and the king of Gurgum, Tarkhularas, Dadilu of Kask (probably Kaska / Katak) and that of Meliddu, Samulal, paid tribute.
January 739 BC: Pattin became an assyrian vassal after 740 BC.
January 739 BC: The Kingdom of Sam´al became an assyrian vassal after 740 BC.
January 739 BC: The Kingdom of Urartu became an assyrian vassal after 740 BC.
January 737 BC: Pattin was an ancient Luwian Syro-Hittite state at the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. It was known to the Assyrians as Unqi and Aramaeans as Unqu. It was disestablished in 738 BC.
January 737 BC: Ušḫitti of Tunna was tributary to the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III in 738 and 732 BC.
January 737 BC: In 738 BC, during the reign of king Menahem of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser III occupied Philistia (modern-day southwestern Israel and the Gaza Strip) and invaded Israel.
January 737 BC: In 740 BC Arpad surrendered to the Assyrians. Assyrian troops crossed Kummukhi and the king of Gurgum, Tarkhularas, Dadilu of Kask (probably Kaska / Katak) and that of Meliddu, Samulal, paid tribute.
January 736 BC: Hamath was finally incorporated into Assyria as a province by Tiglath-Pileser III in 737 BC.
January 731 BC: Aram-Damascus (Assyria) was annexed by the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
January 726 BC: Warpalawa is mentioned in Assyrian texts, under the name Urballa, but first in a list of tributees of Assyrian king Tiglath Pileser III.
Military campaigns of Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III.
22.1.Syro-Ephraimite War
Was a war between the Neo-Assyrian Empire and its tributary states Aram-Damascus and Israel that decided to break away from the empire.
January 731 BC: Tiglath-Pileser III had the formerly independent states of Damascus and the northern part of Israel incorporated as provinces of his empire.
Military campaigns of Assyrian king Sargon II.
January 719 BC: The Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire in 720 BC under the reign of King Sargon II. This marked the end of Israel's independence and led to the exile of many Israelites.
January 719 BC: Styling himself the "Destroyer of Hamath," Sargon II razed the city of Hamath c. 720 BC, recolonized it with 6,300 Assyrians, and removed its king to be flayed alive in Assyria.
January 713 BC: The ruler of Bit-Itstar during reign of Sargon II was Burburazu who brought his tributes to Sargon during his campaign to the region in 714 BC.
January 713 BC: Campaign of Sargon II of Assyria in Urartu that resulted in the conquest of the Northern Euphrates valley.
January 712 BC: Hilakku was a Neo-Hittite state ruled by King Hartapu. It was located in southern Anatolia and was eventually conquered by the Assyrian Empire in 713 BC, leading to the disestablishment of the kingdom.
January 712 BC: Tabal, a Luwian speaking Neo-Hittite kingdom in South Central Anatolia, was conquered by the Assyrian Empire in -713 BC. This marked the end of Tabal's existence as an independent kingdom during the Iron Age.
January 710 BC: In 711 BC, Tarhulara was assassinated by his son Muwatalli III, who then seized the throne of Gurgum. The Assyrian king Sargon II responded by deposing Muwatalli III and deporting him to Assyria. Gurgum was annexed to the Assyrian empire and renamed Marqas after the name of the capital city.
January 708 BC: Around 709 BC Assyrian king Sargon II conquered the kingdoms of the Land of la' (Cyprus).
January 707 BC: In 708 BC, Sargon II accused Muttallu of allying himself with Urartu and sent his army into Kummuh. According to the annals, Muttallu escaped but the royal family and the population was deported to Babylonia, and settlers from Bit-Yakin (in Babylonia) were brought to Kummuh. Thereafter the region became a province of Assyria.
Was a conflict between the Kingdom of Urartu and the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
January 713 BC: In 714 BC, King Sargon II led an offensive into Urartian territory. He won especially at the Battle of Lake Urmia.
January 705 BC: After Sargon's death in 706 BC, King Rusa's successor, Argishti II, launched a major counterattack, with his forces driving the Assyrians back across the pre-war border.
Military campaigns of Assyrian king Esarheddon.
January 672 BC: Esarhaddon raided Egypt in 673 BC. Two years later he launched a full invasion and conquered Egypt, chasing the Pharaoh Taharqa back to Nubia.
January 669 BC: Assyria defeated Urartu, annexed much of its territory and reduced it to vassalage.
January 669 BC: The Assyrian Empire expanded southwards as far as Dilmun (Bahrain) and into Arabia.
Was a war between the Neo-Assyrian Empire and the Median Kingdom, an Assyrian vassal that started a military campaign of expansion under King Pharaortes.
26.1.Conquest of Parthia and Persia
Median King Pharaortes subjugated the Persians and Parthians while still a vassal of the Assyrian kings Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal, and began to conquer other nations of Ancient Iran.
January 659 BC: Pharaortes subjugated the Persians and Parthians while still a vassal of the Assyrian kings Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal, and began to conquer other nations of Ancient Iran.
26.2.Defeat of Media
Median King Pharaortes started a war with Assyria but was defeated and killed by Ashurbanipal, the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
January 652 BC: Phraortes started wars against Assyria, but was defeated and killed by Ashurbanipal, the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. According to Herodotus, Phraortes died in the attack on Assyria, losing the decisive battle against the Scythians, who were allied with the Ayysrians. After this defeat, Medien is said to have fallen under Scythian rule for 28 years.
Military campaigns of Assyrian king Ashurbanipal.
January 652 BC: Tempti-Khumma-In-Shushinak (664-653 BC) attacked Assyria, but was defeated and killed by Ashurbanipal following the battle of the Ulaï in 653 BC and Susa itself was sacked and occupied by the Assyrians.
January 645 BC: Assyrian king Ashurbanipal conquered Susa, the capital of Elam.
January 639 BC: The last Elamite king, Khumma-Khaldash III, was captured in 640 BC by Ashurbanipal, who annexed and destroyed the country.
Was the revolt of general Nabopolassar against the Neo-Assyrian Empire that led to the secession of Babylon from the empire.
January 625 BC: In 626 BC, Babylonian ruler Nabopolassar assaulted and successfully seized the cities of Babylon and Nippur.
Military campaign of Median king Cyaxares.
January 624 BC: Cyaxares II, the king of the Median Empire, ended the Scythian rule in Western and Eastern Iran in -625. This marked the restoration of Median control over the territory, consolidating their power in the region.
January 613 BC: In the year 614 B.C. the Medes smashed the kingdom of Assyria in an alliance with Babylonia and destroyed the city of Assur, 612 B.C. the ancient Assyrian capital of Nineveh also fell.
29.1.Medo-Babylonian conquest of the Assyrian Empire
Was a war fought between Media and Babylon against the Neo-Assyrian Empire that led to the fall of the latter.
January 622 BC: Nabopolassar was the king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, and Der was a city located in Mesopotamia. The joining of Der to Nabopolassar's rule was part of his efforts to expand his empire and strengthen his control over the region.
January 619 BC: Both Uruk and Nippur, the cities who had shifted the most between Assyrian and Babylonian control were firmly in Babylonian hands by 620 BC and Nabopolassar had consolidated his rule over all of Babylonia.
December 615 BC: In October or November 615 BC, the Medes, led by King Cyaxares, invaded Assyria and conquered the region around the city of Arrapha. This marked a significant victory for the Median Empire in their expansion efforts in the region.
January 614 BC: In the year 614 BC the Median Empire defeated Sinsharishkun at the Battle of Tarbisu.
January 611 BC: The combined Medo-Babylonian army marched on Nineveh. From June to August of that year, they besieged the Assyrian capital and in August the walls were breached, leading to another lengthy and brutal sack during which Sinsharishkun is assumed to have died.
January 608 BC: Fall of Harran to the Neo-Babylonian Empire.
29.1.1.Fall of Assur
The Fall of Assur occurred when the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire fell to Median led forces.
January 613 BC: The Fall of Assur in -614 marked the end of the Neo-Assyrian Empire as the city was conquered by the Median Empire led by King Cyaxares. Assur was a significant city in the Assyrian Empire, serving as its first capital and a major cultural and religious center.
29.1.2.Necho´s first campaign in syria
Was a military campaign by Egyptian Pharaoh Necho II that invaded the Levant to help the Assyrian in their war against Media and Babylon.
June 609 BC: Egyptian Pharaoh Necho led a sizable force to help the Assyrians. He soon captured Kadesh on the Orontes and moved forward, joining forces with Assyrian ruler Ashur-uballit and together they crossed the Euphrates and laid siege to Harran. Although Necho became the first pharaoh to cross the Euphrates since Thutmose III, he failed to capture Harran, and retreated back to northern Syria.
January 608 BC: Egyptian Pharaoh Necho led a sizable force to help the Assyrians. He soon captured Kadesh on the Orontes and moved forward, joining forces with Assyrian ruler Ashur-uballit and together they crossed the Euphrates and laid siege to Harran. Although Necho became the first pharaoh to cross the Euphrates since Thutmose III, he failed to capture Harran, and retreated back to northern Syria.
January 2046 BC: The military campaigns of Shulgi (King of the Third Dynasty of Ur or Neo-Sumerian Empire) resulted in victories in the region of Upper Tigris and Western Zagros (Arbeles, Simurrum, Lullubum, Kimash, etc.), and Elam (Anshan).
January 1999 BC: The city of Kurda was the center Amorite Numha tribe. It controlled a small area and included the nearby city of Kasapa.
January 1875 BC: Erishum I expanded Assyrian colonies in Asia Minor during his long reign. It was during his reign that karums (trade posts) were established along trade routes into Anatolia in the lower city of Kanesh, Amkuwa, Hattusa, and additional locations yet to be identified.
January 1814 BC: From 1830-1815 BC, King Naramsin expanded Eshnunna's territory to Babylon, Ekallatum, and Ashur.
January 1776 BC: In 1777 BC Yarim-Lim of Yamhad advanced to the east conquering Tuttul.
January 1775 BC: The cities of Nerebtum and Shaduppum were retaken by Eshnunna in 1776 BC following Assyrian King Shamshi-Adad's death.
January 1775 BC: After the death of Assyrian King Shamsh-Adad, Apum became an independent kingdom.
January 1751 BC: Territorial acquisitions of Yamhad until 1752 BC.
January 1735 BC: The three Amorite kings succeeding Ishme-Dagan I of Assyria were vassals and dependent on the Babylonians during the reign of Hammurabi.
January 1680 BC: The successors of Assyrian King Shamshi-Adad I eventually lost most of his domain. Assyria was reduced to the cities of Assur and Ekallatum.
January 1329 BC: Assyria under Ashur-uballit I attacked Mitanni. Its vassal state of Nuzi east of the Tigris was conquered and destroyed.
January 1321 BC: Assyrian King Adad-nirari I annexed north east Syria from the control of the Hittites.
January 1299 BC: Shupria was a Hurrian kingdom, known from Assyrian sources from the 13th century BC onward, in what is the Armenian Highlands, to the south-west of Lake Van, bordering Urartu. The capital was Ubbumu.
January 1274 BC: Assyrian king Shalmaneser I moved into north eastern Asia Minor conquering Shupria.
January 1274 BC: Assyrian ruler Adad-nirari I continued expansion to the northwest, mainly at the expense of the Hittites and Hurrians, conquering Carchemish before the end of his reign.
January 1234 BC: Assyrian king Tukulti-Ninurta I invaded Babylon, deposed its king Kashtiliash IV, and annexed the kingdom, ruling there for eight years from 1235 BC to 1227 BC.
January 1226 BC: The Assyrian occupation of Babylon ended after eight years ca. 1227 BC.
January 1199 BC: Bit-Istar was an Assyrian town and a kingdom from c. 12th century BC.
January 1199 BC: Bit Bahiani was an independent Aramean city-state kingdom from c. 1200 BC.
January 1199 BC: Diauehi was a tribal union of possibly proto-Armenian, Hurrian or proto-Kartvelian groups, located in northeastern Anatolia, that was formed in the 12th century BC in the post-Hittite period.
January 1199 BC: According to Assyrian sources, Nairi was a confederation of tribes in the Armenian Highlands, roughly corresponding to the modern Van and Hakkâri provinces of modern Turkey.
January 1165 BC: Assyria invaded and annexed former Hittite-controlled lands in Asia Minor, Aram, Gutians and Kassite regions in the Zagros.
January 1154 BC: The Elamites under king Shutruk-Nahhunte, after sacking Babylon, entered into a protracted war with Assyria. They briefly took the Assyrian city of Arrapkha.
January 1154 BC: Following the collapse of the Kassite dynasty, Dilmun reverted to an independent kingdom.
February 1154 BC: Assyrian ruler Ashur-Dan I retook Arrapkha from the Elamites.
January 1119 BC: The Aramaeans of northern and central Syria were invaded by the Assyrians who conquered a region as far as the sources of the Tigris.
January 1099 BC: Aram-Damascus was an Aramean state around Damascus in Syria from the late 12th century BC.
January 1099 BC: The Aramaic state of Sirqu was founded around 1100 BC.
January 1075 BC: At the beginning of the first quarter of the 11th century, Tiglath-Pileser I campaigned against Musri.
January 1055 BC: By the end of Eriba-Adad II's reign many areas of Syria and Phoenicia-Canaan, previously under firm Assyrian control, were eventually lost by the Assyrian Empire.
January 1029 BC: According to biblical accounts, the Davidic-Solomonic Empire, known as the United Monarchy of Israel in English-speaking countries, was a state in the eastern Mediterranean during the 10th century BC. This kingdom encompassed the territories that would later become the separate kingdoms of Judah and Israel.
January 1019 BC: Upon the death of Ashur-bel-kala in 1056 BC, Assyria went into a comparative decline for the next 100 or so years. The empire shrank significantly, and by 1020 BC Assyria appears to have controlled only areas close to Assyria itself.
January 999 BC: Shuhi was an Aramaic state on the Euphrates whose capital was the city of Anat or Hanat. The state should be established before 1000 BC.
January 999 BC: Naṣibīna, located in present-day Turkey, was an important Aramean kingdom in 1000 BC.
January 933 BC: Ashur-Dan II (Aššur-dān), son of Tiglath Pileser II, was the earliest king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. He was best known for recapturing previously held Assyrian territory and restoring Assyria to its natural borders, from Tur Abdin to the foothills beyond Arbel.
January 883 BC: Adadnirari II was succeeded by Tukulti-Ninurta II in 891 BC, who further consolidated Assyria's position and expanded northwards into Asia Minor and the Zagros Mountains during his short reign.
January 857 BC: The formation of the Urartian kingdom took place in the first half of the ninth century BC, but it is done in obscure conditions. The process seems to end during the reign of Arame of Urartu that Shalmaneser III (858-824 BC).
January 824 BC: It was Sarduri I (c. 840/32-830/25 BC), son of Litupri (no known connection to Arame), who laid the foundations for the future expansion of his kingdom despite his short reign , moving his capital to Tushpa and expanding into the surrounding region, becoming master of the Lake Van region.
January 807 BC: In 808 BC the city and its surrounding area was reduced to a province of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
January 804 BC: Ishpuini was a king of the Kingdom of Urartu, a powerful ancient kingdom in the region of Lake Urmia. He is known for submitting the area of Lake Urmia, including the village of Parsua, and for conquering the region of Musasir during his reign in -805.
January 785 BC: Urartu king Menua extended his influence to the west, dominating several Upper Euphrates kingdoms, including Alzi, and Melid (present-day Malatya).
January 785 BC: In -786, the Kingdom of Urartu, ruled by King Argishti I, expanded its territory by taking possession of the valley of the Murat Sou. This strategic move allowed Urartu to strengthen its control over the region and establish a presence in the area.
January 782 BC: Expansion fo Assyria by 783 BC.
January 782 BC: Shalmaneser IV turned to Iran, and subjugated the Persians, Medes and Manneans, penetrating as far as the Caspian Sea. His next targets were the Chaldean and Sutu tribes of southeastern Mesopotamia whom he conquered and reduced to vassalage.
January 769 BC: Beginning of the Neo-Elamite period .
January 742 BC: Well known are the expeditions of Sarduri II aimed at seizing regions located in the northeast of Syria, in the valley of the upper Euphrates, therefore right in the vassal zone of Assyria.
January 731 BC: During the reign of Sarduri II (c. 766/4-735/2 BC), Urartu continued its rise by conquering the country of Qulhi, which is believed to correspond to Colchis. This expansion further solidified Urartu's power and influence in the region.
January 714 BC: Cyaxares I was the king of the Median Empire and is considered the founder of a larger confederation in Western Iran. He resided in the capital city of Ekbatana, which was an important political and cultural center during his reign in -715.
January 702 BC: In 703 BC, Ellipi was implicated in the Babylonian rebellions of Marduk-apal-iddina II against Assyria. In 702 BC, he was strongly punished by king Sennacherib of Assyria, who took Marubishti, the capital city.
January 700 BC: Greek colony established in the VIII century BC.
January 699 BC: The year of foundation of the polity of Issos is based on peer group of similar polities in the same region (Phersu Atlas assumption).
January 699 BC: The year of foundation of the polity of Holmoi is based on peer group of similar polities in the same region (Phersu Atlas assumption).
January 699 BC: The year of foundation of the polity of Aphrodisias is based on peer group of similar polities in the same region (Phersu Atlas assumption).
January 663 BC: Ashurbanipal installed a native Egyptian Pharaoh, Psammetichus, as a vassal king in 664 BC. However, after Gyges of Lydia's appeal for Assyrian help against the Cimmerians was rejected, Lydian mercenaries were sent to Psammetichus. By 652 BC, this vassal king was able to declare outright independence from Assyria .
February 652 BC: Tempti-Khumma-In-Shushinak was the ruler of Elam who attacked Assyria but was defeated and killed by Ashurbanipal in 653 BC. As a result, Susa was sacked and occupied by the Assyrians.
February 645 BC: After devastating Susa, the Assyrian army left the Elamite capital.
January 630 BC: The petty kingdoms of Cyprus gained independence after 627 BC, following the death of Ashurbanipal, the last great Assyrian king.
January 626 BC: Quwê was conquered by the Assyrians.
January 615 BC: The Assyrian Empire began to unravel after the death of Ashurbanipal in 627 BC, descending into a series of bitter internal civil wars which also spread to Babylonia. The Iranian Medes, Parthians, Persians and Sagartians, who had been largely subject to Assyria since their arrival in the region around 1000 BC, quietly took full advantage of the anarchy in Assyria, and in 616 BC freed themselves from Assyrian rule.
January 611 BC: Cilicians could manage to protect themselves from Assyrian domination and with the dissolution of the Neo-Assyrian Empire in 612 BC, they managed to establish their fully independent kingdom.
Disestablishment
January 608 BC: Egyptian Pharaoh Necho led a sizable force to help the Assyrians. He soon captured Kadesh on the Orontes and moved forward, joining forces with Assyrian ruler Ashur-uballit and together they crossed the Euphrates and laid siege to Harran. Although Necho became the first pharaoh to cross the Euphrates since Thutmose III, he failed to capture Harran, and retreated back to northern Syria.
January 608 BC: Fall of Harran to the Neo-Babylonian Empire.
Selected Sources
Bernd Schipper, 2010, Egypt and the Kingdom of Judah under Josiah and Jehoiakim, p. 218
Hansen, M. G. / Nielsen, T. H. (2004): An inventory of archaic and classic polities, Oxford University Press, p. 1396
Trevisanato, S. I. (2007). "The 'Hittite plague', an epidemic of tularemia and the first record of biological warfare". Medical Hypotheses. 69 (6): 1371–1374. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2007.03.012. PMID 17499936.
Assyrian Empire
