• Tells the history of Assyria from city state to empire, from the early 2nd millennium BC to the end of the 7th century BC
• Develops a nuanced picture of Assyrian culture and society by using a mosaic of case studies
• Provides insights into the lives of various inhabitants of the kingdom of Assyria
• Introduces the reader to the primary sources to demonstrate the ways they can be used to make an ancient unfamiliar civilization come alive
• Examines Assyria's role as a pathfinder for subsequent empires

 
Assyria was one of the most influential kingdoms of the Ancient Near East. In this Very Short Introduction, Karen Radner sketches the history of Assyria from city state to empire, from the early 2nd millennium BC to the end of the 7th century BC. Since the archaeological rediscovery of Assyria in the mid-19th century, its cities have been excavated extensively in Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Israel, with further sites in Iran, Lebanon, and Jordan providing important information. The Assyrian Empire was one of the most geographically vast, socially diverse, multicultural, and multi-ethnic states of the early first millennium BC.Using archaeological records, Radner provides insights into the lives of the inhabitants of the kingdom, highlighting the diversity of human experiences in the Assyrian Empire.
 
 
REVIEWS:
  
"Introductory, readable, no footnotes. Excellent for the general reader seeking a starting point." - Ancient East & West
    
"The ideas and the analyses are combined in a highly readable way, making this "pocket-sized" book a perfect source for the non-professional reader who is interested in one subject or another and wants to become familiar quickly with a certain subject." - Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology, Horatiu Cocis