The ancient Assyrians ruled the largest empire history had ever seen at that time. From 1307 to 612 B.C, the Assyrian Empire grew to control the entire Mesopotamia region, from today’s Mediterranean Sea to Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula (BetBasoo). The Assyrian military was able to accomplish this mainly with the use of advanced iron weaponry. Once the Assyrians discovered and utilized iron for their military, all other weapons were rendered obsolete, putting them decades ahead of opposing armies (Brant). This led to centuries of the Assyrians striking fear into the hearts of their enemies. As King Ashurnasirpal of ancient Assyria put it, "I cut off their heads; I burned them with fire; a pile of living men and of heads over against the city …show more content…
After the discovery of iron as a much stronger metal, Assyrian engineers immediately began to work on new designs for weaponry (ushistory.org). As a result, the iron sword and spear was developed. The iron sword was used by the Assyrian infantry and easily cut through the armor of the enemy, usually made out of bronze (Hays). An iron-tipped spear was also frequently used by the infantry. A sharp iron spearhead placed on a strong piece of wood made for a weapon that was both light and dealt heavy damage (Bertman 225). Bronze armor were incredibly weak when compared to these weapons. “When used in arrowheads, spear points, and swords, no bronze shields could offer effective resistance.”(Brant). The armor of opposing armies did not stand a chance against the iron weapons of the …show more content…
Arguably the most important asset to the Assyrian military was its chariots (Healy 20). Iron-plated chariots pulled by horses were nearly impervious to enemy attacks. Also, the Assyrians were the first civilization to cover their wheels with iron tires, allowing chariots to go where others could not. Most chariots were pulled by two horses and ridden by two soldiers. One rider would hold the reins, while another carried an iron spear, sword, or a bow and arrow, along with a shield (Hays). This combination led to complete decimation of the opposing army. “The ruthless, formidable and well organized Assyrians were perhaps the greatest charioteers of the ancient world.” (Hays). A team of chariots was very deadly and was feared by all rivals of the Assyrians. “The psychological and physical impact of such heavy machines bearing down upon and crashing into a line of enemy troops was beyond dispute.” (Healy 20). The chariots are proof of the creativity employed by the Assyrians to defeat their