The first comprehensive account of the rise and fall of what historians consider to be the
world's very first empire: Assyria 'A work of remarkable synthesis. The range of its sources is
truly extraordinary . . . Frahm punctures a fair share of myths too' Pratinav Anil The Times
At its height in 660 BCE the kingdom of Assyria stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the
Persian Gulf. It was the first empire the world had ever seen. Here historian Eckart Frahm
tells the epic story of Assyria and its formative role in global history. Assyria's
wide-ranging conquests have long been known from the Hebrew Bible and later Greek accounts. But
nearly two centuries of research now permit a rich picture of the Assyrians and their empire
beyond the battlefield: their vast libraries and monumental sculptures their elaborate trade
and information networks and the crucial role played by royal women. Although Assyria was
crushed by rising powers in the late seventh century BCE its legacy endured from the
Babylonian and Persian empires to Rome and beyond. Assyria is a stunning and authoritative
account of a civilisation essential to understanding the ancient world and our own.
