Assyrians, Hittites and Babylonians

The Assyrians and Hittites were two of the most warlike peoples of the ancient world. The Assyrians eventually conquered the Hittites and founded an empire that lasted from about 1000 to 612 BC. Babylon first grew powerful under the rule of King Hammurabi (c.1792-1750 BC). He extended Babylon’s frontiers to include Sumer and Akkad, and rebuilt the city of Babylon, making it his capital.

The Hittites, who are mentioned several times in the Bible, lived in what is now Turkey. By 1500 BC they were a strong power in the Middle East. Their capital was the city of Hattusas, or Bogazkoy, where archaeologists have found cuneiform writings. The Hittites were feared for their military skill. They were the first people to use horse-drawn chariots, which carried soldiers at high speed into battle. Hittite armies conquered Babylon, Mesopotamia and parts of Syria. One of the most famous battles of ancient times was fought at Kadesh, north of Palestine, in about 1285 BC between the Hittites and the ancient Egyptians.

After about 1190 BC, Hittite power was weakened. In 717 BC their eastern city of Carchemish was captured by the Assyrian king Sargon II. The Hittites then became part of the new Assyrian empire.

The Assyrian came from what is now Iraq. They were ruled by soldier-kings, who led huge, well-trained, well-equipped armies. The Assyrians were ruthless against enemy cities. They demanded yearly tributes from conquered peoples; anyone who defied them risked torture and death.

The last great ruler of Assyria, Ashurbanipal, made Nineveh his capital and collected a huge library there. Soon after his death in 627 BC the Assyrian empire ended. It had become too large and ungovernable, and fell to the invading Medes and Babylonians. Hammurabi, the Babylonian king, was a just and diplomatic ruler. He is famous for his code of law, the oldest surviving in the world. After his death, Babylon was invaded by the Hittites, Kassites, Chaldeans and Assyrians. The Assyrian king Sennacherib destroyed the city in 689 BC. But Babylon regained its former glory during the 6^th century BC under King Nebuchadnezzar II. The king conquered a huge empire and made the city perhaps the grandest in the ancient world.