Sykes' History of Persia - Heritage Institute

86 HISTORY OF PERSIA chap.
by Nineveh. Situated on the only route Babylonia
connecting
with the west, Assyria, in the course of its
development, naturally conquered the neighbouring states ;
and it is
interesting
to note how it was that Assur rose
to such a splendid height as to
subjugate
the mother-
country and to make the neighbouring
states her humble
tributaries.
Unlike Babylonia, which was based on a feudal,
ecclesiastical system, Assyria drew her strength from a
free agricultural class ; and this system led to the formation
of the most formidable army known in the Near
East. Indeed, Assyria rested entirely on her army ; and
when the free-born cultivators of the soil were exhausted,
steps were taken to employ mercenaries, who fought well
for Assyria as long as pay and booty were forthcoming,
but deserted her in the hour of need.
The Old Empire.— Owing to the document termed the
" Synchronous History," on which important past events
in Assyria and Babylonia were tabulated by the official
scribes of Assurbanipal, it is possible to follow the history
of Assyria from the fifteenth century without difficulty.
The first event recorded is a compact between Karaindash,
a monarch of the Kassite dynasty, and Assur-rimnishishu
of Assur. A generation or so later there is a letter which
a King of Assyria sent to Amenophis IV. of Egypt. In
this the Assyrian refers to letters that his grandfather had
written to Amenophis III., a fact of considerable interest.
About 1300 B.C. Adad-Nirari I. overthrew the kingdom
of Mitani to the north-west and obtained possession of
Mesopotamia. His son Shalmaneser I., about la^yo B.C.,
continued his father's conquests, and during his reign the
second capital, Kalkhi, was founded between the Tigris
and the tipper or Greater Zab. At this period Mitanj
was finally subdued ; and Babylonia, the
great
state to the'
south, which at that time was harassed by Elam, was
conquered by Tukulti-Ninib in or about 1275 b.c. Th(
Babylonians, however, in the end drove out the invaders
and as the result of internal troubles Assyria lost her empir^
and reverted to her original position of subordination t(
Babylonia.