Timeline of Assyria

5000 B.C.

  • site of Nineveh inhabited (c. 5000 B.C.)
  • first temple of Ashur is built (c. 4750 B.C.)

3000 B.C.

  • cities of Ashur, Nineveh, and Arbel flourishing (c. 2500 B.C.)

2000 B.C.

  • Shamshi-Adad I rules the city of Ashur in Assyria (c. 1813-1781 B.C.)
  • Hammurabi of Babylon conquers Ashur ending the first Assyrian empire (c. 1760 B.C.)
  • Assyria subject to Mitanni rule (c. 1500 B.C.)
  • Ashur-Uballit revolts against Mitanni rule and founds the Assyrian Empire (1363 B.C.)
  • Shalmaneser of Assyria conquers the Mitanni (1273 B.C.)
  • Assyrian scribes first mention Urartu (c. 1260 B.C.)
  • Assyrians sack Babylon (c. 1240 B.C.)
  • Assyria resists incursions by the Mushki and Urartu (c. 1200 B.C.)
  • Assyria and Elam attack Babylonia ending Kassite rule (c. 1155 B.C.)
  • reign of Tiglath-Pileser I of Assyria (1114-1076 B.C.)

1000 B.C.

  • Urartu overruns much of Assyria (c. 1000 B.C.)
  • Assyria reclaims lands lost to the Urartian invasion (934-859 B.C.)

900 B.C.

  • Urartu adopts the Assyrian cuneiform script (c. 900 B.C.)
  • Ashurnasirpal II moves the Assyrian capital to Calah (c. 880 B.C.)
  • Shalmeneser III of Assyria defeats the first known king of Urartu, Aramu (856 B.C.)

800 B.C.

  • Assyrian incursions of Phoenicia begin (774 B.C.)
  • Tiglath-Pileser III rebuilds the decaying Assyrian empire (745 B.C.)
  • Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria defeats Urartu and re-asserts Assyrian control over northern Syria (743 B.C.)
  • Assyria invades Phoenicia (738 B.C.)
  • Assyrians begin incursions into Urartu (735 B.C.)
  • Tyre falls to Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria (734 B.C.)
  • Sargon II reorganizes the Assyrian empire into 70 provinces (c. 722 B.C.)
  • Samaria, the capital of Israel, captured by Sargon II of Assyria (721 B.C.)
  • Sargon II of Assyria deports 28,000 Israelites who become the "Ten Lost Tribes of Israel" (721 B.C.)
  • Humban-Nikash of Elam defeats Sargon II of Assyria> at the Battle of Der (721 B.C.)
  • Sargon II of Assyria defeats a Urartian army under Rusa I (714 B.C.)
  • Phrygia becomes a tributary to Assyria (709 B.C.)
  • Sargon II moves the Assyrian capital to Dur Sharrukin (c. 705 B.C.)
  • Assyria attacks Jerusalem (701 B.C.)
  • Assyrians invade and conquer most of Phoenicia (701 B.C.)

700 B.C.

  • Sennacherib moves the Assyrian capital to Nineveh (c. 700 B.C.)
  • Assyrians destroy Babylon (689 B.C.)
  • Assyrian rule in Egypt (671-651 B.C.)
  • Kushites driven from Egypt by the Assyrians (654 B.C.)
  • Elam becomes an Assyrian vassal (653 B.C.)
  • Babylonians rebel against their Assyrian rulers (652-648 B.C.)
  • Ashurbanipal of Assyria sacks Susa bringing Elamite power to an end (646 B.C.)
  • A revolt occurs within the Assyrian court following the death of Ashurbanipal (627 B.C.)
  • Medes capture Ashur (614 B.C.)
  • Medes ally with Babylonia to conquer Assyria (612 B.C.)
  • Ashur-Uballit II, the last Assyrian king, retreats and is defeated at Harran (609 B.C.)