Assyria by Eckart Frahm

Assyria

The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire

Eckart Frahm

Basic Books · Print & ebook · October 1, 2024

A “sweeping, delightfully readable” (Wall Street Journal) new history of Assyria, the ancient civilization that set the model for future empires At its height in 660 BCE, the kingdom of Assyria stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.

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Who it’s for
A brisk, readable account that makes an ancient empire feel unexpectedly close.
Genres
Ancient History, Middle Eastern History, Iraq History
Published
Basic Books, October 1, 2024

About this book

A “sweeping, delightfully readable” (Wall Street Journal) new history of Assyria, the ancient civilization that set the model for future empires 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. In Assyria, historian Eckart Frahm tells the epic story of the Assyrian empire and its formative role in global history.

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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 civilization essential to understanding the ancient world and our own.

Why This Clicks

A brisk, readable account that makes an ancient empire feel unexpectedly close.

Come here for

  • cultural literacy with teeth
  • accessible, layered history

Expect

  • clear explanation over pageantry
  • easy to pick up in chunks

Where it sits

Middle Eastern History64%
Ancient History41%
Iraq History29%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Ancient History
  • Arabian Peninsula History
  • Iranian History
  • Iraq History
Show all 5 publisher categories
  • Archaeology
Authors
Eckart Frahm
Publisher
Basic Books
Published
October 1, 2024
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Ancient History