How Assyrians Laid the Blueprint for Future Empires

Welcome to Empire 101: A masterclass from Assyria

The lamassu, or the winged bull-man, is one of the monumental symbols of the Assyrian empire. Image source: Wikimedia Commons.

What comes to mind when you think of an empire? Is it the Roman Empire, with its impressive road network? Or, you could be reminded of the Mongol Empire, which stretched from Beijing in the east to Hungary in the west.

What about the British Empire, which was powered by a vast railroad system?

These empires pushed the boundaries of human progress while wreaking havoc on their enemies.

But what was the secret to their success? Was it effective management? Superior military technology? Perhaps they helped several people at the expense of others.

Simply said, empire-building is a paradox.

How could a small band of uneducated nomads, the Mongols, overrun huge settled civilizations like Russia, China, and Persia? How did traders from the small British Isles subdue one-quarter of the world’s population?

To answer these questions, we must travel back in time and visit an an…