Assyrian armies

Of the elements that have shaped the fates of civilizations, arguably none has been more instrumental than the martial metal, that most stable of elements iron. The Hittites of Asia Minor in the thirteenth century bc seem to have been the first culture to smelt and forge iron systematically, and this gave their armies an edge, quite literally, over their rivals. The militaristic Assyrians mastered the art around the ninth century bc, and no opponent could resist their brutal iron fist for several centuries. 

The Assyrian empire was at its peak in 718BCE and its armies threatened all nations on the eastern Mediterranean seaboard. These Assyrians were a bmtal, fearsome people who plundered everything of value. Their wall murals, some of which are in the British Museum, depict scenes of horrible savagery and torture. One shows the Assyrians... 

The fiirst army to be equipped with good iron weapons in quantity was the Assyrian. By 900 b.c. superior armament helped them to build a mighty empire for themselves. 

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