Illustration
This map illustrates the shifting political landscape of the Ancient Near East during the first half of the second millennium BCE, as Assyria began reasserting its independence and rising as a regional power. After centuries of foreign domination and rivalry, Assyria challenged the Mitanni kingdom with the support—or at least strategic alignment—of the Hittites, marking the decline of Mitanni influence in Upper Mesopotamia.
In the wake of Mitanni’s collapse, the Middle Assyrian Empire (circa 1365–1000 BCE) expanded its territorial control across northern Mesopotamia. Under rulers such as Ashur-uballit I (reigned circa 1365–1330 BCE) and Adad-nirari I (reigned circa 1307–1275 BCE), Assyria extended its reach westward to the Euphrates River, southward into Babylonia, and east into the Zagros foothills. This expansion laid the foundations of Assyria’s imperial identity, marked by administrative centralization, military campaigns, and increased interaction with other great powers of the Late Bronze Age world, including the Hittites, Babylonians, and Egyptians.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Netchev, S. (2022, January 20). Map of the Middle Assyrian Empire. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15147/map-of-the-middle-assyrian-empire/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Middle Assyrian Empire." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified January 20, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15147/map-of-the-middle-assyrian-empire/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Middle Assyrian Empire." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 20 Jan 2022, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15147/map-of-the-middle-assyrian-empire/. Web. 25 Jun 2025.
