Assyrian History Class #1: The Origins of Assyria and Building Wealth in Assur

The Assyrian History Class: Taught by Robert DeKelaita How did Assyria start and when and where? What was its relation to the rest of Mesopotamia? In this first class, we discuss how the Assyrian nation began and where according to textual and archeological records. We explore the identity of the early Assyrians, their religious beliefs, and their geographic settings and discuss the difference between the Assyrian state and its heartland and the Assyrian empire. We will also look into the setting of the rest of Mesopotamia to understand who the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Amorites, Arameans, and Chaldeans, and other peoples were. In addition, we will also explore how Assyrians excelled in business and commerce, and how the economic structures they built contributed to the nature of the Assyrian state and empire in the coming centuries. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:03 - The relevance of Assyrian history, and historical terminology 00:12:25- The people of