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Assyrians Protective Gear

Schoolcraft College

Majdi Hatem
History 134
Professor Kimberly Lark
2-21-2016

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Assyrians had the strongest empire in its time and arguably in history as well. They basically
took over all of the Middle East and parts of Egypt. So what was there edge? What did they do to
be so dominating in their era? Well there are many reasons why the Assyrians where so
successful in expanding there empire. The main reason was there military strength. They had the
most ruthless soldiers that where merciless in battle. But knowing that we all breathe the same
air and have the same flesh why is it that their soldiers were far more superior. There are many
variables to take into account when you talk about war. There are environmental advantages
along with strategy, training, equipment and etc. But it is clear when we talk about the
importance in battle it is clear that tools and arms are on the top of that list for more reasons than
one.
According to the ancient history encyclopedia Assyrians started there empire in the city of Ashur.
The Merchants that went to Anatolia to trade became increasingly wealthy. As the Merchants
became increasingly wealthy it had a direct influenced the growth of Ashur According to the
Ancient History Encyclopedia. That wealth ultimately leads to the expansion of iron and Iron
became the backbone of the army and became the edge that the military brought compared to the
other armies.
The importance of protection is vital in a militarys strength for more reasons than one. First of
you have to take in account the time period, back then infection was common and any flesh
wound could ultimately lead to death, so providing the protection to combat injury was essential.
According to the YouTube video The Assyrians Masters of War every solider was given a
conical iron helmet, sturdy breast plate interlocked with bronze, and long leather boots. There
where special exceptions on what else was given to the solider depending on their role. Archers
where given cover shields 4 feet high hammered out of leather faced with bronze or plated with

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wickerwork. The tallest warriors were made to weld iron tipped spears with shields. But If you
were a general you would be given full body armor and decorative helmet In order to stand out in
the army.
Chariots were also a big part of the Assyrians army. According to Ducksters.com a chariot is a
wheeled vehicle that was pulled by two to four horses. Typically there were two riders a driver
and a soldier armed with a spear and a bow and arrow. Sometimes a third man was added to
protect the rear. There was also a protective shield added to the front of the chariot. These
chariots where used for strategic purposes to open up enemy lines in order for other military men
to go in. At one point these Chariots and use of horses where so valuable to the Assyrians that
strict orders were given not to kill enemy horses in order to obtain them for future battles.
Assyrians had many ways of getting the edge on their opponents. The most interesting out of all
the forms of protection is that the Warrior Kings where expect to join the battle as well
According to the Ducksters.com. There is no way to truly tell if the Assyrian warriors were
scared of injury scared of battle or scared to die, and there is no way to be able to tell if any
emotion took place inside an Assyrian warriors head during battle. But there is no doubting that
going into battle with your leader is a morale booster to help you fight and that could be seen as
the ultimate protection knowing that you are fighting among your kin and have a true cause to
battle. But these kings would have special protection in order to avoid causality. But there is one
case when a king died in battle and that was Sargon II.
The engineers and strategist also played a huge role in the protection of the Assyrian Warriors.
When assigning a role to a warrior they took all considerations of their attribute to find what best
fits their criteria. For example if you were tall they would assign you to use a spear in order to

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take full advantage of that warriors reach along with a dagger for close combat. Archers would
stand back and would provide protection to the warriors. The engineering of shields was of great
importance as well. The Assyrians liked to add extra features to their shields. But they were
cautious of how they made the shield according to the bible archaeology of ancient shields the
Assyrians tried many different types of shield trying to find the perfect mixture of weight and
protection. If they went to big they would be able to cover more area and be better protected with
the expense of mobility. If they went so small they would give up protection in place for
mobility. But what the Assyrian engineers did was place different shields for different roles. If
you had less protection they would assign you a large shield for example archers. If the warrior
had more protection in the form of body armor they would assign a smaller shield to increase
mobility. All of these thing where taken into account when Assyrian engineers where designing
there perfect warrior
All of these factors played an important role on how the Assyrian empire had their success and
ultimately became as strong as a militarized empire. But it is important to remember who played
the most important part in expanding the empire which was the Merchants. With out there wealth
the Assyrians would have never been able to mass produce the amount of iron that they did.
Being that Iron was the backbone of this empire that would have effected almost every aspect of
their protection and this is why the Assyrians where so feared.

Bibliography
MARK, JOSHUA J. "Assyria ." Anicent history Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.

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Crabben, Jan van der. "History of Assyria." Anicent history Encyclopedia. N.p., 18 Jan. 2012.
Web. 21 Feb. 2016.
The Assyrians Masters of War. 2012. Youtube. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.
"Ancient Mesopotamia Assyrian Army." Ducksters. Google, 18 Jan. 2012. Web. 21 Feb. 2016