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Assyrian roads built Persia's empire
Assyria at its largest
Under Ashurbanipal, Assyria reached its largest extent. His campaigns began in Egypt, where his forces fought the Kushites and the Nubians and captured Memphis, taking control of what is now Egypt. Assyria's hold on Egypt was relatively brief, but that was when the empire was at its largest.
Succession and decline
The empire was enormous, especially considering the communication and transportation methods of the seventh century BCE. Ashurbanipal gave two of his sons, Ashur-etil-ilani and Sin-shar-ishkun, co-regency with different territories and different powers. After his death there were ongoing divisions within the empire and pressure from neighboring kingdoms and empires, and his successors progressively lost territory.
Nineveh falls
A coalition of kingdoms, including the Babylonians and the Medians, conquered Nineveh in 612 BCE. Assyria was absorbed into the Babylonian Empire, which fell to the Persians in 539 BCE. The Persians drew a lot of influence from Neo-Assyrian culture.
How did Assyrian roads work?
The Assyrian state ran a system of roads with stations where royal messengers could change animals and carry orders and reports across the empire. The Persians later built on this network. Herodotus described the Persian Royal Road running from Sardis in western Anatolia to Susa in Iran, with relay stations along the way.
Why did Assyria hold Egypt so briefly?
Egypt lay far from the Assyrian heartland, and supply lines were long and costly to defend. Assyria ruled Egypt through local princes, and one of them, Psamtik I of Sais, grew strong enough to unify the country. By about 656 BCE Psamtik had taken control of all of Egypt, and Assyrian authority there had ended.
What did the Persians borrow from Assyria?
The Persians divided their empire into provinces under governors, an arrangement with roots in the Assyrian provincial system. Imperial Aramaic, which had spread widely during Assyrian rule, became the administrative language of the Persian Empire. The carved palace reliefs at Persepolis also echo the style of the Assyrian palaces.