---
product_id: 502853103
title: "Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire"
price: "$78.54"
currency: USD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 10
url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/502853103-assyria-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-world-s-first
store_origin: US
region: United States of America
---

# Top 10 in Assyria history 483+ 4.6★ reviews Next-day UK dispatch Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire

**Price:** $78.54
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 📖 Unlock the secrets of the world’s first empire before everyone else does!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire
- **How much does it cost?** $78.54 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/502853103-assyria-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-world-s-first)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Critically Acclaimed:** 4.6-star rating from 483+ readers proves this is a must-have for history buffs.
- • **Top-Ranked Expertise:** Ranks #8 in Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer history—trusted by scholars and enthusiasts alike.
- • **Engaging & Accessible:** Masterfully written with no academic jargon—feels like a conversation with a history expert.
- • **Epic Historical Scope:** From Nineveh’s rise to the fall of the empire, experience the full sweep of Assyria’s dramatic story.
- • **Fast & Reliable Delivery:** Orders ship next working day from UK warehouse—no waiting, no hassle.

## Overview

Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire by Eckart Frahm offers a vivid, expertly researched journey through ancient Assyria’s history, blending archaeological insights with engaging storytelling. With next-day UK dispatch and top rankings in Assyrian history categories, this critically acclaimed book is a definitive resource for professionals and history enthusiasts eager to explore the empire that shaped civilizations.

## Description

Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire [Frahm, Eckart] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire

Review: Highly recommended ancient history - Definitely fascinating. It was news to me that "Assyriologist" was a job description, but I'm grateful to Frahm for being one and writing this book. For most people, Assyria is some vague ancient civilization, famous for some rock reliefs in the British Museum and Lord Byron's immortal simile "the Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold." Frahm touches on both of these. Indeed, at one point he says the job of most Assyriologists has been putting together the pieces of a gigantic jigsaw puzzle that is in the British Museum. And of course it's not a very safe profession these days: the places you need to go are wartorn, scalding hot ruins, and ISIS and others have committed monstrous cultural crimes by blowing up priceless remnants of the Assyrian civilization, just as the Taliban did with those giant Buddhas. Actually, we learn here that Ashur, the capital located north of Babylon, had a comparatively pacific early history which makes its later belligerence startling. It's not easy, apparently, to pinpoint what caused it. Certainly disease was a factor, Frahm says, and here there is an eerie modern ring given what U.S. leaders did with Covid: "As if a large death toll wasn't enough of a blow to these societies, the measures taken to curb the spread of epidemics could have disastrous consequences of its own." There are some false modern notes here. I'm no fan of "CE" for dates, and it's not true, as Frahm claims, that "climate change" toppled the Mayan civilization in the 10th century. I've spent a day in the ruins of Copan with the man who showed it came to a violent end. And I found the "Distorted Perceptions" chapter absurd. Those quibbles aside, however, there is plenty of violence and fascinating history here. It was all so long ago it's incredible Frahm is able to paint such a vivid picture. One reason, we learn, is because inscriptions made on clay cuneiform tablets are "almost indestructible," particularly when compared with information once contained on leather or papyrus. There are some familiar road markings - Xenophon, for instance, is mentioned. And Frahm writes in a straightforward, engaging style: "Homer was hardly an Assyrian eunuch living in Cilicia, despite recent attempts to substantiate such a scenario. That the Assyrians had some influence on the Greek work undoubtedly, for the most part through intermediaries, is nonetheless plausible," he says. The author is also great at providing dates frequently which really helps this reader. Assyria's story hits its stride with Sennacherib, Sargon II's successor, who took the Assyrian throne in 705 BC. His reign was in several regards remarkable. Under Sennacherib, Nineveh became the capital, and it was transformed into a splendid city of its time. We are also at the gates of Jerusalem in 700 BC, and here Frahm works through the threads of the Bible and Assyrian manuscripts (the former says Sennacherib suffered a defeat; the latter claims victory). The sweep here is epic. Later, we will encounter Nebuchadnezzar II who wins a crushing victory over Egypt in 605 BC. There's a nice historical comparison in Chapter 9, "Sennacherib's Babylonian Problem," in which Frahm notes Assyria is to Babylonia as Rome is to Greece. That's a great chapter overall. In 729 BC we get Tiglath-pileser III (what a name!), who dies quickly after capturing Babylon as does his successor, Shalmanasser V. Sargon II then appears, exits the stage violently, and we have Sennacherib. Unfortunately, Sennacherib destroys many of Babylon's temples when he sacks it after a fifteen-month siege in 689 BC. That gives us this great line: "Asher, king of the Gods...who brings devastation like the Deluge to the land that has been treacherous and evil." There is an interesting and lucid account of Ashurbanipal, one of the most famous Assyrian kings (who knew?) and one of the last "great" kings. "Ashurbanipal," Frahm says, was "a scholar, sadist, hunter and king." He launched repeated forays against Egypt and sacks Thebes. Ashur is a similar figure, we learn, as "even if one were to apply the word in the broadest possible sense, Ashur was also no humanist. He was, instead, a spiteful, brutal man who lived in constant need of affirmation." As that chronology shows, "Assyria" is packed with accounts of Assyrian armies looting from Memphis to Susa on the edge of Persia. This history spreads from the eastern edge of the Mediterranean to the western edge of the Zagros Mountains. And Frahm offers a take on why, perhaps, Assyria has become a shadow despite its contemporary successes: "An 'empire' without a mission, except for the accumulation of power and wealth, Assyria had never been particularly good at creating something akin to an Assyrian 'identity' beyond its core territories...It had little symbolic capital to offer the citizens it ruled. Those citizens, in turn, had little reason to support their Assyrian overlords when the latter suddenly found themselves under fatal military pressure. As I hope these notes show, this is a rich, rewarding book. Highly recommended.
Review: Beautifully written, excellent - I'm 78. I have several degrees in history and have been a member of the American Historical Association for almost 50 years. I've been reading history since grade school. And "Assyria" has to be one of the best history books I've ever read. How many of you have skipped ahead in a history book to see what happened? You will with this book. How many of you have been sad when you come to page 430 and it's the end of the book? You will with this book. It gives an excellent history of Assyria, along with "how do we know that"? information. There are quotations from Assyrian writers throughout, often paragraph length. Perhaps the best was the queen mother's scathing letter to her daughter-in-law, the queen. He also deals with the influence of Assyria on the Bible. The concluding chapters go beyond ancient history. One chapter is about the influence of Assyria on later history. My specialty is the Middle East, but I'm ashamed to say that it never dawned on me that "Syria" is derived from "Assyria." The concluding chapter brings us up to date on ISIS and the destruction they caused. Perhaps the most notable thing about the book is the writing. The author is German, and all his degrees are from Heidelberg. Nevertheless, the writing is masterful. No academic jargon, but also no talking down. It reads like he's a friend sharing a conversation about Assyria. Noteworthy also are the aphorisms from modern (and a few ancient) authors and personalities (Thomas Mann, Karl Popper, Nicolae Ceausescu, John Le Carre, Horace, Lord Byron, Benedetto Croce, Dante, and others).

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #84,511 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #16 in Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer History #16 in Archaeology (Books) #142 in History of Civilization & Culture |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (489) |
| Dimensions  | 6.45 x 1.95 x 9.5 inches |
| Edition  | First Edition |
| ISBN-10  | 1541674405 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1541674400 |
| Item Weight  | 2.31 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 528 pages |
| Publication date  | April 4, 2023 |
| Publisher  | Basic Books |

## Images

![Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91eA7MU1teL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly recommended ancient history
*by Q***R on August 20, 2025*

Definitely fascinating. It was news to me that "Assyriologist" was a job description, but I'm grateful to Frahm for being one and writing this book. For most people, Assyria is some vague ancient civilization, famous for some rock reliefs in the British Museum and Lord Byron's immortal simile "the Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold." Frahm touches on both of these. Indeed, at one point he says the job of most Assyriologists has been putting together the pieces of a gigantic jigsaw puzzle that is in the British Museum. And of course it's not a very safe profession these days: the places you need to go are wartorn, scalding hot ruins, and ISIS and others have committed monstrous cultural crimes by blowing up priceless remnants of the Assyrian civilization, just as the Taliban did with those giant Buddhas. Actually, we learn here that Ashur, the capital located north of Babylon, had a comparatively pacific early history which makes its later belligerence startling. It's not easy, apparently, to pinpoint what caused it. Certainly disease was a factor, Frahm says, and here there is an eerie modern ring given what U.S. leaders did with Covid: "As if a large death toll wasn't enough of a blow to these societies, the measures taken to curb the spread of epidemics could have disastrous consequences of its own." There are some false modern notes here. I'm no fan of "CE" for dates, and it's not true, as Frahm claims, that "climate change" toppled the Mayan civilization in the 10th century. I've spent a day in the ruins of Copan with the man who showed it came to a violent end. And I found the "Distorted Perceptions" chapter absurd. Those quibbles aside, however, there is plenty of violence and fascinating history here. It was all so long ago it's incredible Frahm is able to paint such a vivid picture. One reason, we learn, is because inscriptions made on clay cuneiform tablets are "almost indestructible," particularly when compared with information once contained on leather or papyrus. There are some familiar road markings - Xenophon, for instance, is mentioned. And Frahm writes in a straightforward, engaging style: "Homer was hardly an Assyrian eunuch living in Cilicia, despite recent attempts to substantiate such a scenario. That the Assyrians had some influence on the Greek work undoubtedly, for the most part through intermediaries, is nonetheless plausible," he says. The author is also great at providing dates frequently which really helps this reader. Assyria's story hits its stride with Sennacherib, Sargon II's successor, who took the Assyrian throne in 705 BC. His reign was in several regards remarkable. Under Sennacherib, Nineveh became the capital, and it was transformed into a splendid city of its time. We are also at the gates of Jerusalem in 700 BC, and here Frahm works through the threads of the Bible and Assyrian manuscripts (the former says Sennacherib suffered a defeat; the latter claims victory). The sweep here is epic. Later, we will encounter Nebuchadnezzar II who wins a crushing victory over Egypt in 605 BC. There's a nice historical comparison in Chapter 9, "Sennacherib's Babylonian Problem," in which Frahm notes Assyria is to Babylonia as Rome is to Greece. That's a great chapter overall. In 729 BC we get Tiglath-pileser III (what a name!), who dies quickly after capturing Babylon as does his successor, Shalmanasser V. Sargon II then appears, exits the stage violently, and we have Sennacherib. Unfortunately, Sennacherib destroys many of Babylon's temples when he sacks it after a fifteen-month siege in 689 BC. That gives us this great line: "Asher, king of the Gods...who brings devastation like the Deluge to the land that has been treacherous and evil." There is an interesting and lucid account of Ashurbanipal, one of the most famous Assyrian kings (who knew?) and one of the last "great" kings. "Ashurbanipal," Frahm says, was "a scholar, sadist, hunter and king." He launched repeated forays against Egypt and sacks Thebes. Ashur is a similar figure, we learn, as "even if one were to apply the word in the broadest possible sense, Ashur was also no humanist. He was, instead, a spiteful, brutal man who lived in constant need of affirmation." As that chronology shows, "Assyria" is packed with accounts of Assyrian armies looting from Memphis to Susa on the edge of Persia. This history spreads from the eastern edge of the Mediterranean to the western edge of the Zagros Mountains. And Frahm offers a take on why, perhaps, Assyria has become a shadow despite its contemporary successes: "An 'empire' without a mission, except for the accumulation of power and wealth, Assyria had never been particularly good at creating something akin to an Assyrian 'identity' beyond its core territories...It had little symbolic capital to offer the citizens it ruled. Those citizens, in turn, had little reason to support their Assyrian overlords when the latter suddenly found themselves under fatal military pressure. As I hope these notes show, this is a rich, rewarding book. Highly recommended.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beautifully written, excellent
*by M***N on August 24, 2024*

I'm 78. I have several degrees in history and have been a member of the American Historical Association for almost 50 years. I've been reading history since grade school. And "Assyria" has to be one of the best history books I've ever read. How many of you have skipped ahead in a history book to see what happened? You will with this book. How many of you have been sad when you come to page 430 and it's the end of the book? You will with this book. It gives an excellent history of Assyria, along with "how do we know that"? information. There are quotations from Assyrian writers throughout, often paragraph length. Perhaps the best was the queen mother's scathing letter to her daughter-in-law, the queen. He also deals with the influence of Assyria on the Bible. The concluding chapters go beyond ancient history. One chapter is about the influence of Assyria on later history. My specialty is the Middle East, but I'm ashamed to say that it never dawned on me that "Syria" is derived from "Assyria." The concluding chapter brings us up to date on ISIS and the destruction they caused. Perhaps the most notable thing about the book is the writing. The author is German, and all his degrees are from Heidelberg. Nevertheless, the writing is masterful. No academic jargon, but also no talking down. It reads like he's a friend sharing a conversation about Assyria. Noteworthy also are the aphorisms from modern (and a few ancient) authors and personalities (Thomas Mann, Karl Popper, Nicolae Ceausescu, John Le Carre, Horace, Lord Byron, Benedetto Croce, Dante, and others).

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Readable and good for an overview
*by E***C on May 29, 2023*

I am surprised Hollywood doesnt copy Assyrian quotes by kings for their movies. The author spends some time on this and gives some good overall info on all three Assyrian eras and the main rulers with some good historical background as well. There is some discussion as well regarding to the bible, which is where things get a little weak. Note is made of the Deuteronomy/ Esarhaddon succession treaty debate, but no mention of the similarity of Deuteronomy to Hittite vassal treaties of the 13th to 14th centuries BC as well, which would have been nice. Dr Carly Crouch has a book devoted to this situation which will be my next read. I think maybe a little more primary quotes/writings of Assyrian kings and people would have been nice but that's my opinion. Frahm does delve into daily life and social mores and includes some humorous points which were a nice touch. Being a Yale guy he even mentions climate change, which in terms of droughts was well done.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire
- Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization
- Persians: The Age of the Great Kings

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/502853103-assyria-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-world-s-first](https://www.desertcart.us/products/502853103-assyria-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-world-s-first)

---

*Product available on Desertcart United States of America*
*Store origin: US*
*Last updated: 2026-03-04*