Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire Hardcover – April 4, 2023

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).

Very detailed and well written. I haven’t finished it but I intend to.

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.

I find this book absolutely fascinating and discover what a superb writer Eckart Frahm is on this topic. I am an avid reader of History and I feel Mr. Frahm is one of the best historical writers I have read.

I enjoyed this book so much! I learned so much and truly enjoyed every single page. It is a fun and exciting book to read that never feels like it’s too far down in the trenches or boring. In fact, I wish some aspects of Assyrian life and culture had been covered in even more depth. It may be that more encompassing accounts of Assyrian so-called war crimes, torture, etc., and the sex lives of Assyrians in terms of what they found acceptable and unacceptable exist in another book, but in this one, those kinds of details are only very briefly considered and not really explained. For example, what does it mean for someone in Assyria to have been “impaled”? The word is used several times but it is never explained what that actually means. Of course, I can make up an idea in my head pretty easily, but if we have the actual answer from the ancient sources (or at least educated guesses), I would like to know.It’s also worth mentioning that the Audiobook is very well done. I purchased the Audiobook to go along with my Kindle edition and going back-and-forth between the two was seamless and fun.

Probably the best comprehensive history of Assyria I've read, and given how new it is probably the best out there. The book is very well written and readable. Very accessible even if you don't know much about the time period.

Author seems to be anti Bible for accuracy of history

I gave this as a gift to a pastor of 50 years who enjoys reading about history of the lands of the Bible . He LOVED it… this may not be a book for everyone but for those who study history this is for them..