Assyria was a city-state on the Upper Tigris River during the Middle Bronze Age. It was named after its capital, the ancient city of Assur, which was in what is now Iraq.
The Assyrians were just to the north of their rivals, the Babylonians. All of the kingdoms of ancient Mesopotamia used the cuneiform writing system, which had been invented by the Sumerians.
They are considered one of the greatest empires within the entire Middle East. They're also considered pound for pound, one of the greatest empires in history.
