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[[File: Ashurbanipal_lion_hunting.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|Relief of King Ashurbanipal on a Lion Hunt]]

The ancient Near East could be a brutal place and among the most efficiently brutal of all Near Eastern peoples were the Assyrians. From their stronghold in the city of Ashur, high on a cliff above the Tigris River in northern Mesopotamia, the Assyrians embarked on an odyssey of violence that eventually resulted in them conquering some of the oldest and most venerable kingdoms of the region including: Babylon, Mitanni, Israel, and Egypt. An examination of Assyrian military campaigns reveals that they were able to conquer their neighbors by using a combination of new military tactics and technologies, following a religion that promoted warfare, and employing a level of brutality that would have made Genghis Khan wince, yet was totally efficient and effective.

Although the Assyrians worshipped many deities, there were three who received most of their attention: Ashur, Shamash, and Ishtar. All three deities contained martial aspects in their personalities; but Ashur was the patron of their capital city and Shamash was a sun god, while it was Ishtar who was the primary Assyrian war deity. To the modern mind, Ishtar at first seems to be a bit of an enigma. Ishtar was actually the female consort of Shamash whose primary attributes were as the goddess of love, fertility, and war. The Assyrians believed that in order for their lands to be productive they had to conduct warfare relentlessly for Ishtar. An Assyrian omen text reveals just how important Ishtar was and what she desired to be happy.

"During the night in which I appeared before her, a seer reclined and saw a dream. When he awoke Ishtar showed him a night vision . . . ‘Eat food, drink wine, supply music, praise my divinity, while I go and do that work in order that you attain your heart’s desire. Your face (need) not become pale, nor your feet become exhausted, nor your strength come to nought in the onslaught of battle.’ In her loving bosom she embraced you and protected your whole figure. Before here a fire was then burning.To the conquest of [your] enemies [she will march forth] at (your) side." <ref> Pritchard, James B, ed. <i>Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament.</i> 3rd ed. (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1992), p.451</ref>

===Conclusion===

In a time period when “might made right” the Assyrians were the most right of all people. Spanning from their ancestral homeland on the banks of the northern Tigris River, the Assyrians left destruction in their wake on their way to becoming the undisputed masters of the ancient Near East. Although the Assyrian Empire eventually collapsed in 612 BC due to the combined efforts of their enemies, the Assyrians left an indelible mark on history due to their innovative martial culture that promoted new military tactics and technologies and was bolstered by a religion that encouraged warfare strategies what were extremely brutal yet effective.