In the second millinneum BC , covering the Old Assyrian and Middle Assyrian period, the Syrian state had to struggle for its existence. Though its art and architecture were closely bound to those of the south, distinctive traits began to manifest themselves. Polychrome ornamental brickwork, introduced by the Assyrians, had its origins in these early centuries, although the second great innovation, the use of high plinths or dadoes of great stone slabs placed on edge and usually carved with low-relief sculpture, did not appear until the reign of Ashurnasirpal II (c. 833-859 BC ). Temples both with and without ziggurats were built in Assyria, but by the Late Assyrian period (911-612 BC) palaces were much more numerous and important, emphasising the central role of the monarchy. Recent excavations at tell Rimah have revealed the use of brick barrel-vaulting on a considerable scale.

City of Ashur
The City of Ashur was the ancient religious and national centre of the Assyrian state, always important wherever the administrative capital migh be. It was built on a high rocky promontory above the Tigris, being surrounded during the second millenium BC by a strong defensive wall. An outer wall was added in the ninth century BC with a future extension to protect a residential suburd , the frontage along the Tigris becoming 3 km (1.8 miles). But the first shrine on the site of a temple dedicated to Ishtar, goddess of both love and war , was built in the Early Dynastic period.

Tell Rimah
At Tell Rimah , in the Sinjar district west of Mosul, an area densely settled throughout prehistoric times, Shamshi-Adad I , the strongest ruler of Assyria in the early second millennium BC, built a temple of imposing propotions and distintive design overlying earlier building remains constituting a citadel mound; and in the next generation a palace was built that has yielded archives of tablets listing issues of wine rations, foreshadowing the wine lists of Nimrud, a milinium later.

City of Nimrud
The City of Namrud ( Calah ) (pp.72, 73, 75 ), was restored and enlarged by Ashurnasirpal II ( c. 833-859 BC ) , who made it the capital of his kingdom. Excavations at Nimrud have been mostly within the citadel (p.72A), which had an area 550 m X 320m (1800ft X 1050ft) and was situated at the south-west corner of the outher town, whose wall had a perimeter of no less than 7.5 km (4 ¾ miles), enclosing an area of 358 hectares (895 acres). The North-west Palace (p.72A,B) was built by Ashurnasirpal II as his chief residence; it compraise a large public court , flanked on the north side by a modest ziggurat with associated temple, and by a row of rooms later used to house asministrative records, and on the south side by the huge throne-room and the private wing of the palace.

Fort Shalmaneser, Nimrud
Fort Shalmaneser, Nimrud (p.73A,B) was built by Shalmaneser III (859-824 BC) outside the citadel, which he used as the administrative capital: the Fort serve as place , barracks, arsenal and storehouse. The palace wing included the usual vast throneroom, and, though in this reign relief sculpture was much less in evidence, there was a magnificent panel of glazed bricks( p.79B) depicting the king twice, on either side of the sacret tree, a favourite motif of Assyrian art.

Imgur-Enlil
At Imgur- Enlil (Balawat), 40km (25 miles) west of Mosul, Ashurnasirpal II and his son Shalmaneser III built themselves a country residence, with a palace and temple. Here three pairs of massive wooden gates were embellished with bronze bands decorated in relief in the repousse tecnique, illustrating ninth-century BC Assyrian campaign.

The temple of Ezida, Nimrud
The Temple of Ezida, Nimrud (p.72B) was built towards the end of the ninth century BC, and in its main wing the double sanctuary of Nabu (writing) and his consort. Off the court in front sanctuary was a well, interpreted as the source er to be mixed with the very fine clay used for blets for writing by the scribes in cuneiform.

The City of Nineveh was made the capital of the Assyrian empire by Sargon's son Sennacherib (705-681 BC) who spent the first two years of his reign on the work of raising mighty walls and, on the citadel now called Kuyunjik, building his `Palace without a Rival' (the South-West Palace). Long inscriptions describing this palace were recoverd during the excavations made in the nineteenth century, and the considerable labour of the building operqations, especially that of making a secure foundation platform on the mound formed by successive levels of ealier occupation, is stressed therein. It is also depicted in reliefs now in the British Museum (pp.75J, 77B). Other reliefs show campaigns ang hunting in greater detail than ever before. More palaces were built at Nineveh by Sennacherib's immediate successors, Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal. In the latter's reign relief sculpture in Assyria attained its apogee in scenes of lions hunting ang of the bloody campaigns against the kingdom of Elam, culminating in the destruction of Susa (c. 640 BC). Soon before the fall of Assyria, Nineveh was given an extra rampart along its vulneable east side, but this was never finished. The city fell finally only after a prolonged attack by the Medes and Babylonians in 612 BC, and was never to rise again.

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