Weapons 

Warfare was an essential piece of Mesopotamian life, as nearly every king and civilization believed in expansionism. They justified this by stating that the gods had commanded them to conquer cities.  It was an endemic occurrence, for the many city-states often quarreled over both land and water rights. The Sumerians organized the first army, opposed to the small, disorganized warrior bands that came before it.

There was a variety of weapons the ancient Mesopotamians used in war. Elite soldiers were armed with bronze armor and weapons, and less-well equipped but more mobile troops were deployed with slings, bows, and arrows. The most commonly used weapons were both tools from day to day labor and weapons made specifically for war. Some of these weapons included; knifes, axes, maces, spears, bows and arrows, and slingshots. Typically, soldiers would carry shields and be clothed in extremely heavy armor. Alongside these weapons were war carts, or chariots, pulled by asses. (AG)

  Battle Strategies 

The city-state of Sumer had no permanent, standing army, however, whenever Sumerian leaders called for war, all male citizens went to war. They would typically use any weapon they could find, commonly spears, slingshots, knives, bows, and maces.

The Akkadians were the first empire that achieved rule through conquest. Their king, Sargon, held reign for 50 years and had a core military of 5,400 men. Because Sargon had such a large army, competent administration and logistics were high in use. Sargon’s battle strategies evolved around the idea of breaching enemies' walls.

The Babylonians used a lot of the same tactics as Sargon, with the addition of a few other strategies. Their intelligent emperor, Hammurabi, had a reputation of creating alliances with multiple city-states and then later conquering them. Furthermore, he often blocked cities water sources and diverted them, forcing them to accede to Hammurabi.

The Assyrians were a fearsome civilization that had effective tactics and ruthless behavior. It is well-known for its prowess and military strength. The Assyrians frequently used siege towers, large carts with battering rams used to knock down fortifications. After annihilating walls, the Assyrians would quickly invade cities and take control of them. (AG)