Assyria was the empire in the northern area of the Fertile Crescent.  It had a very open landscape which made it very vulnerable to attack and take over.  Because they were constantly defending their land and people, Assyrians became very skilled at warfare.  

Eventually they worked out that the best way to defend their land was by attacking the lands of others.  They began to practice active conquering around 1365 BCE, and by 650 BCE they had acquired an empire that stretched from the Nile river all the way to the Persian Gulf.

The people of Assyria were very clever when it came to warfare.  They invented the battering ram and eventually mounted it on wheels to use against their opposing forces.  Their warriors would use stone slings and many became expert archers, but the most destructive soldiers were charioteers who used swords to slash enemy troops.  Many of them would be protected by metal armor and helmets which allowed them to have a further advantage over their enemies.  As armies would conquer land, the empire grew, and they placed their capital in the city of Nineveh. 

Nineveh became a center of knowledge and had a very accomplished library with thousands of clay tablets containing writings from Sumer and Babylon.  It is because of this record keeping that we know so much about Ancient Mesopotamia.

The Assyrians did not have many friends in their empire, and the conquered regions attempted many revolts against Assyrian rule. In 612 BCE the Medes and Chaldeans join together and defeat the Assyrians.