Assyrians The Assyrians were a group of people who lived in the ancient Near East. They were neighbors to the Hittites, who would conquer Babylon and many other city states in the Fertile Crescent. The Assyrians, using knowledge from the Hittites, mastered the art of warfare and would eventually control most of the Near East. This warfare had a huge effect on the Assyrians and how the outside world perceived them. War presented many positive opportunities to the Assyrians. War allowed the Assyrians to reinstate their gods as the leaders of all deities in the lands that they conquered. The Assyrian Kings were able to amass great wealth as they plundered cities, temples, and palaces. These riches allowed the rulers to fund engineering feats …show more content…
In the Persian wars against Greece, the Athenian state beat the Persians and they were humiliated, causing Xerxes to launch his massive invasion in 480BC. This hasty rush into an invasion of Greece cost Xerxes the war. The Persians would again demonstrate this conceit, but this time it would cost them an empire. In 326BC, Alexander the Great became the king of Macedonia. Alexander had plans to take on Persia in a massive campaign. Darius III learned of Alexander’s plans to invade Persia and brushed it aside as an idle threat. Little did he know that the Macedonian threat was very real. Alexander made a swift campaign through Persia and successfully became king after Darius died in …show more content…
In the Persian wars, when Athens defeats Persia all by themselves they developed a superiority complex. This belief in their superiority over the other poleis comes into play in the Peloponnesian wars. This very lengthy war was devastating for both Athens and Sparta and eventually for all of Greece and the Mediterranean. Athens continued to revel in their superiority until their eventual surrender in the Peloponnesian wars at which time, all of the poleis had been so weakened that they were rendered unable to mount an effective defense against outside invaders