Assyrian Army

After reading through Chapter 2 and 3 of The Age of Empires by Francis Joannes, we get a change of tone from Van De Mieroop and notice a stronger emphasis on military affairs when Joannes describes the different empires and kings of Mesopotamia. Reading through Chapter 2, we see that until their downfall, the Assyrians ruled a large territory and had an extremely significant military presence. Chapter 3 gave some elucidation as to how the Assyrian army originated and dominated.
First off, the Assyrian army constituted Assyrian peasants who were bound to an annual military service to the king. Most of the annual campaigns were positioned during the summer time as to avoid bad weather and the troops were usually recruited and assembled after the harvest. The recruitment of these peasant troops was the responsibility of the land-owning nobility and higher authoritative domestic figures. These upper class citizens reported recruitment numbers to the king. In 827, Assyria rose in rebellion against Shalmaneser III because he kept most of the rewards from his conquests instead of divvying it up for his officials. Hence, you can see the importance of keeping these nobility happy.
According to Joannes, the true might of the Assyrian army laid not in the peasants but instead in the presence of professional troops who gained much experience from annual military campaigns. The army of professional troops contained a myriad of specialty corps who allowed for the Assyrian army to adapt to many different environments. Furthermore, in long campaigns, foreign contingents were recruited for those specific expeditions. The Sargonids also popularized the practice integrating foreign vassals or conquered troops into the Assyrian army (Joannes 55).
The Assyrian army’s might can be evidenced throughout their military campaigns. However, too many campaigns and internal crises led to their eventual downfall.