From the ninth to the seventh century B.C., the Assyrian empire dominated the Near East. The king of Assyria called himself a "powerful warrior...who has no rival among the princes of the four quarters of the earth." At its greatest extent, his empire reached from Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean Sea and into Egypt. Parts of Iran and Anatolia were also subject to "the king of the world." Only the strongest and ablest monarchs could maintain control of this vast region and the major routes of trade and communication with the Mediterranean seacoast.

Chief among the cities of Assyria were Ashur, the ancient and religious capital, named after the principal Assyrian god; Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), chosen as the capital by Ashurnasirpal II (r. 883–859 B.C.); Khorsabad (ancient Dur Sharrukin), founded by Sargon II (r. 721–705 B.C.); and Nineveh, the chief administrative center in the seventh century B.C. Ashur lies on the west bank of the Tigris River, south of present-day Mosul, Iraq. The other three cities are situated to the north of Ashur, between the Tigris and Greater Zab Rivers.

At the end of the seventh century, the Assyrian empire collapsed under the assault of Babylonians from southern Mesopotamia and Medes, newcomers who were to establish a kingdom in Iran. Kalhu was destroyed twice, first in 614 and again in 612 B.C. In that final year, Ashur and Nineveh also fell, and Assyrian rule in the Near East came to an end.

Among excavations at Assyrian sites, work at Nimrud, particularly in the Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II, has been particularly fruitful. Many of the Assyrian works of art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art were found in this magnificent structure.