Assyria Audiobook By Eckart Frahm cover art

Assyria

The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire

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Assyria

By: Eckart Frahm
Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
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A new history of Assyria, the ancient civilization that set the model for future empires

At its height in 660 BCE, the kingdom of Assyria stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. It was the first empire the world had ever seen. Here, historian Eckart Frahm tells the epic story of Assyria and its formative role in global history. Assyria’s wide-ranging conquests have long been known from the Hebrew Bible and later Greek accounts. But nearly two centuries of research now permit a rich picture of the Assyrians and their empire beyond the battlefield: their vast libraries and monumental sculptures, their elaborate trade and information networks, and the crucial role played by royal women.

Although Assyria was crushed by rising powers in the late seventh century BCE, its legacy endured from the Babylonian and Persian empires to Rome and beyond. Assyria is a stunning and authoritative account of a civilization essential to understanding the ancient world and our own.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Eckart Frahm (P)2023 Basic Books Ancient Arabian Peninsula Archaeology Civilization Iran Iraq Middle East World Ancient History Royalty Ancient Greece

Critic reviews

"An extremely readable introduction to Assyria and the Assyrians, from their origins to their ultimate demise. Frahm presents a wealth of knowledge and information in an accessible manner, and with relevance to today, which will be of interest to scholars, students, and members of the general public alike."—Eric Cline, author of 1177 B.C.
“Eckart Frahm has produced a compelling account of how the Assyrians built an empire that ruled over large territories and diverse peoples. Assyria offers us a new way to think about the formation and sustainability of an imperial model that has shaped human experiences for much of the past 3000 years. It is ancient history that remains relevant to this day.”—Edward J. Watts, author of Mortal Republic
“A superb, compelling, and exuberantly written history of the Assyrians, popularly known only as the bad guys of the Old Testament, but actually one of the most significant of all ancient Near Eastern empire builders. This book is filled with fascinating detail and cliché-busting analysis. Sweeping yet nuanced, Eckart Frahm challenges—and changes—the way we think about the Assyrians and the culture they fashioned.”—Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, author of Persians
Nuanced Perspective • Fascinating History • Great Reading • Informative Content • Biblical Connections • Decent Narrator
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There is so much covered here, it was simply fascinating. I appreciated the summary at the end covering the damage inflicted by ISIS and the meaning behind it.

Fascinating!

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wanting to learn more about assyria for an upcoming video game I got far more than I bargained for! exceptionally narrated this boom takes you through what feels like a fever dream of history. it takes you along on the journey of the world's first empire step by step.i honestly want to listen to it again right now! p.s the final bit talking about ISIS is particularly moving and makes one believe in karma, the good of humanity and justice.

wow, a moving masterpiece!

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The narrator has such a wide range in the volume of his reading that I missed about 15% of the book. He little more than whispers the last 2 to 3 words while almost shouting the first few.

Too much volume change in narration

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The book itself was very interesting, presenting a more nuanced view of the Assyrian civilization than I had encountered before, although it tended to jump around chronologically.

But like others have said, the narration volume changes drastically within sentences. The narrator begins sentences very loudly, but I frequently had to turn the volume up to its max just to hear a key phrase at the end of a sentence (only for the next sentence to blow my speakers out). If you are listening to this with road noise in the background, forget about it. The sound mixing should have been balanced much more.

Extremely frustrating narration

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The book was extremely wellwell written and could be easily fallen by non-scholars scholars in those raiders who just enjoy history. The narrator is great, and kept my interest throughout the entire book.

Outstanding Historical Book

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far more info than I've found in any other single place. Definitely worth the time

great depth

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The sound quality and narration leave much to be desired. The presenter speaks the first syllables after breathing with a loud, sometimes ear-splitting emphasis, then fades into a nearly inaudible, hoarse whisper when running out of air. It’s unpleasant to listen to unless you have a way of leveling the sound. I will not be continuing with this presenter.

Interesting topic but terribly presented

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This was a great reading of the book. i enjoyed it very much. Will listen to this again.

Excellent book and reading

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Excellent book. Easily accessible to a non historian but lots of good history. Narrator is good.

Fascinating history

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Clarity of explanation and of the timeline. Also enjoyed greatly the historical explanations of many biblical stories.

Clarity of explanation and historical timeline!

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