![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Human_headed_winged_bull_facing.jpg/640px-Human_headed_winged_bull_facing.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Assyria
major Mesopotamian East Semitic kingdom / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Assyria was a city-state on the Upper Tigris River in the Middle Bronze Age. It was named after its capital, the ancient city of Assur.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Human_headed_winged_bull_facing.jpg/640px-Human_headed_winged_bull_facing.jpg)
The Assyrians were just to the north of their rivals, the Babylonians. All kingdoms of ancient Mesopotamia used the cuneiform writing system, which had been invented by the Sumerians.