| More than 4,000 years ago, the ancient Assyrians, Persians, and Babylonians used mastiffs wearing spiked collars to attack their enemies. |
| A major regional road system was established by the Assyrians during the seventh century BC and inherited by the Persian Empire. |
| The ancient Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans and East Indians used it to treat certain illnesses. |
| They are the descendants of the ancient Assyrians, who in Old Testament times controlled the largest empire in the Middle East. |
| Our strongest early evidence of deliberate, aggressive expansionism, though, comes from the Assyrians. |
| First the Mycenaeans grabbed it, then the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Assyrians and Persians owned it. |
