Location Located east of the Mediterranean sea, and south-west of the Caspian sea, the Assyrian nation once stretched from the centre of the Anatolian peninsula to the eastern inland territories of Persia. Now, it occupies a relatively large nation with the Hattusa Empire on its north-western border, the Babylonians to the east and the Phoenicians to the south. This puts it in a strong position for trade, but weakened in military and maritime efforts. The Assyrian nation was once the largest and most powerful in the known world but is now simply the largest (by a wide margin) in Sharqaan.

The kingdom of Mitanni was once an independent state north of the Assyrian Nation and sharing a border with both Hattusa and Assyria. Now an annexed part of the Assyrian Nation, it has a strong trading position with the north, even as it bows to its masters residing in Assur in the south east. Maps Historical Age The Assyrian nation has been in existence since the 2600 BC, making it roughly 1700 years old in our timeline and one of the oldest nations in Aeipathy's world. This expanded into a vast empire from 2100 BC - 1400 BC, before the Hattusa empire began its great expansion and conquered large areas of Assyria's western territories. With the majority of the Syrian forces focused on the Hittite armies, the borders of Babylonia (in the east) and Mitanni (in the north) pushed back against Assyrian rule. Peace accords were reached with Babylonia nearly eighty years ago. Six years ago, the final conflict between Assyria and Mitanni ceased and Mitanni was annexed into part of the Assyrian Nation.

Population The population of Assyria is incredibly high for its area, with a dense network of villages and towns across the nation. Only two cities are large enough to be given the title: Assur (capital of the Assyrian nation) and Waššukanni (capital of Mitanni). All other settlements are referred to as towns, even though many rival cities from other lands in size. Many settlements in the far west and east are heavily fortified military bases. These are still occupied by civilians and have a high population, even though wars with Hattusa and Babylonia are at an end. Assyria has the largest population in Sharqaan and greatly outnumbered that of Hellas, K'm't or Phoenicia. Yet it pales in comparison to the incredible number of Hittites.

Most settlements in Assyria are a combination of old and new. Most cities, towns and villages stand on the same land they occupied hundreds, if not thousands, of years before. Since then, many structures have been reformed, carved or constructed. This is especially true for the settlements near the western and eastern borders, where war and fire has often decimated homes and forced their owners to rebuild. With a high number of urban or residential areas, Assyria has limited land devoted to agriculture, in ratio to its population size and now relies on international trade to sustain its people.

Despite its age, Assyria is not a nation of change or inclusion. Its people are Syrians, back into their ancestors and down to their toes. Those who do not commit to the Syrian way of life are unwelcome. The annexation of the Mitanni was a unique moment in history and has caused much tension between the two areas, despite them following the same faith and having incredibly similar cultures. Assyrian religion is strong, their gender expectations heavily divided and their traditions paramount. They have little to no ethnic diversity. Assyria is not a nation of tolerance, despite its huge population numbers.

Size and Travel LatitudeFrom the far western coast of the Mediterranean to the edges of Babylonia.

	Walking	Horseback / Chariot
Single Traveller	3.5 weeks	1.5 weeks
Small Group	1.5 months	2.5 weeks
Large Group / Convoy	2 months	3 weeks

LongitudeFrom the north-western border, shared with Hattusa to the Arabian desert in the south.

	Walking	Horseback / Chariot
Single Traveller	3.5 weeks	1.5 weeks
Small Group	5 weeks	2.5 weeks
Large Group / Convoy	1.5 months	3.5 weeks

Between CitiesAssyria has two major city hubs: Assur and Waššukanni.

	Walking	Horseback / Chariot
Assur <> Waššukanni
Single Traveller	1 week	3 days
Small Group	12 days	6 days
Large Group / Convoy	2.5 weeks	9 days

SeafareAssyria is a single, large landmass sitting in the central north of the Arabian peninsula. It's only access to the sea is a small coastline on the far eastern edge of the Mediterranean. There are several river systems in Assyria by which people can travel but there is no means of getting around or across Assyria in one sail or via a sea-faring ship. There are no direct routes from Assur to Waššukanni by river.
International Travel BabyloniaBabylonia is to the far east of the Aeipathy world, and lies on Assyria's eastern border. There is no sea or ocean travel between Assyria and Babylonia. Given the capital Assyria lies in the centre of the empire, land travel is the fastest way from the city to reach the Babylonian border.

	Walking	Horseback / Chariot
From Assur
Single Traveller	1 week	3 days
Small Group	12 days	6 days
Large Group / Convoy	2.5 weeks	9 days
From Waššukanni
Single Traveller	2 weeks	6 days
Small Group	3.5 weeks	12 days
Large Group / Convoy	5 weeks	18 days

Bedoa'mtBedoa'mt lies in the north of the African continent. Travellers can make a direct sea voyage from the small strip of south-western coastline of Assyria to the northern coast of Bedoa’mt, across the Mediterranean Sea. If a ship is unavailable, land travel is possible but this would take excessive time and money. It would be an unwise journey unless other opportunities were utilised along the way (such as trade).

	By Land		By Sea
All Travellers	Calculate the total time by combining: the travel time to reach the Phoenician border (below), the longitude of Phoenicia (in the Size and Travel section of Phoenicia's Land page), to the K'm't border and the time to cross the latitude of K'm't to the Bedoa'mt border (in the Size and Travel section of K'm't's Land page).		2.5 weeks

HattusaLying to the north-west of Assyria, Hattusa can be reached by land, or by sea for a faster route (if journeying to the far western coast). Given the capital of Assyria lies in the centre of the nation, land travel is the fastest way from the city to reach the Hittite border.

	Walking	Horseback / Chariot
To Hattusa
Single Traveller	3.5 weeks	12 days
Small Group	6 weeks	2.5 weeks
Large Group / Convoy	2 months	4 weeks
To Carchemish
Single Traveller	5 days	2 days
Small Group	7 days	5 days
Large Group / Convoy	13 days	10 days
To Kizzuwatna
Single Traveller	4 weeks	12 days
Small Group	6 weeks	2.5 weeks
Large Group / Convoy	2 months	5 weeks

	By Sea
To Hattusa	Unnecessary
To Carchemish	Unnecessary
To Kizzuwatna	5 days by ship to Kizzuwatna then same land journey times for Carchemish + 1 day.

HellasHellas lies to the west of Assyria in the Aegean Sea, the north-eastern portion of the Mediterranean. Whilst it is technically possible to reach the Athenian kingdom of the Hellenes over land (through Hattusa then via the Bosphorus strait and around the Aegean coastline) this is entirely impractical. To reach Hellas, all travellers would sail.

	By Land		By Sea
From Assyrian Coastline	It takes approx. 4 days land travel to get to the Assyrian Coast. Then...		To Athenia: 12 days To Colchis: 14 days To Taengea: 10 days

K'm'tIn the north-east of the African continent lies K’m’t. Travellers can make a direct sea voyage from the south-western coast of Assyria to the northern coast of K’m’t, across the Mediterranean Sea. If a ship is unavailable, land travel is possible but this would take more time and money. It would be an unwise journey unless other opportunities were utilised along the way (such as trade).

	By Land		By Sea
All Travellers	Calculate the total time of a land journey by combining: the travel time to reach Phoenicia's border (below), the time to cross the longitude of Phoenicia (in the Size and Travel section of Phoenicia's Land page) to the K'm't border.		2 weeks

OstjordOstjord monopolises the north-western corner of the European continent. The easiest way to reach their lands is by crossing Hattusa and then the Bosphorus strait (trade and travel arrangements are likely to take a day to pass through). Travellers would then cut directly across Europe. Alternatively, travellers can sail around the entirety of the continent in order to land on the opposing western coast. Calculations below are made from the Bosphorus and should be added to the time it takes to reach the Hattusa border (above) and then the time to cross the latitude of Hattusa (in the Size and Travel section of Hattusa's Land page).

	Walking	Horseback / Chariot
Single Traveller	2 months	4 weeks
Small Group	3.5 months	6 weeks
Large Group / Convoy	4.5 months	2 months

	By Sea
All Travellers	2 months

PhoeniciaPhoenicia lies to the south of the Assyrian territories. To reach it by land, one can journey by land or make a short sailing trip if this is more convenient for cargo transport.

	Walking	Horseback / Chariot
From Assur
Single Traveller	9 days	5 days
Small Group	2 weeks	8 days
Large Group / Convoy	3 weeks	11 days
From Waššukanni
Single Traveller	1 week	3 days
Small Group	12 days	6 days
Large Group / Convoy	2.5 weeks	9 days

	By Sea
From Assyrian Coastline	2 days

RomaOccupying most of modern day Italy, Austria, Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and parts of Albania and Spain, travel times vary for Roma depending on which area is your destination. Any can be reached by land, sea or a combination of the two. Calculations below are made from the Bosphorus and should be added to the time it takes to reach the Hattusa border (above) and then the time to cross the latitude of Hattusa (in the Size and Travel section of Hattusa's Land page).

	Walking	Horseback / Chariot
To Remusi Lands
Single Traveller	3.5 weeks	12 days
Small Group	6 weeks	2.5 weeks
Large Group / Convoy	2 months	4 weeks
To Netuno Lands
Single Traveller	2 months	1 month
Small Group	3.5 months	6 weeks
Large Group / Convoy	4.5 months	2 months
To Mainland Roma
Single Traveller	3 months	6 weeks
Small Group	5 months	9 weeks
Large Group / Convoy	6.5 months	3 months
To Cassia Lands
Single Traveller	Seafare required
Small Group
Large Group / Convoy
To Cannae's Western Lands
Single Traveller	4 months	2 months
Small Group	7 months	3 months
Large Group / Convoy	9 months	4 months

The calculations below are from the Assyrian Coastline.

	By Sea
To Remusi Lands	10 days
To Netuno Lands	2.5 weeks
To Mainland Roma	12 days
To Cassia Lands	3 weeks
To Cannae's Western Lands	1 month

Climate Assyria has little to no coastal regions and their waterways and rivers are a long way from seas and oceans. They have a low altitude which creates a less diverse spread of temperature across the seasons. Generally, the climate is hot and dry with very minimal rainfall and risks of sandstorms and drought. When rain does fall in the spring, the earth is unused to the moisture and often floods. Particularly around the Tigris river. This is essential for the growth of rice paddies, a staple in the Syrian diet, but disastrous for most other crops.

	Referred to As		Climate / Weather
Spring	Season of Water		Assyria has little rainfall. What does fall on its territories comes in the spring: the Season of Water. This, however, is more a curse than a blessing. Assyrian earth is hard and dry, so just a little rainfall can drown seedlings and cause mudslides. Instead, Syrians water their crop manually from wells and dread the Water Season's damage.
Summer	Season of Fire		Summers are dry, hot and acrid. Watering the crops is essential and sometimes the harvest will be brought in early if there's fear of the plants dying in the heat. Though the Season of Fire is one of the hottest summers in the Aeipathy world, it is not so cumbersome to Syrians as other nations, for they are used to a hotter climate in general. Droughts, however, are common and can be incredibly damaging.
Autumn	Season of Air		The Season of the Air is the coolest and most fertile time of the year for Syrians. The winds that blow from the north are chilled and make the air more breathable for plants and humans alike. The harvest is taken in and new seedlings planted before the earth can harden again for the winter. Crops planted in Syria must be of hardy stock to survive frozen temperatures in the winter and then grow with limited water in the spring. Sandstorms are most common in this season and incredibly dangerous.
Winter	Season of Earth		Winter is known as the Season of the Earth and actually feels warmer than autumn. The winds die down, the earth hardens and cloud cover often rolls in, making the air at once cool and humid. This keeps some of the natural warmth. Syrians who suffer from respiratory issues are worse during the Season of the Earth.

Settlements The majority of the Assyrian people live in Assur, with the rest of the population scattered to smaller provinces, dotted with villages and towns. As fluctuations in season bring both drought and flooding, many settlements outside the capital are not built to last but to be easily reconstructed or repaired. These buildings are often wooden frames, plastered with pete or lime, propped on a stone foundation and capped with straw or tile rooftops. The most important element of any building is that they can be sealed tightly to protect against sandstorms.

The capital Assur lies central-east of the Assyrian Nation, whilst the Mitanni municipality and its capital Waššukanni is in the north. Both are built mostly from stone atop natural plateaus.

West Haran

Central Kalhu Ninuwa

North Nasibina Tushpa Waššukanni

South Aleppo Rezeph Terqa

East Arrapkha Assur

Aleppo

Barony
Population19,100
Main ExportSoaps.
Sub-ExportSweets, carpets, spices, textiles, food, citadel trinkets. Arrapkha

Barony
Population8,300
Main ExportSheep and goats.
Sub-ExportWool, woven fabrics, cattle, herbs. Assur

BaronyNone - Capital City
Population29,700


Main ExportTaxes.
Sub-ExportVegetables, wheat crops, textiles, metalwork. Haran

BaronyOpen
Population11,900
Main ExportLentils.
Sub-ExportSheep, goats, wool, sculpture, pottery. Kalhu

BaronyOpen
Population13,000
Main ExportSoldiers.
Sub-ExportOxen, fine cloth, jewellery, barley. Nasibina

Barony
Population10,900
Main ExportObsidian
Sub-ExportBronze ore, stone, olives, weaponry, oils. Ninuwa

Barony
Population13,700
Main ExportFish and melons.
Sub-ExportFruit, vegetables, black grapes, gold ore. Rezeph

BaronyOpen
Population4,100
Main ExportGoats
Sub-ExportCamels, soldiers, prostitution taxes, sheep. Sidon

BaronyOpen
Population22,200
Main ExportGlass and purple dye.
Sub-ExportCitrus fruits, embroidery, shellfish, fish. Terqa

BaronyOpen
Population17,500
Main ExportJewellery, beads.
Sub-ExportSpices, fish. Tushpa

BaronyOpen
Population19,900
Main ExportHorses and wine.
Sub-ExportPrecious metals, salt, sheep, wheat, cattle. Waššukanni

BaronyNone - Capital City
Population36,600


Main ExportTrade taxes.
Sub-ExportTextiles, jewellery, gold work, metalwork, weaponry, vegetables, pottery.

Flora Despite unreliable rainfall, the fact that the Assyrian Nation does at least have four defined seasons with their own climates, makes the growth of flowers possible. Some of the most significant Syrian flowers sold to the upper classes or foreign traders include tulips, inverted tulips, gulnars, crocuses, Lilium Ledebourii, Fritillaria Persica, and irises. Rosewater is a popular export from Assyria.

Hardier plants like herbs and spices are grown and used far more across Assyria. These include: black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, fennel, nutmeg, mustard seeds, basil, dill, mint, parsley and dried, edible flowers like rose petals and saffron.

More than twenty percent of the land is forested with dense woodland. Species include oak, ash, elm, cypress, beech, willow, walnut, maple, mulberry and more specialised and valuable trees. Forests range from hardwood and juniperus to sub-tropical closer to the east and into the fertile crescent.

Fauna The animals of the Assyrian Nation are numerous and diverse. Mammals include mongeese, jackals, wolves, foxes, hyenas, leopards, lynxes, bears, boars, deer, gazelle, camels, cattle, rhinoceroses and buffalo. Lions are a more common sight in Assyria than any other land. The syrian elephant and caspian tiger are also prevalent in the area though, by modern times, they are extinct.

Numerous species of birds call Assyria home, particularly in its woodland areas but pheasants, partridges, storks, eagles, crane and falcons are perhaps the rarest of most notable in the area.

In the hotter or arid areas of the Nation reptiles like scorpions, vipers and cobras find their home; salamanders and geckos are their less venomous neighbours. In the deeper areas of the Tigris, crocodiles and bull sharks can occasionally be found.

Though the Assyrian Nation has little coastline, turtles and dolphins have a noticeable presence offshore. Fish such as bluefin tuna, salmon, cod, anchovies, sardines, swordfish, mackerel, mullet, bream and sea bass can all be found in the nets of local fishermen.

Natural Materials Fresh Water
Without the rich groundwater springs of Hattusa, Assyria's fresh waters comes more from above. Water collections, aqueducts, guttering and technology to syphon off water from the springtime rainfall is essential. As is monitoring the few wells and freshwater rivers in the area. If suffering a dry spring or limited resources, Assyria must turn to the Hittites for water deliveries from the north-west.
Crops
Due to the flood or starvation rainfall in Assyria, rice (particularly basmati rice) grows fairly well, so long as there is enough rainfall to flood the paddies. Perda, a wheat product akin to rice, is produced in a similar manner. Whilst the Assyrian Nation has to rely on international trade to make up the deficit in their arable farming, these rice and perda paddies keep the wheels turning most years. The only danger truly appears when weather is particularly unpredictable or during dry springs. Wheat and barley from other lands is usually made into lehmo or pita bread.
Ore
Assyria has vast ore deposits of bronze, gold and silver. Whilst they have limited iron and do not possess the expertise to use the little they have, caverns of other precious metals put the Nation in a strong position for trade and work closely with the Hittites to provide their militia with as much iron as the Hattusa Empire will allow.
Timber
Timber is in limited supply in Assyria compared to lands such as Roma and Hellas, but it is one of the largest suppliers of hardwood in the eastern lands. Small and particular areas of Assyria are known for their forestry, and stock timber or wooden crafts and items sell well across borders (particularly to Hattusa).
Vegetables
Assyria's vegetable diet is heavy in beans and ground vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower and zucchini. They grew many forms of lentils, potatoes and eggplants. Fruits, particularly citrus or high-flavour plants, are rarer in Assyria so herbs and spices are important for seasoning potentially bland dishes.
Meat
Assyrians have no qualms when it comes to diverse meats. Beef, pork, poultry, goat, venison, large cat, dog and horse flesh are all common meats to find on one's dishes or skewered in a kebab. They are also often included in thick and hearty stews. Most of these animals can be found domesticated in different areas of the Nation but many (particularly the lower classes) are hunted to meet current demand (such as for dinner that evening).