Assyrian Caravans: 8th-Century BCE Trade Networks Across the Middle East

The Assyrian caravans were state-organized trade convoys operating from the 8th century BCE under the Neo-Assyrian Empire. They linked the imperial core (Assur, Nineveh, Nimrud) with:

• Egypt (via Levant)
• Anatolia (metals, timber)
• Iran/Central Asia (lapis, horses)
• Arabian Peninsula (incense, spices)

Caravans carried textiles, metals, grain, luxury goods and military supplies. Protected by imperial garrisons, they integrated the empire economically and politically. The network declined with Assyria's fall (609 BCE) but influenced later Persian and Hellenistic routes.