Assyria

   Akingdom situated in northern Iraq that was renowned for its warring capabilities. Assyria benefited from the destruction of Mitanni and the Hittite Empire and expanded southward to conquer Mesopotamia and westward to Syria and Palestine, whose states were annexed or reduced to vassal status. The kingdom came into conflict with Egypt at the beginning of Dynasty 25, but its forces were kept at bay until the reign of Esarhaddon (681–69 BC), who invaded Egypt in 671 BC. Nubian ruler Taharqo of Dynasty 25 was defeated and driven south, and members of the royal family were captured, but Assyrian forces were eventually expelled.

   The son and successor of Esarhaddon, Ashurbanipal (669–27 BC), renewed the campaign, took Memphis, and drove Taharqo south again. The local princes of the Delta submitted, notably Nekau I of Sais of Dynasty 26, who became the chief Assyrian vassal after the other princes were executed for disloyalty. The new ruler of Dynasty 25, Tantamani, invaded Egypt from Nubia in 664 BC, after the departure of the main Assyrian forces, and killed Nekau, whose son, Psamtik I, fled to Assyria for protection. In 663 BC, the Assyrians returned, defeated the Nubians, and sacked Thebes. During Psamtik I’s long reign, the control of Assyria gradually weakened due to internal difficulties, and Egypt regained independence. When the Assyrian kingdom was destroyed in 612 BC, the remnants appealed to Egypt for help, and Nekau IIinvaded Palestine as an ally but was defeated by the Babylonians at the battle of Carchemish in 609 BC, after which Assyria disappeared as a political entity.

Historical Dictionary Of Ancient Egypt by Morris L. Bierbrier