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Assyria originated in the 23rd century BC, its earliest king Tudiya being a contemporary of Ibrium of Ebla. It evolved from the Akkadian Empire of the late 3rd millennium BC. Assyria was a strong nation under the rule of Ilushuma, who founded colonies in Asia Minor and raided Isin and other Sumero-Akkadian states in southern Mesopotamia. Under Shamshi-Adad I and his successor Ishme-Dagan, Assyria was the seat of a regional empire controlling northern Mesopotamia and regions in Asia Minor and northern Syria. The 11th and 10th centuries BC were a dark age for the entire Near East, North Africa, Caucasus, Mediterranean and Balkan regions, with great upheavals and mass movements of people. Despite the apparent weakness of Assyria, it in fact remained a solid, well defended nation whose warriors were the best in the world. Assyria, with its stable monarchy and secure borders, was in a stronger position during this time than potential rivals such as Egypt, Babylonia, Elam, Phrygia, Urartu, Persia and Media. The Assyrian empire has at times been described as the first military power in history.

According to legend, Sargon, the first king of the Akkadian Kingdom, was discovered by a gardener in Mesopotamia in a basket. In time, he would found the city of Agade and raise an army of 5,400 men, and then conquer much of modern-day Iraq. His inscriptions boast of 34 victories and "5,400 men eating bread before Sargon", exemplifying both the vast manpower and the obedience of his troops. Though small by the standards of later kings, Sargon's army was larger and more sophisticated than others of the time, utilizing a combination of spears and missile weapons. Bronze swords and four wheeled chariots brushed aside any resistance as he carved out his empire, which may well have included parts of the Mediterranean, Anatolia and western Iran. Siege warfare was not a problem; most of the cities that were walled at the time of Sargon were made of mud and his inscriptions further boast of the destruction he brought on their walls. Though he utilized simple tactics that would be later emulated in many states, his dynasty survived for another 125 years. Assyrian, Babylonian and even Persian conquerors would claim to be Sargon's successors and attempt to emulate his great military success.

The Assyrian army's hierarchy was typical of the Mesopotamian armies at the time. The King whose rule was sanctioned by the gods, would be the commander of the entire army of the Empire. He would appoint senior officers on certain occasions to campaign in his place if his presence on the battlefield could or had to be spared.

Sargon of Akkad is believed to have created the first standing army. Such feats required food and weapons to be supplied to the army at all times. He is also credited for introducing the composite bow to Mesopotamia as he defeated his Sumerian adversaries. Later on, his successor Shulgi introduced specialized units; grouping missile units and infantry into different smaller groups.

Before the reforms of Tiglath-Pileser III, the Assyrian army was also very much similar to the other Mesopotamian armies of the time. Soldiers were mostly raised farmers, who had to return to their fields to collect the harvest. Professional soldiers were limited to a few bodyguards that protected the King and or other nobles and officials but these would not have been deployed or wasted in battle unless the situation became urgent, as it later did.

Although the Sumerians are credited for inventing the wheel sometime before 3000 BC, the Assyrians were the first to manufacture tires of metal, made from copper, bronze and later iron. Metal-covered wheels have the advantage of being more durable and, when overrunning an opponent in battle, will have a greater effect.

The core of the Assyrian army lay in its chariots. Originally these chariots were used as two-horse vehicles. The Ancient Egyptians and Sumerians used war chariots in this fashion as firing mobile platforms or as mobile command platforms; the elevated view would give the general some ability to see how the troops fared in battle. The Assyrians also used Chariots in reconnaissance, carrying messages to and from the frontlines as well as for battle. However, the rise of cavalry in the 1st millennium BC meant that by the 7th century BC, the chariot was demoted to combat duties only; lighter chariots consisting of two to three horses were later upgraded under the reign of Ashurnasirpal II to heavy four horse chariots. Such chariots could contain more men (four in total). Heavier chariots also found new roles; smashing into enemy formations and dispersing the infantry in the process. The Assyrian cavalry and infantry would then be able to exploit the gap and rout the enemy there by taking the battlefield.

Cavalry were rarely used by the Assyrians or many other Mesopotamians until the 9th century BC when their use is mentioned during the reign of Tukulti-Ninurta II.

While cavalry provided the most expensive and effective arm of the Assyrian Empire, Infantry are cheaper and more numerous. In the right circumstances, they were also more effective, for example in siege warfare whereby the mobility provided by Horsemen would be of no advantage in such encounters. Assyrian Infantry were composed of both native Assyrians and foreigners employed as auxiliaries, spearmen, slingers, shield bearers or archers. The latter type was the most dominant in Assyrian armies.

Lancers were introduced to the infantry under Tiglath-pileser III. The idea was that a long spear would be able to penetrate and attack the enemy's ranks at longer range than a sword or a dagger could. Armour (lamellar) amongst the melee troops was limited to elite soldiers only, while the rest of the army made do with shields and helmets.

The archers were the most dominant in Assyrian armies. From the time of Ashurnasirpal, archers would be accompanied by a shield bearer while slingers would aim to distract the enemy into lowering their shield to protect against the stones, thereby allowing the archers to shoot above their shield walls and slay their enemies. Even in siege warfare, arrows were used to drive back defenders from the wall while engineers advanced against the fortifications. Many different types of bows are recorded by the Assyrians, including Akkadian, Cimmerian and their own "Assyrian" type. However, it is most likely that these were simply different variants of the powerful composite bow. Depending upon the bow, an archer would have a range of anything between 250 to 650 meters. Vast amounts of arrows could be expended in battle so in preparation for war many arrows would be made. Facilities also existed that would travel with the army's supply train that could manufacture more arrows. An Assyrian army without arrows was an army without the main capability to win.

Cavalry were rarely used by the Assyrians or many other Mesopotamians until the 9th century BC when their use is mentioned during the reign of Tukulti-Ninurta II. Before then, many nomads or steppe warriors relied on cavalry, who raided Assyrian lands. The Assyrians had to counter this mobile form of warfare and so beat their opponents (especially the Iranians) at their own game. Perhaps the greatest outside influence is that of the Iranian Medes.

The Assyrians would experience fewer problems with Cavalry when they were deployed as Lancers; under Tiglath Pileser III, the Assyrian Cavalry continued to be paired of but this time each warrior holds his own lance and controls their own horse. By the 7th century BC, mounted Assyrian warriors were well armed with a bow and a lance, armored with lamellar armor and their mounts equipped with fabric armor, providing limited yet useful protection in close combat and against missiles. Cavalry would form the core of the later Assyrian armies.