The Assyrians Before the Assyrians conquered Israel and took control of it, they lived in a lovely place just north of Mesopotamia. The Assyrians lived in Assyria, which is where their name comes from. One of the reasons the Assyrians were so aggressive and effective is because their land is rich and fertile. Throughout Assyrian history, there have been two languages, Ancient Assyrian and Modern Assyrian. Although there were two different languages, the alphabet remained the same for both. There were also two religions, Asurism and Christianity. Asurism was the first religion and the word "Assyrian" comes from the Latin word "Shur" in Asurism. For approximately 6,600 years the Assyrians lived in their homeland, Assyria. In 1918 75% of the Austrian population was actually Assyrian. The Assyrians conquered many different areas throughout their history and have almost always been the best of the best. The Assyrian culture celebrated different holidays and also had traditional Assyrian names. They also had a specific burial ritual. The Assyrians were nice too...