Around the beginning of this period merchants from the Assyrian capital Ashur on the River Tigris in north Mesopotamia established trading connections with Anatolia (modern Turkey). Caravans of donkeys carried tin and textiles across the plains of Syria and through the passes of the Taurus Mountains to colonies where the goods were sold for silver. The Assyrian merchants documented their activities as letters written on cuneiform tablets, almost all of which have been found at Kanesh (modern Kültepe), the main Assyrian trading centre ( karum) in central Anatolia.

Around 1400 BC Ashur became dominated by the Hurrian kingdom of Mitanni. Some 40 years later, however, Assyria’s fortunes were reversed. Beginning with Ashur-uballit I (reigned 1365-1330 BC) a series of powerful kings attacked and reduced the power of Mitanni. Under Tiglath-pileser I (reigned 1244-1208 BC) Assyria controlled territory as far west as the River Euphrates and conquered Babylonia to the south. By the end of the 12th century BC however, Assyria was faced with increasing trouble from Aramaean tribal groups across Syria. Ashur-bel-kala (reigned 1073-1056 BC) devoted almost every year of his reign to campaigns against the Aramaeans and by 1000 BC Assyria had been reduced to the lands encompassing the cities of Ashur and Nineveh.