What comes to your mind when you think of "Assyrians"?

[AngelOfLight258]

I recently found out that my grandma on my dad's side was Assyrian. She died when my dad was a small child so he didn't know too much about that side of his family history.

Ancient empire

People From North Mesopotamia

Do you mean Syria?

[ManOnFire]

The old empire is usually what comes to mind, yeah. But mostly the fact that they're no longer called "Assyrians" and just now Syrians. Not sure what the purpose was of omitting the A and S lol.

[AngelOfLight258]

Actually, Assyrians are still around and are a separate group from Syrians.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_people

[ManOnFire]

Wow. Learned something new. So if these Assyrians are an ethnic group of their own, then why are there Syrians? Or WHO are Syrians?

[AngelOfLight258]

Modern Syrians are descended from the Ancient Arameans who mixed with Arabs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arameans

The Arameans aren't around as a distinct ethnic group any more but their language became the lingua franca of the Assyrian empire and Assyrians still speak it to this day.

I always thought my dad was full Syrian but we recently found out his mom was Assyrian. I have a feeling that's going to confuse a lot of people when I tell them I'm 1/4 Syrian and 1/4 Assyrian.

[AngelOfLight258]

Pretty much all Assyrians are Christian (in fact they were the first people to do so). Most Syrians are Muslim but there are still a lot of Syrians who are Christian.

[ManOnFire]

Yeah, Aramea is in the Bible. So I guess you could say they 'evolved' over time into Syrians.

Well, then I guess that makes you a half pound burger lol.

[ManOnFire]

Love that username by the way.

[Guy13]

Defeated Babylon (Iraq),

Syria, Jordan, Lebanon... killed people and hung on spears. Known for their cruelty. Occupiers of Judea... North/South Israel

[HippieVeganJewslim]

When was that?

[Debbie14217]

nothing... sorry

[ChiTown33]

Hammurabi's code.