Though the Christians of Iraq trace their origin to the ancient Assyrians, some Western writers have expressed doubt about such a possibility, because history books make no mention about what happened to the ancient Assyrians, after their 612 BC defeat by the Babylonians and the Medians. This has led to the mistaken assumption that they were defeated into extinction. Contrary to the popular belief, ancient Assyrians survived their 612 BC defeat, and their descendants continued into the Christian era. As Assyrialogist H.W.F. Saggs puts it: "The destruction of the Assyrian empire did not wipe out its population. They were predominantly peasant farmers, and since Assyria contains some of the best wheat land in the Near East, descendants of the Assyrian peasants would, as opportunity permitted, build new villages over the old cities and carry on with agricultural life, remembering traditions of the former cities. After seven or eight centuries and various vicissitudes, these people became Christians." Other Assyrialogists such as Simo Parpola, Robert D. Diggs, Giorgi Tsereteli, and Iranologists like Richard Nelson Frye have come to the same conclusion. Assyrians Beyond the Fall of Nineveh presents historical and Archaeological evidences to document these facts. It provides information about the survival of the ancient Assyrians after their fall, in the cities of Ashur, Hatra, Nineveh, Harran, and other places. Evidences suggest that some aspects of the ancient Assyrians religion and culture survived into the Christian era among their descendants. The 2nd part of the book deals with the history of the Christians of Iraq, who consider themselves descendants of the ancient Assyrians, but since the 2003 invasion of that country by the United States, they have been subjected to various forms of persecutions, by the Islamists. Assyrians Beyond the Fall of Nineveh describes their extreme suffering, heroism, and achievements.
About the Author: William M. Warda was born in Iran; he arrived in the United States to further his education and has lived there since. He has done extensive Research about the history of the ancient Assyrians after the fall of Nineveh, and about the history of the Christian Assyrians. He has written dozens of articles about these two subjects that have been published in the Assyrian publications, and on the Internet. In 2003 he established the www.christiansofiraq.com website, to bring to the attention of the world, the persecution of the Christians of Iraq by the Islamist. Warda has served as the president and member of the board of directors of the Assyrian American Association of Southern California.