Beneath the Tigris: The Ingenious Assyrian Soldiers Who Mastered Underwater Warfare 3,000 Years Ago
In the grand tapestry of human innovation, certain discoveries remind us just how timeless creativity truly is. Long before the age of submarines and scuba gear, when empires were carved by hand and ingenuity was measured in survival, the Assyrians—one of the most formidable civilizations of the ancient world—were already exploring the mysteries beneath the water’s surface.
Over 3,000 years ago, these early engineers developed a revolutionary underwater technique that allowed their soldiers to breathe while submerged. The key? Goatskin air bags—primitive but effective diving devices that stand as one of history’s earliest recorded examples of underwater breathing technology.
This extraordinary scene is immortalized in a stunning Assyrian stone relief, now housed in the British Museum, of...




















