Answer: a.to show Assyria’s overwhelming strength.
The Assyrian Empire was a Mesopotamian kingdom and empire of the ancient Near East and the Levant. Assyria was located around the Tigris river in Upper Mesopotamia, and it included parts of modern Iran, Iraq and Syria. It existed between ca. 25th century BC until its collapse between 612-609 BC. Assyria is generally considered the "cradle of civilization" along with cultures such as Sumer, the Akkadian Empire and Babylonia.