Assyrian

Indigenous Christian people of the Middle East, as well as founders of the empires of Assyria and Babylonia. Commonly referenced in the Bible, Assyrians created one of the most historically organized systems of government and society. Assyrians were the first civilization to establish a system of common laws, a library system, and are recognized as inventors of the wheel. Throughout history, Assyrians have been subjected to massive genocide. There are currently only 3.3 million Assyrians living today, with about half the global Assyrian population living in Iraq. Locations with the largest concentrations of Assyrians in the United States, which is the home to about 400,000 Assyrians, are the Chicago, IL area with about 70,000 Assyrians, and the Modesto, CA area with about 20,000 Assyrians. Also see Chaldeans, or Catholic Assyrians.