Actually, a study of Tyre's sieges and capitulations will involve many indecisive ‘stalemates' and a much longer period than one starting with the Assyrians. The further back we go, the less is known, but apparently the little Sidonian colony of Tyre was destroyed by or abandoned after an attack of Amorites sometime between 2300 and 1900. Later it was destroyed by Elamites, then re-colonized in 1191. Before reading this, I had no idea the Elamites ever made it this far.

After the period of Tyre's strongest growth, during which Hiram had built the island city, sieges had to be much more powerful. The city had trading communities set up in Tarsus, Tell Halaf (Zingirli), Karatepe, and Carchemish, all near the junction of Asia Minor and the Near East. They also installed a harbor at Myriandros (near modern Iskanderum), and may even have opened a commercial agency on the banks of the Euphrates. When the Assyrians moved into this area, the Tyrians were ejected, so this could actually be thought of as the first attack by Assyria on Tyre.

Tiglatpileser III was the first Assyrian to actually attack Phoenicia. After the fall of several northern Phoenician cities, Tyre quickly surrendered to him. Because of this, Tyre lost less land than the other cities, but Phoenicia as a whole lost Arvad and Byblos. From 734 on, Tyre also had to submit to the presence of Assyrian inspectors and customs officials. Because of their reports, Tyre's annual tribute to Assyria jumped up to 150 talents of gold.

The Assyrian, Salmanasar, blockaded the city from 724 till 720 (about 5 years), during which the mainland city of Tyre capitulated and continued to trade with the Assyrians, but the island city remained inviolate.

Then Sargon II invaded the land. This man changed the military policies of Assyria. Rather than just conquering cities, he believed in devastation, destruction, mass deportations, and repopulation. He never completely conquered Tyre though. Perhaps he understood that a healthy Tyre, paying a healthy tribute, would be worth much more than if he conquered it without having the ships to take over its maritime trade.

When Tyrian King Luli rebelled against the Assyrian, Sennacherib, in 701, Tyre ended up losing Sidon, almost all of its mainland holdings, and most of her inhabitants were shipped off to Nineveh. Pro-Assyrian monarchs and governors were given control of the city. All Tyre had left was the island and her mainland suburbs.

Somehow, the spirit of independence remained, because Assyria made several more blockades in the 670s and 660s. One of these (663) was by Ashurbanipal, in which he built a land bridge out to the island. He claims to have beaten them and torn down the landbridge, but some authors think he may have just been bragging.

Then in 640, Assyria deprived the city of her mainland suburbs. Even though Tyre had suffered the replacement of its government and most of its people, it maintained its autonomy until the Neo-Babylonian, Nebuchadnezzar, laid siege to it for 13 years, starting in 585. Tyre did not capitulate, but in 570, her king, Ithobaal III, and royal family were deported to Babylon, possibly as a term in the agreement to end the siege. When Ithobaal's son, Baal II, died in 564, the monarchy ended and the city was put under the control of Babylonian "judges', which system remained in control through the Persian Empire.

The last siege Tyre endured was that thrust upon it by Alexander the Great. There is considerably more detail about this siege. Because of that and all the fame of his siege of Tyre, I'll hold this discussion off for a day or two.