The Assyrian people, most commonly known as Assyrians and other later names, such as: Chaldeans, Syrians, Syriacs (see names of Syriac Christians), are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia. They are Eastern Aramaic speaking Semites who trace their ancestry back to the Sumero-Akkadian civilisation that emerged in Mesopotamia circa 4000- 3500 BC, and in particular to the northern region of the Akkadian lands, which would become known as Assyria by the 24th Century BC. The Assyrian nation existed as an independent state, and often a powerful empire, from the 24th century BC until the end of the 7th century BC.

Today that ancient territory is part of several nations; Assyria remained a Geo-political entity after its fall, and was ruled as an occupied province under the rule of various empires from the late 7th century BC until the mid 7th century AD when it was dissolved, and the Assyrian people have gradually become a minority in their homelands since that time. They are indigenous to, and have traditionally lived all over what is now Iraq, north east Syria, north west Iran, and Southeastern Turkey. They are predominantly Christian.

Assyrians in Armenia (Armenian: Ասորիներ, Asoriner) make up the country's third largest ethnic minority, after Yazidis and Russians. According to the 2001 census, there are 3,409 Assyrians living in Armenia, and Armenia is home to some of the last surviving Assyrian communities in the Caucasus. There were 6,000 Assyrians in Armenia before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but because of Armenia's struggling economy during the 1990s, the population has been cut by half, as many have emigrated.

Assyrians and Armenians have had contacts since ancient times, as the Kingdom of Urartu was the regional rival of the Assyrian empire from 825 BC to 608 BC. Today's Assyrian population in Armenia are mostly descendants of settlers who came starting in the early nineteenth century during the Russo-Persian War (1826-1828), when thousands refugees fled their homeland in the areas around Urmia in Persia. In the beginning of the 20th century, many came from what is today Southeastern Turkey, specifically the Hakkari region, where it was common to have Assyrians and Armenians living in the same villages. Assyrians, like their Armenian neighbors, suffered during a genocide by the Ottoman Turks, in which an estimated 275,000 Assyrians perished. As many Armenians fled Anatolia for what is today Armenia, many Assyrians followed as well, citing it as the only "Christian haven" in the region,although many also fled to Georgia (see Assyrians in Georgia). Throughout history, relations between the Assyrians and Armenian majority have tended to be very friendly, as both groups have practiced Christianity since ancient times and have suffered through Islamic persecution.

Janan Sawa (born 1956 Dohuk, Iraq) (Syriac: ܔܢܐܢ ܒܒܐ ܣܒ݂ܐ) is a famous Assyrian musician.

A Catholic by faith, Janan started singing in 1972, at the age of 17. In 1975, Janan's father forced him to marry. He spent 4 years in the Iraqi army, from 1974 to 1978.

In 1980, Janan fled Iraq and settled in Greece for 2 years. He finally left for the United States in 1982, where he remains a resident. After arriving in the U.S., Janan worked as a taxicab driver for 2 years. It was during this period that he decided to grow his now famous moustache. In 1984, he was hired by a restaurant to sing on a nightly basis. In 1985, he recorded his first studio album, named "Nohadra", the Assyrian name for his hometown, Dohuk. His first single was Chokhe, which became very popular at Assyrian social events. Janan has admitted that Turkish music plays some role in his style of music.

He has been married once and is now divorced, but had two daughters with his ex-wife. Janan is known for his well groomed moustache. He currently resides in Michigan. To date, Sawa has released 23 albums. His brother, Esam Sawa, is also a singer.

The Assyrian independence (also known as the Assyrian Question) is a political movement and ideology that supports the creation of an Assyrian state or an autonomy for the Syriac-speaking Christian Assyrian people in northern Iraq.

The issue of Assyrian independence has been brought up many times throughout the course of history from the end of World War I to the present-day Iraq War. The Assyrian-inhabited area of Iraq is located in the Ninawa-Mosul region in northern Iraq where the biblical Assyrian capital of Nineveh was located. This area is known as the "Assyrian Triangle."

Before World War I, about half of the Assyrian population lived in what is today Turkey. The Ottoman Empire declared war against the Allies and the British in October 1914. For geographic reasons, it was important for the British to gain the support of the Assyrians. Because of large oil fields, Britain wanted to insure that the Mosul region would be part of the newly-colonized Iraq instead of the future state of Turkey. The Assyrians promised loyalty to the British in return for an independent state in the future. After the invasion of Mosul by the Young Turks, the Assyrian army, led by General Agha Petros, fought intensively against the Turkish soldiers and pushed them out of the region, leading to Britain's control of the region. The battles are described in detail by surviving letters of Petros and British officials.

Hirmis Aboona, (Syriac: ܗܪܡܙܕ‏ ܐܒܘܢܐ), was an Assyrian historian who was known for his publications concerning the history of the Assyrians in northern Iraq.

Hirmis Aboona was born in 1940 in Alqosh to Mushe Aboona and Meryam Asmar. After finishing his elementary school in his home town his family moved to Baghdad in 1952, there he graduated from the law faculty at the University of Baghdad in 1963. He worked at a number of governmental institutions in Baghdad and married Nani Isa Rashshoo where they had 4 children together. He moved with his family to London in 1982 where he pursuited higher education at the University of Exeter obtaining his history Ph.D for his thesis The Assyrian independent tribes in Tyari and Hakkari and their relationship with the Kurds and Turks.

In 1988 Aboona and his family emigrated to Toronto, Canada where he resided until his death due to a heart attack in 19 April 2009.

Hirmis Aboona dedicated a number of years writing his Book of 12 volumes The Assyrian After the Fall of Nineveh. He also participated in a number of Assyrian conferences in North America, Europe and Australia. He also lectured at a number of Universities including the University of Sydney, University of Cambridge, as well as various universities in Syria and Lebanon.