The Power of Partnerships: Lessons from the Assyrian Empire

The great ancient empires of the world were rarely built by force alone. They endured because they mastered and refined the art of partnership, binding others to a shared purpose through trust, structure and accountability. Something we can still learn from today.

I studied Ancient History and Egyptology at UCL, sadly a degree no longer available today, and became extremely interested in how early states managed to govern highly complex societies over geographically expansive areas. I was particularly fascinated with the Assyrians and my dissertation looked at the political treaties of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Treaties are not what immediately springs to mind when one thinks of the Assyrians, they are most often remembered for their military might and quite frankly, brutality. Undoubtedly their military campaigns were hugely successful, but I would argue that their true genius lay in the system of political treaties they established with neighbouring states. A sophisticated framework that governed relationships across vast areas and diverse cultures. They clearly understood very well the power of formalised relationships.

Those clay tablets and treaty oaths, some nearly 3,000 years old, are not simply instruments of control. They are some of the earliest examples of codified governance and strategic partnership.

The first governance frameworks

The Neo-Assyrians understood that control without consent was unsustainable. Their empire stretched all the way from the Persian Gulf, to the Mediterranean and Egypt and from parts of the Arabian Peninsula to the Caucasus Mountains in the north. This encompassed diverse cultures and loyalties and it’s quite astounding that it lasted so long.

To hold it together they created formalised vassal treaties which were agreements that codified mutual obligations between Assyria and its allied states. These were not crude instruments of dominance but were, in effect, the world’s first frameworks of accountability. Documents which defined expectations, responsibilities and boundaries. The ancient version of compliance systems and governance codes. Each side knew what was required: loyalty in exchange for protection. Tribute in exchange for autonomy.

The brilliance of the system was its durability. By translating political relationships into written, repeatable agreements, the Assyrians built a network of trust that could outlast any individual king.

Trust as strategy

When you read the Neo-Assyrian treaties and loyalty oaths you cannot help but be struck by how deeply rooted in trust they are. The Assyrian king had to rely on vassal kings fulfilling their part of the bargain and so oaths were sworn before the gods, embedding trust as a sacred obligation.  They recognise that power is fluid and that influence must be renewed through shared interest and cooperation . Reaffirmation ceremonies were held each year, institutionalising the concept of renewable trust and ensuring that relationships could be reaffirmed and adapted through the generations.

The Assyrian kings recognised that power without legitimacy cannot be sustained which is why the gods are so deeply connected to the king. The treaties were tools for creating stability through shared understanding and cooperation. It’s this strategic use of trust that enabled the empire to govern such vast, diverse territories and it’s something that still resonates deeply today.

From clay tablets to governance

I now find myself working in a world equally defined by interdependence, albeit nearly 3,000 years later. This world is the complex web of investors, portfolio companies, regulators and data ecosystems.

Policies, procedures, data protection standards, technical controls and contractual governance are in effect the modern treaties of our world. They define how organisations operate, how risk is shared and how resilience is developed and sustained. Like those treaties written on clay tablets, they exist to turn uncertainty into order, giving relationships structure and longevity.

Long-term partnerships

The Assyrian kings knew that building a successful empire could not be done by conquest alone. It was about building partnerships and continuity. Their treaties were statements of shared interest, designed to survive leadership changes.

This is how we work today. We believe that long-term partnerships with your Cyber Security leadership creates compounding value: lower onboarding costs, reduced risk, consistent governance and relationships built on trust. This continuity becomes a form of protection, safeguarding reputation and enterprise value.

Legacy through structure

As the Neo-Assyrian Empire demonstrates, true legacy is not built on conquest alone but rather on partnership, commitment and continuity. That’s how empires endure and it’s how modern organisations, and their investors, build resilience, reputation and longevity. Legacy isn’t inherited; it’s engineered through partnership.

Eleni is a Director of Penpole Consulting, a Cyber Security service provider that helps Private Equity firms maximise portfolio company value by improving cyber security posture and reducing operational risk.