Asshur

Asshur is the name both of a city/empire as well as a person.

City:

Asshur was an ancient city on the west bank of the Tigris. It took its name from its national deity named Ashur, and the city itself gave the name to the nation/people called Asshur everywhere in the Hebrew Bible but usually translated as Assyria and Assyrians in English versions. Though never mentioned in the OT, it should surprise us little that it easily ranked alongside the other Assyrian cities like Nineveh, Calah, and Arbela in importance. Situated amidst a rich hinterland, it also astrided the main trade routes along the Tigris. Archaeological research points to its establishment as far back as 2400 BC. It became the capital of the Assyrian empire in the 14th Cent BC, and remained so for the next five centuries until Ashurnasirpal moved the capital to Calah (the capital was moved again, two hundred years later to Nineveh by Sennacherib). After losing its prominence in the affairs of the nation, the city went into decline; its remains were not re-discovered until the 19th Cent AD.

Person:

One of the five sons of Shem, son of Noah (Gen 10:22//1 Chon 1:17). Since the author's focus in this account is set on the ancestors of the Israelites, he tells us nothing more about Asshur.