Subartu - the ancestor of what would, in a thousand years, evolve into the great Assyrian empire - is still very much like Babylon : a small and weak state, compared to the other western Asian juggernauts of Elam, Egypt and Naharin. However, it has had great successes, and its control of the strategic trade routes coming out from the north and east into Mesopotamia has served it well. Being at the centre of such a strategic yet dangerous location has meant that Subartu has had to play the long game of defence - which is something its ruling elites have managed to achieve despite their differences.

Although it clearly follows the Semitic culture of its nomadic ancestors from the west, the city-state of Subartu on the northern reaches of the Tigris river is also clearly one of the heirs of the late Sumerian peoples, even if its great enemy to the east, Elam, does have a greater claim to that title. Subartu's armies are also a reflection of this fact, being able to early on muster Onager teams (a unit shared with Babylon, Elam and the distant Siberian peoples), and later upgrade these same units into Light Chariots.

This is especially important because of the ability of Subartu to save Timber on construction of most buildings - each billet of wood saved up can be invested either in more Commerce research, or to build up more onagers/chariots and archers - the main staple of most Middle Eastern armies in Hammurabi. Onagers can be a rather powerful component of early Sumero-Akkadian armies, as very few units at the beginning have armour to resist them, and while they are slow, they are fairly powerful, being able to resist archer and slinger fire more than Light Chariots. However, Subartu doesn't have just Onagers or Archers, but it also has a very variegated roster, including even Anatolian and Semitic levies which can be used to bulk up an army, Wealth willing. All told, Subartu is a well-balanced faction, and like its namesake, can very much dominate any game played so long as forethought and aggression guide your gameplay.