"BTW, I find it funny when you commented ""I understand you just did a google books search. If you look at the Toynbee quote in context, you will see that ""Persian province of Assyria"" is in scare quotes, referring to a misunderstanding on the part of Herodotus. Would it be too much to ask of you to research this on your own? Because I get the feeling it will be left to me once again to find out the truth of the matter once more, while you stand by idly shouting ""Assyria Assyria"" from time to time"" 

 and then come back with; 

 "". Ilya Gershevitch (1985) states: ""it is now certain that Athura cannot have been an administrative unit in the Persian Empire""[13"" 

 As if you done something different then me.    

 "