Babylonia and Assyria

Two Empires of Mesopotamia

• The Babylonian King, Hammurabi, united the cities of Sumer with Babylon

• Babylon was the center of trade, where caravans of travelers brought their goods to the bazaars

• The Babylonian empire lasted until 1600 B.C.

• Assyria lay north of Babylon on the Tigris river• Because it lay on open land without natural

borders, its people became skillful warriors• The capital, Nineveh, had a great library and

became a center for learning• Assyria invented a weapon called the

battering ram • The Medes and Chaldeans smashed the

Assyrian empire in 612 B.C.

Babylonia Rises Again

• Nebuchadnezzar II rebuilt the city of Babylon which was destroyed by the Assyrians

• City was surrounded by giant walls with a gigantic palace in the center

• The New Babylonian empire became a center for learning and science

• Chaldean Inventions: charted paths to the stars, measured the length of a year, and raised wild bees for honey