Mesopotamian Empires

Chapter 4, Lesson 2

The First Empires

►By 2400 B.C., Sumer’s city states were weakened by conflict.

►As they lost power, powerful kingdoms in Northern Mesopotamia and Syria arose.

►They sought to create Empires. Many different lands under one ruler.

►Through conquest and trade they expanded.

Who was Sargon?

►The ambitious leader of the kingdom of Akkad.

►He took his army and conquered the remaining Sumerian City-States one by one.

►By uniting these areas he became king of Sumer as well.

►Created the first Empire which lasted 200 years before it was taken over.

Who was Hammurabi

►The Amorites were a people that lived west of Mesopotamia.

►They conquered Mesopotamia and created their own cities.

►Babylon was the greatest of these cities. Located in what is now Iraq.

►Hammurabi was king of Babylon and expanded his empire by taking control the cities North and South.

Hammurabi’s Code

►Hammurabi was considered a just ruler.►Best known for creating laws for his

empire.►Included Crimes, farming, business,

marriage and family. Almost every area of life. It also listed punishments for each crime.

►The laws were much more strict than those of Sumeria. “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a

tooth?”

Hammurabi’s Code

►The seriousness of the crime should match the punishment. Was intended to get rid of blood feuds.

►The code also protected the less powerful. Such as protecting wives from being

abused by their husbands. Would later influence laws in Greece and

Rome.

The Assyrian Empire

►1,000 years later would have the rise of the Assyrian Empire.

►Expanded across four present day countries: Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq.

►The powerful armies were used to protect their lands and eventually expand the empire.

The Assyrian Army

►Well trained and disciplined.►50,000►Infantry – Foot Soldiers►Cavalry – Horse Soldiers►Charioteers – Used Chariots►Weapons: Swords, Spears, Slingshots,

bows and arrows.

The Assyrian Army

►Very destructive attacks. Destroyed towns and dams, robbed

people, set crops on fire.►Demanded tributes (forced

payments) from conquered people.►Word of their brutality spread and

people would surrender without a fight.

►They had the advantage of iron weapons.

Kings and Governments

►The Kings needed to be powerful to rule such a big area.

►They divided the empire into provinces. Governed as a political district of a country or

empire.►Government built roads to connect these areas.►King chose officials to govern, collect taxes, and

carry out laws.►Soldier were placed alongside the road to

protect traders from bandits.

Life in Assyria►The lives of Assyrians were built on what

they learned from other Mesopotamian people.

►Laws had more severe punishments.►Writing was based on Babylonian writing.►Worshipped many of these same gods.►Temples had wall carvings and statues.►One of the ancient kings named

Ashurbanipal built one of the world’s first libraries in Nineveh.

► It had 25,000 tablets of stories and songs on tablets.

Life in Assyria►Farming and trade were both

important to the Assyrians.►They imported wood and metal to

supply their empire with material for building and making tools and weapons.

The Chaldean Empire

►For 300 years the Assyrians were in rule.

►The people would often rebel because of the harsh rulers and eventually causes the Chaldeans to take over.

A New Empire

►When the Chaldeans had moved into Southern Mesopotamia they were quickly taken over by the Assyrians. They hated their new rulers and were

never completely under Assyrian control.►The Chaldean King Nabopolassar

reclaimed his kingdom while the Assyrians were fighting each other.

►In 627 B.C., Nabopolassar led a revolt.

A New Empire

►Within a year, he forced the Assyrians out of Uruk and was crowned King of Babylonia.

►The Medes people also wanted to break free and joined the Chaldeans and combined defeated the Assyrians.

►In 612 B.C., they completely took over and burned Nineveh to the ground (The Assyrian Capital)

A New Empire

►Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadnezzar created a new empire.

►This new empire consisted of people originally from the Babylon empire.

►The city of Babylon would be the new capital and the Chaldean empire is sometimes known as the New Babylonian Empire.

The Greatness of Babylon

► Babylon would become the richest and largest city of the world. It had brick walls with towers so soldier can watch for intruders.

► The Ziggurats golden roof could be seen from miles away when the sun shone on it.

► The Palace had much greenery and would be known as the Hanging Gardens. Considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

► The Hanging gardens had a complex irrigation system to keep all the plants watered.

► King Nebuchadnezzar built a beautiful street for his people to visit near the palace.

The Greatness of Babylon

►The street was also used in celebration every spring for the god Marduk. It was believed he would bring peace and better

crops.►The taxes and tributes were high to keep the

empire running smoothly.►Merchants traveled in Caravans (traveling

group) and helped Babylon prospers. The area used to be poor because of the Assyrians.

►The Chaldeans also invented one of the first sundials and the first to follow seven-day weeks.

The Fall of an Empire

►After Nebuchadnezzar died, The Chaldean empire had a series of weak kings and coupled with weak harvest were taken over by the Persians.

►The Persians allowed them to keep their distinct culture.

►They did not want to destroy all the Chaldeans had accomplished.