HITTITES, ASSYRIANS & PERSIANSAncient Warriors

THE HITTITE EMPIRE

Challenged Egypt for control of Palestine, Syria

Hittite married to daughter of Ramses II

Hittite kingdom gone by 1200 BC

GOVERNMENT

HITTITE WARRIORS

Similar to Mesopotamian culture

Government was different

King: no divine claims

King’s power: checked by council of nobles

Army ratified king’s succession to the throne

ACHIEVEMENTS

Discovered how to smelt iron

Brought Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures to Greeks

HITTITE WARRIORS

FAMOUS FOR HORSEMANSHIP AND ARCHERY

WHAT CAN YOU TELL ABOUT HITTITE WARFARE?

ASSYRIANS

THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE

Dominated ancient civilizations in Near East

From northern Mesopotamia and east of Tigris

Capital: Ninevah

Semitic language (related to Hebrew and Arabic)

Cultural similar to Mesopotamia

ASSYRIANS: A FIERCE PEOPLE

ASSYRIANS ENSLAVED THEIR PRISONERS

Large, well-disciplined army: fierce, cruel

Absolute control over defeated people

Garrisons in conquered territories

Scattered populations away from homelands

Defeated by Neo-Babylonians; then “absorbed” by Persians

THE PERSIANS

THE PERSIAN EMPIRE

Modern-day Iran

Medes dominated area

Conquered Mesopotamia, Assyria

Cyrus the Great conquered Medes

CYRUS THE GREAT

United Medes and Persians

Created huge Empire, included Lydia (Croesus), Babylon

Seen as liberator, tolerant;

Daniel

Jews started rebuilding temple under his rule

DARIUS THE GREAT Son of Cambyses (Cyrus’s

son)

Ruled through satraps (governors)

Long, prosperous reign

Persia grew to greatest extent

Involved in Persian Wars against Greeks