Download Empires of Mesopotamia

Empires of Mesopotamia
New Vocabulary
Empire – many territories and peoples controlled by ________________________
Babylon – the _______________ of Babylonia; a city of great wealth and luxury
Caravan – a group of ___________________ journeying ____________________
Bazaar – a _____________ selling different kinds of ______________
In the Beginning
• Sargon the 1st was the ruler of Akkad.
• He set out and conquered the Sumerian city-states.
• By ruling more than one city-state he creates the first empire.
• The conquered city-states now spoke Akkadian, but the Akkadians
worshipped Sumerian gods.
• Break! Why would Sargon make his conquered cities speak his language,
and make his citizens worship Sumerian gods?
• However, after 200 years the Akkadian Empire grew weak. Cities in
Mesopotamia revolted for their freedom.
• Hammurabi, an Amorite, or Old Babylonian, reigned from 1792-1750 BCE.
Babylon and King Hammurabi
 Hammurabi was the king of Babylon. He united the cities of Sumer and
then expanded his empire.
 The Babylonian people created a monarchy supported by a system of
taxation to pay for running the government.
 Tax collectors traveled throughout the empire collecting tax money from
citizens.
A Crossroads of Trade
 Babylon became rich due to trade. Caravans, traveled back and forth from
the Sumerian cities in the south to the city of Akkad in the north. Along the
way, they always stopped in Babylon to trade.
 Roads were built throughout the empire which made travel easier and
encouraged trade.
 Babylon had special markets, called bazaars, that people could go to and
buy cotton cloth from India. They could also buy spices from Egypt there.
Hammurabi’s Code
 Hammurabi was the king who united most of Mesopotamia and
conquered the Sumerians. Hammurabi developed a written set of laws
for his people to follow in 1790 BC.
 A total of 282 laws form the Hammurabi’s Code. Law number 196
states: If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.
Some people summarize Hammurabi’s code by saying “an eye for an
eye.”
 Hammurabi’s Code provided that the punishment should be similar to
the crime. Under this principle, breaking another person’s arm in anger
is punished by having your own arm broken.
 For certain crimes people could be put to death. Many laws warned
lawbreakers of what to expect.
 A person who accidentally broke the law was just as guilty as someone
who meant to break the law.
 The code was carved into stone and placed in public places for all to see.
The laws were meant to serve as a lasting way to keep order and
prevent troubles in the future.
 If any one steal the minor son of another, he shall be put to death.
 If any one is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to
death.
 If any one open his ditches to water his crop, but is careless, and the
water flood the field of his neighbor, then he shall pay his neighbor for
his loss.
 If a surgeon causes the death of his patient, his hand shall be cut off.
 If a son strike his father, his hand shall be cut off.
Babylonia is Conquered
 Hammurabi conquered many neighboring cities, and he kept expanding his
empire.
 Hammurabi would often go to war against his allies (friends) as well.
 When the city of Elam attacked Larsa, Hammurabi helped Larsa defend
themselves.
 Once Elam was conquered, Hammurabi turned right around and conquered
Larsa!
 Break!
 Hypothesize why Hammurabi would do that?
 Each time that Babylon would conquer another city, Hammurabi would
take the city’s chariots, weapons, tools, and all their riches.
 Trading helped Babylon get rich, and so did conquest.
 Though Hammurabi formed a large and rich empire, the people that ruled
after him could not keep it together.
 The empire kept getting smaller and smaller until eventually it was
destroyed.
The Assyrians Rise to Power
 Assyria was a small kingdom of walled cities that was located north of
Babylon. Their city was located in open land that was easily attacked, and
they had to constantly defend themselves against invaders.
 They became skilled warriors. At around 1365 B.C., the Assyrians decided
that the best defense they had was to attack other countries first, before
they could attack them.
 By 650 B.C., Assyria had conquered a large empire. King Sargon II was a
successful and ruthless Assyrian ruler.
The Assyrian War Machine
 The Assyrians were geniuses at waging war. They invented the battering
ram, which they used to pound down city walls.
 They used catapults to throw rocks at enemies, and they protected their
archers with helmets and armor.
 Chariots were used to slash their way through enemy troops.
Assyrian Learning
 The capital of the Assyrian Empire was a city called Nineveh.
 Nineveh became a great city of learning. It had a famous library that held
thousands of clay tablets with writings from Sumer and Babylon.
 These records tell us a lot about life in Mesopotamia.
Assyria Overthrown
 The people that the Assyrians conquered were constantly rebelling against
Assyrian rule.
 Most of the time, the Assyrians crushed the people who tried to fight them.
 However, in 612 B.C., the Medes and Chaldeans joined together to smash
the Assyrian empire.
The New Babylonian Empire
 The Chaldeans created a new empire, centered at Babylon after they
defeated the Assyrians in 612 BC.
 The greatest king of Babylon was Nebuchadnezzar II.
 He rebuilt Babylon and put massive walls around the city to protect it. He
also built a great palace with hanging gardens.
A New Center for Learning
 Under the Chaldeans, the New Babylonian empire became a center of
learning and science.
 Chaldean astronomers charted stars and measured the correct length of
the year.
 Chaldean farmers raised bees for their honey. Many people came to
Babylon to share ideas and discoveries.
The Fall of the Second Babylonian Empire
 The second Babylonian empire came under attack and was defeated by the
Persians, who were led by Cyrus the Great, in 539 BC.
 The Persians built the largest empire the Fertile Crescent has ever known.