Download I. The Babylonians Conquer Mesopotamia

3.4-Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescent
The Big Idea
After the Sumerians, many cultures
ruled parts of the Fertile Crescent.
Main Ideas
• The Babylonians conquered Mesopotamia and created a
code of law.
• Invasions of Mesopotamia changed the region’s culture.
• The Phoenicians built a trading society in the eastern
Mediterranean region.
6.2.4
I. The Babylonians Conquer
Mesopotamia
A. The Rise of Babylon
1. Hammurabi was Babylon’s king.
2. During his rule, Babylon became the
most important city in Mesopotamia.
3. Hammurabi’s Code was a set of 282
laws he created that dealt with almost
every part of daily life.
Hammurabi
• Babylon’s king
and the city’s
greatest
monarch, or
ruler of a
kingdom or
empire
• Brilliant war
leader who
brought all of
Mesopotamia
into his
Babylonian
Empire
• Oversaw building
and irrigation
projects and
improved the tax
system
• Developed a set
of laws that was
written down for
all to see
B. Hammurabi’s Code
1. Hammurabi wrote down 282 laws which
contained some ideas still found in laws today.
2. Specific crimes brought specific penalties.
3. Social class was taken into account. It was a
greater crime to injure a rich man than a poor
one.
4. It was unique not only because of how
thorough it was, but also because he wrote it
down for all to see.
II. Invasions of Mesopotamia
1. Armies battled for control of fertile land.
2. Different peoples ruled Mesopotamia.
a. Hittites
b. Kassites
c. Assyrians
d. Chaldeans
3. Each group affected the culture of the
region.
A. The Hittites & Kassites
1. The Hittites were the first to master ironworking, so they
made the strongest weapons of the time.
2. They used the chariot, a wheeled, horse-drawn cart, which
allowed them to move quickly around the battlefield.
3. They were taken over by the Kassites after their king was
assassinated.
4. The Kassites ruled for almost 400 years.
B. The Assyrians
1. The Assyrians had a strong army that
used chariots and iron weapons.
2. They spread terror before battles by
looting villages and burning crops.
3. Assyrian kings ruled their empire
through local leaders who each governed
a small area.
4. The local leaders demanded heavy taxes.
C. The Chaldeans
1. The Chaldeans attacked the Assyrians when
they were weak and destroyed their empire.
2. Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon into a
beautiful city that had the famous Hanging
Gardens.
3. They admired the Sumerian culture, studied
their language, and built temples to Sumerian
gods.
4. Babylon became a center for astronomy.
III. The Phoenicians
Resources
• Prized Cedar
trees for timber
• Accessed the sea
for trade
• Built great
harbors
Expansion of
Trade
Trade
• Sailed ships
around the
Mediterranean
Sea
• Founded several
new colonies
along the trade
routes
• Became wealthy
Alphabet
• Recorded their
activities
• Made writing
much easier for
everyone
• Is the basis for
the English
language
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