Download WHICh2Meso-Sec4-EmpiresofMesopotamia-2016

EMPIRES OF MESOPOTAMIA:
AKKADIAN, OLD BABYLONIAN, HITTITE,
ASSYRIAN, CHALDEAN, PERSIAN
SUMER
Sumer was the dominant culture in
Mesopotamia from about 3200BC-2330BC.
 Sumer made achievements and innovations
that they passed on to the cultures of
Mesopotamia that came after them:
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 Invented
cuneiform, the world’s first writing
 Invented the plow, wheeled vehicles, & the potters wheel.
 Built ziggurats
 Number system based on 60
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In 2330BC, Sumer was attacked and conquered by
the Akkadians
AKKADIAN EMPIRE: 2330BC-2180BC
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The Akkadians were the
people of the city-state of
Akkad. They spoke a
Semitic language
(language related to
Hebrew & Arabic)
The city of Akkad was
located between the T &
E Rivers, slightly north of
Sumer.
The Akkadian Empire
covered Mesopotamia
and some of the land
around it.
AKKADIAN EMPIRE - SARGON
Sargon became king of
Akkad. He conquered the citystates of Sumer, as well as
the rest of Mesopotamia, and
created the world’s first
known empire.
 The Akkadian Empire lasted
about 150 years.
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ENHEDUANNA
Sargon had a daughter named
Enheduanna.
 He appointed her as high
priestess of the moon god
Nanna at Ur.
 Enheduanna wrote many poems
and hymns in praise of the
goddess Inanna
 She is the first writer whose
name is known is history.
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The Akkadian Empire lasted about 150 years
 When the Akkadian Empire fell in about
2180BC, the cities of Sumer became
independent and strong again, temporarily.
 The cities of Sumer flourished for about 200
more years, and the declined and lost their
independence yet again as new waves of
invaders swept through Mesopotamia.
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OLD BABYLONIAN EMPIRE: ABOUT 1790BC1600BC
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Hammurabi was a strong king who
came to power in the city of Babylon.
He conquered much of the land of
Mesopotamia. His empire is called the
Old Babylonian Empire.
He is best known for his code of laws,
called the Code of Hammurabi, one of
the earliest known codes of written
laws.
The Code of Ur Nammu is three
centuries older, but not nearly as
complete as the code of Hammurabi.
CODE OF HAMMURABI
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Code of Hammurabi
Written about 1750BC
282 laws
These were not the earliest
written laws, but it is the most
complete set of early written
laws.
Laws dealt with crimes,
economic matters, marriage
and family
Carved on a black stone stele
set up in the temple of the god
Marduk in Babylon
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2. If any one bring an accusation against a man, and the
accused go to the river and leap into the river, if he sink
in the river his accuser shall take possession of his
house. But if the river prove that the accused is not
guilty, and he escape unhurt, then he who had brought
the accusation shall be put to death, while he who
leaped into the river shall take possession of the house
that had belonged to his accuser.
3. If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the
elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he
shall, if it be a capital offense charged, be put to death.
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117. If any one fail to meet a claim for debt,
and sell himself, his wife, his son, and daughter
for money or give them away to forced labor:
they shall work for three years in the house of
the man who bought them, or the proprietor,
and in the fourth year they shall be set free
142. If a woman quarrel with her husband, and
say: "You are not congenial to me," the reasons for
her prejudice must be presented. If she is
guiltless, and there is no fault on her part, but he
leaves and neglects her, then no guilt attaches to
this woman, she shall take her dowry and go back
to her father's house.
 143. If she is not innocent, but leaves her
husband, and ruins her house, neglecting her
husband, this woman shall be cast into the water.
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195. If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn
off.
196. If a man put out the eye of another man of equal
rank, his eye shall be put out. [ An eye for an eye ]
197. If he break the bone of another man of equal rank,
his bone shall be broken.
198. If he put out the eye of a freed man, or break the
bone of a freed man, he shall pay one gold mina.
199. If he put out the eye of a man's slave, or break the
bone of a man's slave, he shall pay one-half of its value.
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229 If a builder build a house for some one, and does
not construct it properly, and the house which he built
fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to
death.
230. If it kill the son of the owner the son of that builder
shall be put to death.
231. If it kill a slave of the owner, then he shall pay slave
for slave to the owner of the house.
232. If it ruin goods, he shall make compensation for all
that has been ruined, and inasmuch as he did not
construct properly this house which he built and it fell,
he shall re-erect the house from his own means.
OLD BABYLONIAN EMPIRE
Took many aspects of the culture of the
Sumerians.
 Most Babylonians were farmers
 The Babylonians were extremely active in trade,
and exchanged goods with places as far away
as Egypt and India.
 Trade enabled the people of the Old Babylonian
Empire to get resources they needed, and it
spread their culture throughout a wide area.
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OLD BABYLONIAN EMPIRE-RELIGION
Adopted many Sumerian religious beliefs
 Believed in a “shadowy” afterlife, with no
reward or punishment
 They made sacrifices to their gods for favors,
like good harvests or success in business,
favors that involve successful life on earth.
 Their chief god was Marduk
 Creation story : Enuma Elish
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HITTITE EMPIRE: ABOUT 1600BC-1200BC
As the Old Babylonian Empire
was declining, another
empire arose in what is now
Turkey-the Hittite Empire
 They are most famous for
discovering how to smelt iron
(extract iron from iron ore by
heating it).
 This started the “iron age”
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HITTITE EMPIRE ABOUT 1600BC-1200BC
Iron made better weapons than bronze.
 Using iron weapons, the Hittites conquered Turkey
and part of northern Mesopotamia.
 They were also known for having somewhat more
lenient laws than other people at the time
 Only the most serious crimes received the death
penalty. Most crimes were punished by requiring
the guilty person to pay a fine.
 As the Hittite Empire declined, a mysterious group
of people, called the “Sea People”, began to
invade the coasts of the Eastern Mediterranean.
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ASSYRIANS 900BC-650BC
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The Assyrians were a
Semitic-speaking
people from northern
Mesopotamia (not
modern Syria). They
lived on the upper Tigris
River & adopted much
Sumerian culture.
Between 900BC650BC, they conquered
more lands and ruled
an empire that covered
the whole fertile
crescent (Mesopotamia,
Syria & Palestine) and
lower Egypt.
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The Assyrians were fierce
effective warriors. They used
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war chariots
were the first to use cavalrywarriors fighting on horseback.
Probably the first to use siege
towers & battering rams
They were known for cruelty in war.
They frequently killed captured
enemy soldiers and enslaved the
people they conquered. They also
often deported (forced to move)
whole populations to other
regions.
The Assyrians were the first to effectively
govern a large empire. The king had total
power, responsible only to the god Ashur (their
chief god). The empire was divided into
provinces, with a governor over each province
responsible to the king.
 At first their capital was the city Ashur. Later it
was moved to Ninevah.
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LAMASSU
NINEVAH
Ninevah was surrounded by a double wall. The
wall was more than 70 ‘ tall, and in places as
much as 148’ wide. It stretched 7.5 miles
around the city. There were 15 decorated
gates.
 In the city of Nineveh they built the world’s first
library. They collected clay tablets from around
their empire, and preserved them in this library.
(Epic of Gilgamesh was found in this library)
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FALL OF ASSYRIA
Assyria was hated by the people it conquered &
ruled.
 In 635BC, a civil war broke out, weakening
Assyria.
 In 612BC, a coalition force led by the
Chaldeans rose up and overthrew the Assyrian
empire, and destroyed Ninevah.
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CHALDEAN = NEO BABYLONIAN
THE CHALDEAN EMPIRE 612BC-539BC
The Chaldean Empire is also called the “New
Babylonian” or “Neo-Babylonian Empire”,
because its capital city was Babylon.
 The Chaldeans formed a coalition and defeated
the Assyrians. They took control of much of the
Assyrian Empire
 The most famous ruler was Nebuchadnezzar
(605BC-562BC)
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BABYLON UNDER NEBUCHADNEZZAR
Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon into a
magnificent city
 Trade flourished
 There were impressive canals and magnificent
buildings in the city
 Nebuchadnezzar built the Hanging Gardens, a
large step-shaped garden with an internal
watering system. He built it to please one of his
wives, Amytis
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THE BEAUTIFUL
ISHTAR GATE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN SCIENCE
Skilled astronomers. Kept careful records of
the (apparent) movements of the stars &
planets and could predict solar & lunar
eclipses. They used this knowledge for
astrology, to predict earthly events based on
movements of the heavenly bodies.
 Made advances in mathematics, and could
calculate the year with a high degree of
accuracy.
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FALL OF THE CHALDEANS
Leaders after Nebuchadnezzar were not as
strong.
 A ruler quarreled with the priests. The priests
betrayed the city and let an enemy army
(Persians) into the city. Babylon and the
Chaldean Empire fell.
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PERSIAN EMPIRE (539BC-331BC, LATER
REVIVED)
The Medes were a people who lived in what is
now northern Iran. The Persians were a people
who lived in what is now southern Iran. Their
homeland was in Iran.
 At first the Medes ruled the Persians. In
550BC, a great ruler, Cyrus.
 Cyrus was arose among the Persians. He led a
rebellion against the Medes, and then united
the Persians & Medes under his leadership
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Cyrus was the leader who led a rebellion of the
Persians against the Medes, and then united
the Persians and Medes under his leadership.
He conquered the city of Babylon in 539BC and
took control of what had been the Chaldean
Empire. He conquered more land and created
the Persian Empire.
 His successors included Cambyses, Darius and
Xerxes.
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PERSIAN EMPIRE-CYRUS THE GREAT
He conquered Babylon in
539BC, and took over
what had been the
Chaldean Empire
 He said his reason for
conquering other lands
was to create a single
world government and
bring peace. He was very
idealistic, and his religion
was Zoroastrianism.
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CYRUS THE GREAT
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These events are mentioned in the Bible, and
Cyrus is highly praised in the Bible. Among the
people conquered by the Chaldeans were the
Jews (Hebrews of the tribe of Judah). They had
been conquered by the Chaldeans and been
brought into exile to Babylon. When Cyrus took
Babylon, he let captive people, including the
Jews, return home. He gave the Jews help in
rebuilding their temple. The Jews honored him
as a righteous king.
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'Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth hath
the God of heaven, given me; and He hath charged me to build Him
a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whosoever there is among
you of all His people – may his God be with him -- let him go there.'
(2 Chronicles 36:23)
CYRUS CYLINDER
CYRUS CYLINDER.
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I am Cyrus, king of the universe, the great king, the powerful king,
king of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four quarters
of the world. . . . . . . When I came to bring peace into Babylon I
founded my sovereign residence within the palace amid celebration
and rejoicing. Marduk, the great lord, bestowed on me as my destiny
the great magnanimity of one who loves Babylon, and I every day
sought him out in awe. My vast troops marched peaceably into
Babylon, and the whole of [Sumer] and Akkad had nothing to fear.
I brought the safety of the city of Babylon and all its sanctuaries. As
for the population of Babylon who had endured a yoke not decreed
for them, I soothed their weariness; I freed them from their
bonds. Marduk, the great lord, rejoiced at my good deeds, and he
pronounced a sweet blessing over me, Cyrus, the king who fears him,
and over Cambyses, my son, and over my all my troops, that we
might live happily in his presence, in well-being.
TOMB OF CYRUS THE GREAT
PERSIAN EMPIRE
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The Persian Empire was efficient, and compared to
previous empires, it was concerned with justice and
fairness. It was, however, a monarchy, not a democracy.
They allowed conquered people to keep their own
religions and cultures.
The empire was divided into provinces, each called a
“Satrapy”. Each had a governor called a “Satrap” who
was chosen from among the local people
Secret agents of the King, called the “eyes and ears of
the King”, went through the provinces and reported
back to the king. This was a way to make sure the
Satraps were loyal and ruling fairly.
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The Persian Empire covered what is now Turkey,
Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Iran,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, much of Egypt, and part of
Bulgaria and Greece, Georgia, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kygyzstan.
PERSIAN ROAD SYSTEM
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The Persians built an extensive system of roads to link their
empire together.
These roads connected cities within the empire. The longest
road, called the Royal Road, ran from Sardis (Asia Minor) to
Susa (one of the capitals), more than 1,250 miles
PERSIAN POSTAL SYSTEM
The Persians also established a postal system,
that operated in relay fashion, with each carrier
taking the mail to the next stop.
 The postal system was so efficient that Herodotus
"It is said that as many days as there are in the
whole journey, so many are the men and horses
that stand along the road, each horse and man at
the interval of a day’s journey; and these are
stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor
darkness from accomplishing their appointed
course with all speed”
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ZOROASTRIANISM
At first, the Persians worshiped many gods
 Religion of Zoroastrianism was founded about
600BC by Zoroaster (also called Zarathustra)
 Monotheistic. There is one God, Ahura Mazda.
He is completely good. There is an evil demon
called Ahriman. There is a war going on
throughout the universe between Ahura Mazda
and Ahriman.
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ZOROASTRIANISM: GOOD AGAINST EVIL: AHURA
MAZDA AGAINST AHRIMAN
ZOROASTRIANISM
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Every good deed we do helps Ahura Mazda.
Every bad deed we do helps Ahriman.
Eventually Ahura Mazda will win. The world as
we know it will end. The dead will be
resurrected. The good souls will live forever
with Ahura Mazda, and the bad would will be
sent into a place of torment with Ahriman.
Persian leaders after Darius & Xerxes lacked
their strength & leadership.
 The Empire was conquered by Alexander the
Great in 331BC
 Centuries later, around 226AD, the Persian
Empire was revived, and continued for many
centuries.
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