Download Chapter 4, Lesson 1 “Mesopotamian Empires” Notes p

Chapter 4, Lesson 1 “Mesopotamian Empires” Notes p. 112-116
Main ideas:
Geography: powerful city-states expanded to control much of Mesopotamia
Government: • Babylon built a large empire in the Fertile Crescent
• Hammurabi created one of the first codes of law
The First Empire Builders
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Kings in Sumer fought over the land
the land of Sumer was flat and easy to invade
more land = more wealth and power for a king
no single king was able to control all of the city-states in Mesopotamia
• Sargon, a powerful leader, controlled Mesopotamia
• Sargon built the first empire
• Sargon was the first emperor
• Sargon’s empire was known as the “Akkadian empire”
• This area was in a region called the Fertile Crescent
• Sargon’s conquests helped him spread Akkadian ideas, like writing.
• Sargon’s empire changed the way people lived
• Things were peaceful, goods were plentiful, and ideas/customs were shared with
everyone.
The Babylonian Empire
• The Akkadian empire lasted for 200 years.
• It fell when the empire was attacked by outside people known as the Babylonians.
• People known as the Amorites came in and invaded Sumer
• The city of Babylon was chosen as the capital of the new empire because it was on the
Euphrates River.
• People were now known as Babylonians.
• Hammurabi ruled the Babylonian empire and expanded many city-states.
• Hammurabi used governors to help him control the land, people collected taxes and
there were judges to help keep order.
Hammurabi’s “Code of Laws”
• Hammurabi’s empire was too big, so he created a set of laws, known as the “code of
laws” for all people to obey.
• the code was a set of written rules
• the code was written in cuneiform on huge pillars that were displayed near a temple
• the goal of the code of laws= bring justice and fair treatment to the people.
• the code of laws gave rights to women, children and people who owned land.
• the code gave the idea that the government should provide protection and justice for the
people.
• it helped avoid the issue of “personal revenge” as a way of solving problems.
• Hammurabi believed that everyone deserved to know what the laws / rules /
consequences were.
Why this matters now. . .
Hammurabi’s code established the idea that rule of law is an important part of society. It
also guarantees fair treatment is practiced in most countries today