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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 • • • • 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