Download Empires of Mesopotamia - Madison Public Schools

Name:__________________________ Period:______ Date:____________________
The Akkadian Empire
About 2300 B.C.E.
1. Using a purple colored pencil,
shade in the region the empire
ruled over.
2. Where did the Akkadians come
from and who was their first ruler?
-Northern Mesopotamia
-Sargon
3. After assembling a large army how were Sargon’s troops taught to fight?
-Form tight formations
-Carried shields at the front of the formation
-Behind them stood soldiers with spears
-Spears were thrust from behind the shields
4. What smart political strategies did Sargon use to keep control of his empire?
-Destroyed the walls of cities to make it harder for people to rebel because they had no
defensible positions.
-Loyal governors stayed, others were replaced.
-Demanded that sons inherit the power when he died.
5. Where did Sargon get the money to create his capital city of Agade? Locate
and label the city of Agade on the map.
-Tributes (money and goods) were collected from the people he conquered.
-With this money they built many beautiful temples and palaces.
-Agade became one of the richest and most powerful cities in the world.
6. What three areas of Sumerian culture stayed the same during Akkadian rule?
-Irrigation techniques
-cuneiform
-worshipped the same gods and goddesses although they called them different names
-Kings ruled in the name of the gods
7. What cultural achievements did the Akkadians make in language and art (Be
sure to describe their new form of sculpture)?
-Language gradually replaced the Sumerian Language.
-They became known for their three dimensional relief sculptures called steles or
stelas
Use this space to take notes from the outside sources
The Babylonian Empire
About 1750 B.C.E.
1. Using a green colored pencil,
shade in the region the empire
ruled over.
2. Who united all of Mesopotamia?
-Hammurabi
Babylon
3. Where was he from? Locate and
label the city on the map.
-Babylon
4. What did he name the region under his rule?
-Babylonia
5. What was Hammurabi best known for and why was it created?
-Code of Hammurabi: 282 Laws written between 1792 B.C.E. and 1750 B.C.E.
-Created to preserve order between what used to be different city-states and to unify
his empire.
6. Where did he get the idea for the code and how was this helpful to keeping
control?
-Claimed that the gods told him to create the laws that applied to everyone in the
empire.
-Since the gods told him to make them, they could not be questioned or changed. They
were written on a stele and placed in a temple for all to see.
7. What were some crimes and punishments detailed in the code?
-Covers situations relating to: trade, payment for work, marriage and divorce.
-Crimes included stealing, causing injury, etc.
-Punishments were known as “eye for an eye justice” meaning if you killed someone’s
son, your son would be put to death.
8. What public services did Hammurabi improve and create?
-Built roads and created a postal service
9. What were some products traded by the Babylonians?
-Traded grain and woven cloth for wood.
-Also traded gold, silver, precious gems, and livestock
10. How did trade help the Babylonian Empire?
-Craftspeople were able to use materials from distant lands, and the arts flourished
11. How was Babylonia unusually fair for its time? Hint: Think about slaves and
women.
-Slaves had some rights, they could work elsewhere and keep their wages. They could
own property; they could buy their own freedom if they saved their wages.
-Women also had more rights. Even though fathers chose their husbands, women
could own property and keep money of their own.
Use this space to take notes from the outside sources
The Assyrian Empire
About 650 B.C.E.
1. Using an orange colored pencil,
shade in the region the empire ruled
over.
2. Where was Assyria in relation to
Babylon? Locate and label it on the
map.
Assyria
Babylon
-North
3. Was this the Assyrian’s first
attempt at an empire in Mesopotamia?
-No, they tried before Hammurabi created Babylonia
4. The Assyrians were a warlike people, what new weapons did they use in
battle?
-Horses, war chariots, iron weapons, and siege towers
5. What is siege warfare?
-An army camps outside a city and attacks it over and over again until the city falls.
6. What new ways to attack a city did the Assyrians use during a siege?
-Battering Rams: Long poles on wheels that were used for punching holes in walls.
-Siege Towers: Moveable towers which were rolled up to city walls to allow soldiers to
fight from inside, and climb over the walls.
7. How did the Assyrians spread tales of their cruelty? Why?
-Cut off the heads of the enemy leaders and forced the defeated soldiers to wear the
heads around their necks as they marched home barefoot.
-Designed to create fear and panic amongst their enemies
8. How did the Assyrians show their support for the king?
-They built beautiful palaces for them.
-In the capital city of Nineveh the palace had many rooms, built on high mountains so
it stood taller than all other buildings, huge sculptures at entrances.
9. What are aqueducts? How did they help the people?
-A pipe or channel that brings water from distant places.
-Along with canals, aqueducts brought water into Nineveh from 30 miles away.
10. What new form of art did Assyrian craftspeople design? What did they
depict?
-Bas-reliefs: A sculpture in which the image projects out from a flat surface.
-They usually depicted the king hunting, fighting in battle, or enjoying family life.
11. What caused the collapse of the Assyrian empire?
-The vast territory was too large to protect. The army was stretched thin and the
Assyrians could not fight off invasions from all their neighbors.
-They were taken over by a combined force of Babylonians, Scythians, and a group
called the Medes.
Use this space to take notes from the outside sources
The Neo-Babylonian Empire
About 600 B.C.E.
1. Using a blue colored pencil,
shade in the region the empire
ruled over.
2. Locate and label the city of
Babylon.
Babylon
3. What does “Neo” mean?
-New
4. Who was the most famous king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire?
-Nebuchadrezzar II aka Nebuchadnezzar (same guy)
5. How did this famous king expand his empire?
-Drove the Egyptians out of Syria, and conquered Canaan.
-Took the rebellious Hebrews from Canaan captive and brought them to Babylonia.
6. How did Nebuchadrezzar II keep his capital city of Babylon safe?
-Built an inner wall and an outer wall. (Walls were so thick two chariots could pass
each other at the TOP (the skinny piece!) of the wall).
-Built towers for archers
-Dug a moat around the walls and filled it with water.
-During peacetime a bridge allowed entrance into the city, during war the bridge was
taken down.
7. How did Nebuchadrezzar II restore Babylon’s splendor?
-Rebuilt the city’s ziggurat.
8. What were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?
-Nebuchadrezzar II decorated his palace with fabulous gardens.
-Planted on rooftops and tall terraces so that lush greenery hung down over the walls.
-Also had a watering system and was known as one of the 7 Wonders of the
Ancient World.
-Built for his Persian queen, to help with her homesickness.
9. What advancements did the Neo-Babylonians make in mathematics and
astronomy?
-Created the first sundial, made discoveries that led us to the 60 minute hour and the 7
day week
10. How long did the empire last?
-75 Years
11. Who conquered the land and what empire did he lead?
Cyrus, the leader of the Persian Empire
12. On your map locate and label the area of land where these new rulers came
from.
Use this space to take notes from the outside sources