Download HA! Ch. 6 Mesopotamian Empires 6.2 The Akkadian Empire

HA! Ch. 6 Mesopotamian Empires
6.2 The Akkadian Empire
- 2300 BCE Akkadians came from the north and
conquered Sumer
- Led be King Sargon
- skilled general, assembled a large army used the
phalanx formation (wall of shields with spears)
- win territory amass an empire
- smart political strategies to keep control
- destroyed walls
- made governors of city-states his loyal men
- demanded that his son rule after he died (setting up
hereditary kings)
- died at a very old age
- legendary king who created the first empire
6.3 Life Under Akkadian Rule
- Sargon ruled for 56 years
- city of Agade made the empire capital
- built up the city with tributes
- it became a cultural center, rich and beautiful
- Sumerian culture continued like irrigation, cuneiform,
and religion
- Akkadians had cultural achievements of their own like
a language that replaced Sumerian language, art \
sculptures carved steles (3-D relief stone carvings)
- Victory Stele (his grandson Naram-Sin’s
achievements)
- later rulers found it difficult to rule such a large
territory
- empire began to weaken
- lasted 200 years
- invaded by people to the North
HA! Ch. 6 Mesopotamian Empires
6.4 The Babylonian Empire
- Akkadian Empire fell and Sumer a collection of citystates again
- Hammurabi, king of the city-state Babylon conquered
Mesopotamia (calling it Babylonia) and made Babylon
the capital
- Wrote Hammurabi’s Code of Laws (1792-1750
BCE)
- The god Marduk gave him the laws and they were
carved upon a stele and placed in a temple
- it was detailed and covered many areas (work,
marriage, trade, etc.)
- spelled out specific punishments
- Often harsh (eye for an eye)
- did not treat everyone equally
- first laws written down that applied to everyone
6.5 Life Under Babylonian Rule
- Babylonia thrived under Hammurabi
- Made the Babylonian god Marduk supreme god over
others
- Built roads and a postal service
- Agriculture and trade flourished
- Kept irrigation working properly
- important city of trade (along the Persian Gulf)
- Economy and Arts flourished
- Society was fair for its time…classes treated
differently but even slaves had some rights (like work
elsewhere, own land, collect earned wages to possibly
purchase freedom)
- women had more rights than in other ancient
societies
(like own property, keep money of their own)
HA! Ch. 6 Mesopotamian Empires
6.6 The Assyrian Empire
- Warlike people to the north
- Rose to power around 900 BCE
- trained army began to expand their territory
- feared for their military might and cruelty
- Known for their new weapons and war strategies
(like perfecting the use of military horses, iron
weapons and siege warfare)
- developed new ways to attack cities (ex. Battering \
ram and siege towers)
- Ruthless – would make entire populations leave a
conquered area
- they spread tales of their cruelty to create fear (a
military strategy)
6.7 Life Under Assyrian Rule
- ruled by powerful kings
- built beautiful palaces to honor them, sculptures of
winged humans and lions marked the entrances
- capital city was Nineveh
- kings ruled and ordinary people farmed the land
- irrigation and built aqueducts to bring in drinking
water to Nineveh
- craftspeople did 2-D carvings called bas-reliefs
(adorned palace walls of kings life or history)
- used ivory to decorate furniture in palaces
- empire lasted about 300 years
- stretched form Egypt to the Persian Gulf
- too big to control and they could not fight off invaders
- 612 BCE Nineveh was plundered by Babylonians,
Scythians and Medes.
HA! Ch. 6 Mesopotamian Empires
6.8 The Neo-Babylonian Empire
- Babylonians regained control of Mesopotamia
- most famous king Nebuchadrezzar II a ruthless
military leader who reigned from 605 – 562 BCE
- he expanded his empire whenever he could
- drove the Egyptians out of Syria
- conquered part of Canaan (modern day Israel) home
of the Hebrews
- Hebrews rebelled and he took them captive to
Babylonia (many never returning to their homeland)
- kept capital city of Babylon safe by building an inner
and outer wall around the city
- walls so thick that 2 chariots could ride across
- towers erected for archers
- moat dug and filled with water with bridges
6.9 Life Under Neo-Babylonian Rule
- Nebuchadrezzar worked hard to give Babylon
splendor
- rebuilt the ziggurat
- decorated the palace with fabulous gardens (Hanging
Gardens of Babylon a wonder of the world with a \
watering system)
- Skilled mathematicians
- skilled in Astronomy (created the first sundial, 60
minute hour, and the 7 day week)
- Empire lasted only 75 years
- 539 BCE a new conqueror swept into Babylon
- Persian kin Cyrus from modern day Iran
- ruled for about 200 years later conquered by
Alexander the Great