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Chapter 2 Early Civilizations
Lesson 3
Babylonia and Assyria
Hammurabi
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Around 1792 B.C. Hammurabi became
king of Babylon. See map on p.49
By 1754 B.C. he controlled all of
Mesopotamia.
Collected taxes to pay for his huge
army and construction projects.
Babylonian Civilization
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Under Hammurabi the Babylonians
continued to rely on irrigation for
farming and trade.
Center for culture and learning making
advancements in mathematics,
literature, and law.
Code of Hammurabi
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Set of 282 laws many of which dealt
with business practices, property
ownership, medical practice, marriage,
and childcare.
Not the first law code written but it is
the most complete to have survived.
Code of Hammurabi Cont.
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Many laws protected the weak
Others were very harsh.
Different punishments were given
based on the class of the lawbreaker
and the victim of the crime.
Example: “eye for an eye” or a “tooth
for a tooth”.
Code of Hammurabi Cont.
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Is it important that the punishment fit
the crime?
The Assyrians
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In Southern Mesopotamia Babylonian
flourished and in Northern Mesopotamia
the Assyrians began to gain power.
They were greatly influenced by the
Babylonians but put much higher value
into war and conquest.
Merciless warriors.
The Assyrians Cont.
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During King Ashurbanipal the Assyrians
controlled nearly all of the Fertile
Cresent.
Lead his armies personally
Could read and write ancient Sumerian
and Akkadian. Along with that he also
built a great library at Nineveh.
Babylonia Grows
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Under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar II
Babylonia again expanded. Taking over
much of the Assyrian Empire.
Finished the great ziggurat, many think
this was the inspiration of the Tower of
Babel (Bible)
Babylonia Grows Cont.
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Accomplishments
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Determined the place value refers to the position
of numerals. Ex. 5, 55, 555 all have different
place values.
Studied the sun, moon, and planets. Predicting
accurately eclipses of the sun and moon.
Nebuchadnezzar II died in 562 B.C. in
539 B.C. the Persians invaded and
conquered Babylon.