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My World History
Chapter 3 Section 2: “The First Empires” pp. 118-123
Terms and Concepts to Understand:
The fall of the Sumerian Civilization: As we read in the last chapter, Sumer was made up
of many powerful city-states. Despite all their advancements, several Sumerian city-states
openly argued and fought over issues such as land and restrictions to their borders. The
city-states of Lagash and Umma even went to war with one another. Thousands of soldiers
died in these battles: Lagash won the first series, but Umma came back to power briefly
around 2375 B.C. All of this in-fighting weakened the Sumerian city-states, and the
civilization began to decline when invaders from northwest Mesopotamia took control over
the once powerful region of Sumer.
Sargon: Sargon was a king who first took over the Sumerian city of Kish and later invaded
other Sumer city-states. Sargon was Akkadian and his language, customs, and type of
government was different than the Sumerians. The Akkadian and Sumerian people did
have common cultural traits as both used the cuneiform method of writing and their
religious practices were similar. Sargon only ruled for 50 years and after his death,
rebellion and warfare erupted again. For a brief 100 years, beginning around 2100 B.C.,
Sumer was united once again under the ruler Ur-Nammu. However, more uprisings began
again and by then, the great civilization of Sumer weakened further. The region was a
“sitting duck” for a stronger force from the outside to take over completely.
Hammurabi and the Babylonians: That stronger force came in the form of a great
Amorite military leader from northern Mesopotamia named Hammurabi. Hammurabi
became the new king and he made his headquarters in the city of Babylon. After hundreds
of years of fighting in the region, Hammurabi united the Mesopotamian city-states and built
a huge empire known as the Babylonians. He brought back order and laws (Hammurabi’s
Code), and he built up a strong central government, and he oversaw the creation of many
wondrous and magnificent public works and buildings. Hammurabi also strengthened his
empire through trade. However, like Sargon’s empire, the Babylonian empire came to an
end following Hammurabi’s death. The last of the Sumerian civilization crumbled around
1750 B.C., but the legacy of this great region survived due to the spread of the Sumerian
culture, inventions, religion, and government through trading with other distant lands.
Hammurabi’s Code of Laws: These were a lengthy set of established laws (nearly 300)
that were established to help bring order and control to the Babylonian empire. Most of the
laws were written in an “If and Then” format. (e.g. If a man should break another man’s
bone, then his bone shall be broken.) Hammurabi’s laws were more detailed than UrNammu’s earlier laws, as Hammurabi’s Code went beyond simply addressing major crime
issues, for it provided for laws governing social concerns such as marriage, business
contracts, taxes, etc. These laws, which survive on an engraved stone sculpture known as a
stele, serve as an amazing primary source of information about the life and times of the
people of ancient Babylonia.
Directions: The following terms and questions need to be answered in neatly written,
well-structured sentences on lined paper or they may be typed. You must rephrase each
question in your response. Do not begin any response with a pronoun or the word because.
All class work and homework must state your name, homework number, date,
chapter and section.
A. Combine the following terms from your text into well-developed sentences that relate to
establishment of the first empires of Mesopotamia :
1. empire and ally
2. Hammurabi’s code and rule of law
B. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. How did Sargon rule differently from earlier Sumerian kings and priests? Who did he
chose to place in important key positions in the government? Why do you think Sargon
may have chosen to rule in the way he did?
2. When both Sargon and Hammurabi died, their individual empires soon collapsed. Why
do you think this happened? Why couldn’t the empire that they had built survive after
their deaths?
3. Despite the fact that most of Hammurabi’s laws (or pronouncements) end with severe
punishments, his Code of Laws still has some connection with modern days laws in our
country and around the world. What are some of the similarities you have discovered
between Hammurabi’s Code and modern day laws?
Extra Credit:
4. How do you think Sumerian technologies (even those that occurred under the rule of
Sargon and Hammurabi) might have helped later empires form and expand? What other
lessons (either good or bad) might other regions have earned from the Akkadian and
Babylonian empires?
C. Summarize the main idea of this section (completely in your own words) in either one or
two fully developed sentences.