Download Hammurabi Code

Babylonia and Assyria
Two Empires of Mesopotamia
Lesson 2-2
TN SPI 6.1.3, 6.4.1, 6.4.3, 6.5.10
Key Terms
Empire – many territories and peoples controlled by
one government
Babylon – the capital of Babylonia; a city of great
wealth and luxury
Caravan – a group of travelers journeying together
Bazaar – a market selling different kinds of goods
The Two Empires of
Mesopotamia
•After the Sumerians were defeated, Mesopotamia had two
main empires: Babylonia and Assyria.
•An empire is an area of many territories and people that are
controlled by one government. (Collection of Civilizations)
•The Babylonian empire lasted from c1800 BC to c1600 BC.
•The Assyrian empire lasted from c665 BC to c612 BC.
Babylon and King
Hammurabi
•The Babylonian people created a monarchy
supported by a system of taxation to pay for running
the government.
•Tax collectors traveled throughout the empire
collecting tax money from citizens.
•The king of Babylon was Hammurabi. Hammurabi
united the cities of Sumer and then expanded his
empire.
Babylon Empire – 1787 B.C.
A Crossroads of Trade
•Babylon became rich due to trade. Caravans, traveled back
and forth from the Sumerian cities in the south to the city of
Akkad in the north. Along the way, they always stopped in
Babylon to trade.
•Roads were built throughout the empire which made travel
easier and encouraged trade.
•Babylon had special markets, called bazaars, that people could
go to and buy cotton cloth from India. They could also buy
spices from Egypt there.
Hammurabi’s Code
•Hammurabi was the king who
united most of Mesopotamia and
conquered the Sumerians.
Hammurabi developed a written
set of laws for his people to
follow in 1790 BC.
•A total of 282 laws form the
Hammurabi’s Code. Law number
196 states: If a man put out the
eye of another man, his eye shall
be put out. Some people
summarize Hammurabi’s code by
saying “an eye for an eye.”
A statue of
Hammurabi
Hammurabi’s Code
•Hammurabi’s Code provided that the punishment should be
similar to the crime. Under this principle, breaking another
person’s arm in anger is punished by having your own arm
broken.
•For certain crimes people could be put to death. Many laws
warned lawbreakers of what to expect.
•A person who accidentally broke the law was just as guilty
as someone who meant to break the law.
•The code was carved into stone and placed in public places
for all to see. The laws were meant to serve as a lasting way
to keep order and prevent troubles in the future.
Hammurabi’s Code
•If any one steal the minor son of another, he shall be put to
death.
•If any one is committing a robbery and is caught, then he
shall be put to death.
•If any one open his ditches to water his crop, but is careless,
and the water flood the field of his neighbor, then he shall pay
his neighbor for his loss.
•If a surgeon causes the death of his patient, his hand shall be
cut off.
•If a son strike his father, his hand shall be cut off.
Babylonia is Conquered
•Hammurabi conquered many neighboring cities,
and he kept expanding his empire.
•Hammurabi would often go to war against his
allies (friends) as well.
•When the city of Elam attacked Larsa,
Hammurabi helped Larsa defend themselves.
• Once Elam was conquered, Hammurabi turned
right around and conquered Larsa!
Babylonia is Conquered
•Each time that Babylon would conquer another city,
Hammurabi would take the city’s chariots, weapons, tools,
and all their riches.
•Trading helped Babylon get rich, and so did conquest.
•Though Hammurabi formed a large and rich empire, the
people that ruled after him could not keep it together.
•The empire kept getting smaller and smaller until eventually
it was destroyed.
The Assyrians Rise to Power
•Assyria was a small kingdom of walled cities that was
located north of Babylon. Their city was located in open land
that was easily attacked, and they had to constantly defend
themselves against invaders.
•They became skilled warriors. At around 1365 B.C., the
Assyrians decided that the best defense they had was to attack
other countries first, before they could attack them.
•By 650 B.C., Assyria had conquered a large empire. King
Sargon II was a successful and ruthless Assyrian ruler.
Assyrian Empire – 650 B.C.
The Assyrian War Machine
•The Assyrians were
geniuses at waging war.
They invented the
battering ram, which they
used to pound down city
walls.
•They used catapults to
throw rocks at enemies,
and they protected their
archers with helmets and
armor.
•Chariots were used to
slash their way through
enemy troops.
Assyrian Learning
•The capital of the
Assyrian Empire was a
city called Nineveh.
•Nineveh became a great
city of learning. It had a
famous library that held
thousands of clay tablets
with writings from Sumer
and Babylon.
•These records tell us a lot
about life in Mesopotamia.
Assyria Overthrown
•The people that the
Assyrians conquered were
constantly rebelling
against Assyrian rule.
•Most of the time, the
Assyrians crushed the
people who tried to fight
them.
•However, in 612 B.C., the
Medes and Chaldeans
joined together to smash
the Assyrian empire.
The New Babylonian Empire
•The Chaldeans created a
new empire, centered at
Babylon after they
defeated the Assyrians in
612 BC.
•The greatest king of
Babylon was
Nebuchadnezzar II.
•He rebuilt Babylon and
put massive walls around
the city to protect it. He
also built a great palace
with hanging gardens.
A New Center for Learning
•Under the Chaldeans,
the New Babylonian
empire became a center
of learning and science.
•Chaldean astronomers
charted stars and
measured the correct
length of the year.
•Chaldean farmers raised
bees for their honey.
Many people came to
Babylon to share ideas
and discoveries.
This clay tablet shows the world that was known
to the Babylonians
The Fall of the Second Babylonian Empire
•The second
Babylonian empire
came under attack and
was defeated by the
Persians, who were
led by Cyrus the
Great, in 539 BC.
•The Persians built the
largest empire the
Fertile Crescent has
ever known.
Babylon Empire – 1787 B.C.
Assyrian Empire – 650 B.C.
Persian Empire – 490 B.C.