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Chapter 1 Section 3
Akkadians & Amorites
Akkadians

Originally known as Semites
- Nomads located in Mesopotamia
- Forced into settled communities
- Many began living in Sumerian City-State
of Akkad
- Semites became known as Akkadians
- Eventually Akkadians became strong and
overtook Sumer
Amorites
Another group of invaders
 Took control of Mesopotamia about 1900
b.c.e.
 Took over Babylon
 Babylon became the capital of the entire
region

Amorites
Code of Hammurabi

Hammurabi
- Famous Amorite king of
Babylon
- United city-states and
governed well
- Established
“codification: organizing
and writing down laws of
society”
- Called Code of
Hammurabi
Code of Hammurabi

We learn a lot about ancient Mesopotamia
through the code
- Women held a high position
- Laws regulating industry and trade
- Land was privately owned
- Marriage was a legal contract
- Husband & wife had definite rights
- People who falsely accused could receive
punishment that would be given to the accused
Code of Hammurabi Cont.
If city did not catch criminal the city would
pay the victim
 Doctor could be punished for malpractice
- Ex: Surgeons hands could be cut off if
the patient died
 Crimes against nobles were worse than
crimes against peasants

Code Cont.
Punishment by death or mutilation was
common for smaller crimes
 Another example of the harshness of the
code is if a house collapsed and killed a
man’s son, the son of the carpenter would
be killed
 http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/CODE.H
TM

Fall of Amorite Culture
1600 b.c.e other
groups invaded
 Hittites (withdrew
shortly (could not
maintain the society))
 Kassites (ruled for
about 400 yrs)
 Hittites and Kassites
used horse drawn
chariots

THE END!