Download The Fertile Crescent

Later Groups of the Fertile
Crescent
Empires and Dominance
Sumer 3200-2350 B.C.
 Sargon of Akkad 2334-2315 B.C.
 Babylonian 2350-1600 B.C.
 Hittites/Kassites 1450-1200 B.C.
 Assyrian 1000-612 B.C.
 Chaldeans (New Babylonian) 605-550 B.C.
 Phoenicians 1550 – 300 B.C.
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Recap
Sumer was the world’s first Civilization.
 The city-states of Sumer fought one
another for control of southern
Mesopotamia.
 The Akkadians to the North, led by Sargon
conquered Sumer around 2300 B.C.E. and
creating the world’s first empire.
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To Conquer
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Building an empire
(land with different
territories and people
under a single rule)
Struggle for control of
the region continued
Babylon
Babylon was once a Sumerian town.
 Located along the Euphrates River, near
what is today Bagdad, Iraq.
 By 1800 B.C.E., Babylon had become a
powerful government on its own.
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Hammurabi
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By 1792 B.C.E. Hammurabi would become
Babylon’s greatest King. (Monarch- ruler of a
kingdom or empire).
Brilliant military leader
Improved Babylon’s tax collecting system
Increased wealth and trade.
Oversaw many building and irrigation projects.
Most Importantly
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Hammurabi’s Codewas a set of 282 laws
that dealt with almost
every part of life.
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Laws about trade,
loans, theft, marriage,
injury and murder.
Hammurabi’s Code
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Laws Examples
 “If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye
shall be put out.”
 “If he break another man’s bone, his bone shall be
broken.”
 “If he put out the eye of a man’s slave, or break
the bone of a man’s slave, he shall pay one-half its
value.”
King Hammurabi
Ruled for 42 years
 Babylon became the most important city
of Mesopotamia during his time as King.
 After his death, Babylonian power declined
and invaders conquered.
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Hittites & Kassites
Hittites battle to take over Babylon 1595
BC
 They are the first to create Iron weapons
& Chariots
 After conquering Babylon Hittite King is
assassinated
 Kassites take over and ruke for 400 years
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Assyrians
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From northern Mesopotamia
Briefly took the city of Babylon in 1200 B.C.E.
Later (900 B.C.E.) they conquered all of the
Fertile Crescent.
Had a strong army and used iron weapons and
chariots.
Demanded heavy taxes from regions they
conquered, and punishments were severe.
Advanced Technology
Iron Weapons and Shields
Horse Drawn Cavalry
(replaces chariot)
New Babylonian Empire
(Chaldean Empire)
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605 to 550 B.C.
Conquered the
Assyrians
Known for its wealth
and excess
King Nebuchadnezzar
ruled from 605 to 562
B.C.
– Built Hanging Gardens of
Babylon
– Captured Judah in 586,
destroyed the great
temple in Jerusalem, and
forced many Hebrews
into exile in Babylon.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
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One of the “Seven
Wonders of the
World”
Built by King
Nebuchadnezzar II
around 600 B.C. on
top of stone arches
23 meters above
ground and watered
from the Euphrates
by a complicated
mechanical system.
Series of terraces
filled with plants.
Phoenicians
Located on the Western end of the Fertile
Crescent. (along the Mediterranean Sea)
 Created a wealthy trading society.
 Expert sailors and built one of the finest harbors
at the city of Tyre.
 Traveled to Egypt, Greece, Italy, Sicily, and
Spain to trade.
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Phoenicians Continued
Traded lumber, silver, ivory, and slaves.
 Developed one of the world’s first
alphabets. (set of letters that can be
combined to words)
 From 1200 to 800 B.C.E.
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