Transcript History Alive! Chapter 6 pages 51

Exploring Four Empires of
Mesopotamia
HISTORY ALIVE! CHAPTER 6
PAGES 51 - 61
6.1 INTRODUCTION
Sumer was conquered by the Akkadians.
 Sumer became part of the Akkadian empire.

 Empire
– a large territory where several groups of
people are ruled by a single power leader or
government.

Four empires rose up in Mesopotamia.
6.2 THE AKKADIAN EMPIRE

The Akkadian empire was ruled by the king
Sargon.
 Sargon
 He
was a strong king and a skilled general.
taught his soldiers to fight.
 Sargon
replaced governors that were not loyal to
him .
 Sargon became the first king to demand that his
sons rule after his death.
 Sargon and the Akkadians had created the world’s
first empire.
6.3 LIFE UNDER AKKADIAN RULE

Sargon made the city of Agade the empire’s
capital.
 Capital

– a city that is the center of government
Sargon used tribute to create a one of the
richest and most beautiful cities in the world.
 Tribute
– wealth sent from one country or ruler to
another as a sign that the other is superior.
The Akkadian craftspeople carved relief
sculptures called steles on stones.
 After 200 years the Akkadian empire fell to
invaders from the north.

Steles stones
6.4 HAMMURABI AND THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE
 Hammurabi became the next king to unite all of
Mesopotamia.
 Hammurabi made Babylon the capital of his
empire.
 Hammurabi is best known for his code of laws.
 The
codes were used to preserve order and unify
the empire.
 He based the laws on the word of the gods.
 The laws were displayed for everyone to read.
 The code of laws did not treat everyone equally.
 It was the first code of laws to apply to everyone.
282 Laws
A SAMPLE OF “THE CODE OF HAMMURABI”

If any one bring an accusation against a man, and the accused go to the
river and leap into the river, if he sink in the river his accuser shall take
possession of his house. But if the river prove that the accused is not guilty,
and he escape unhurt, then he who had brought the accusation shall be put
to death, while he who leaped into the river shall take possession of the
house that had belonged to his accuser.
If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not
prove what he has charged, he shall, if it be a capital offense charged, be
put to death.
If he satisfy the elders to impose a fine of grain or money, he shall receive
the fine that the action produces.
If a judge try a case, reach a decision, and present his judgment in writing; if
later error shall appear in his decision, and it be through his own fault, then
he shall pay twelve times the fine set by him in the case, and he shall be
publicly removed from the judge's bench, and never again shall he sit there
to render judgement.
A SAMPLE OF “THE CODE OF HAMMURABI”

If any one steal the property of a temple or of the court,
he shall be put to death, and also the one who receives
the stolen thing from him shall be put to death.
If any one buy from the son or the slave of another man,
without witnesses or a contract, silver or gold, a male or
female slave, an ox or a sheep, or if he take it in charge,
he is considered a thief and shall be put to death.
If any one steal cattle or sheep, or a pig or a goat, if it
belong to a god or to the court, the thief shall pay
thirtyfold; if they belonged to a freed man of the king he
shall pay tenfold; if the thief has nothing with which to
pay he shall be put to death.
6.5 LIFE IN THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE

Babylonia thrived under Hammurabi.
 The
people were united.
 He built roads and created a postal system.
 Farming remained successful with the irrigation
and fertile lands.
 Trade flourished with items from around the region.

Most important, Babylonian society was
unusually fair for its time.
 Slaves
could keep their wages and even earn their
freedom.
 Woman could own property and keep their money
earned.
6.6 THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE
The Assyrian empire followed Hammurabi’s rule.
 The Assyrians were feared for their military
might.

 They
used horses and iron weapons in battle.
 They used siege warfare.
 Siege
– a military blockade and attack on a city to force it
to surrender.
 They
used the battering ram and towers to scale a
cities walls.
 Creating fear amongst their enemies was also part
of their military strategy.
6.7 LIFE UNDER THE ASSYRIANS

The powerful kings ruled and the ordinary
people farmed.
 Huge
palaces were built for the kings since the
people believed they were special beings.

Assyrians were the first to build aqueducts.
 Aqueducts
– a pipe or channel that brings water
from distant places.

Assyrian craftspeople were known for their twodimensional sculptures called bas-reliefs.
 Bas-relief
– a sculpture in which the image projects
out from a flat surface.
6.8 THE NEO-BABYLONIAN EMPIRE

After the Assyrians, the Babylonians regained
control. They established a new empire called
the Neo-Babylonian Empire.
 Neo

– “new”
Nebuchadrezzar II was a ruthless leader that
ruled the empire.
 He
forcefully expanded the empire.
 He built walls and even a moat around Babylon.
6.9 LIFE IN THE NEO-BABYLONIAN EMPIRE

Nebuchadrezzar decorated his palace with
fabulous gardens.
 They
became the famous Hanging Gardens of
Babylon.
 They
are considered one of the 7 great wonders of the
ancient world.
 The
Babylonians were skilled in math and astronomy.
 Astronomy
– the study of the stars and planets.
 They
created the first sundial, a device to tell time
using the sun.
 They
are credited with the 60 minute hour and the 7 day
week.