Transcript File

EXPLORING FOUR EMPIRES of
mesopotamia
What were the most important achievements of the
four Mesopotamian empires?
vocabulary
empire
battering ram
capital
siege
tribute
astronomy
Code of Law
Sumerians
Marduk
Stele
Akkadians
Sargon
Aqueduct
Babylonians
Hammurabi
bas-relief
Assyrians
Assurbanipal
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar II
SUMER
Ancient Sumer flourished between 3,500 and 2,300 B.C.
The city-states were like small, independent countries.
City-states often fought over land and water rights.
Because the city-states were not unified, they remained
exposed to attacks from enemies. Around 2,300 B.C., the
Akkadians conquered Sumer.
The akkadian empire
An empire is a large territory in which several groups of
people are ruled by a single leader or government.
First, the Akkadians conquered other lands, and later they
used their power to maintain them under their control
during 1200 years.
The Akkadians arrived from northern Mesopotamia. Their
leader was Sargon, a strong king and skilled general.
Sargon created the first Mesopotamian empire through
powerful military strategies. He assembled a large army
which included formations of soldiers carrying shields and
lancers He won a vast territory, conquered Uruk, and later
he conquered all of Sumer forming a great empire.
Sargon of akkad
Sargon used smart political strategies to keep control of his
empire.
He destroyed the walls of cities to make it harder for people
to rebel. He also made sure governors were loyal to him.
He became the first king to demand that his sons rule after
his death.
Sargon ruled his empire for 56 years. His name passed into
legend.
Life under sargon of akkad
The capital of his empire was the city of Agade. He built up the city with
tributes, or money and goods collected from the people he conquered. Agade
became a cultural center with many beautiful temples and palaces.
The Akkadians used Sumerian irrigation techniques to farm.
They used the the Sumerian system of cuneiform writing.
They worshipped the same gods and goddesses as the Summerians, although
they called them by different names..
Their language gradually replaced the Sumerian language.
In art, they became especially well-known for their three-dimensional
sculptures and their carved reliefs on stone or steles.
After about 200 years, the Akkadian empire fell to new invaders from the north.
Hammurabi and the
babylonian empire
Hammurabi was the king of Babylon. He united all of Mesopotamia.
Between 1,792 and 1,750 B.C., Hammurabi used his Code of Laws to
unify his empire and preserve order. The code was written on a stele
made of diorite and placed at the entrance to the temple. It had 282
laws mandated by the gods and Hammurabi himself.
Laws for trade, for payment for work, for marriage and divorce, for
inheritance and contracts.
Punishments for stealing, causing injury and other crimes.
The Code of Hammurabi did not treat other people equally, but even
slaves had some rights. They could own property and if they saved
enough money, they could even buy their freedom.
Life in the babylonian empire
Hammurabi united the empire and made the Babylonian god Marduk supreme
over other gods.
Hammurabi built roads and created a postal service.
Agriculture and trade flourished. Babylon became an important trade center
along the Euphrates River and with countries of the Persian Gulf.
They traded grain and woven cloth for wood, gold, silver, precious gems, and
livestock. The arts also flourished. Writers wrote historical poems that survive
to this day.
Women had more rights that they did in most ancient societies. They could
own property and keep money of their own.
The assyrian
empire
The line of kings begun by Hammurabi did not rule Babylon
for long. Around 900 B.C., the Assyrians began to prepare
for war and expand their territory to the south.
The Assyrians came from the north. Their capital was
Nineveh.
They were often ruthless. They were feared for their military
power, their cruelty, their war strategies, and their new
weapons.
They perfected the use of horses and iron weapons in
battle.
Assyrian war tactics
Assyrians perfected the use of horses and iron weapons.
They became extremely good at siege warfare. They were
the first to use battering rams and moveable towers to
attack city walls.
They were often ruthless and made entire populations leave
conquered areas.
Life under the assyrians
The Assyrians were ruled by powerful kings. Religion was very important and
they were obliged to obey the gods.
They built beautiful palaces and huge sculptures of winged and humanheaded bulls or lions that stood at the entrances of their cities.
They dug canals to irrigate their land and keep it fertile. They built some of
the earliest aqueducts to bring drinking water to Nineveh.
They were known for their two-dimensional sculptures or bas-reliefs.
They used ivory to decorate thrones, beds, chairs, and doors.
The neo-babylonian empire
After the fall of Nineveh, the Babylonians regained control
of Mesopotamia and established a new (Neo) empire.
Nebuchadnezzar II – king and ruthless military leader
Expanded his empire, drove the Egyptians out of Syria,
conquered part of Canaan.
Took most of the Hebrews captive and carried them off to
Babylon as slaves. This is known as the Babylonian
Captivity.
Nebuchadnezzar ii and babylon
Nebuchadnezzar worked hard to give Babylon the splendor
it had enjoyed under Hammurabi.
He built a double wall around Babylon so thick two
chariots could pass each other.
Towers were placed on the walls for archers to stand on.
A moat was dug around the outer wall and filled with water.
People used bridges to cross the moat and enter the city.
In times of war, the bridges were taken down.
Life in the neo-babylonian empire
From 605-562 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt the city’s zigurat. It was
called the “House of the Platform Between Heaven and Earth.”
The palace had fabulous gardens, rooftops and tall terraces with lush
greenery hanging down over the walls. A watering system kept the
gardens fresh and green. They were one of the great wonders of the
ancient world.
The Babylonians were skilled mathematicians and astronomers. They
created the first sun dial, the 60-minute hour and the 7-day week.
The Neo-Babylonian empire lasted only 75 years. In 539 B.C.E., Cyrus
the Great, the leader of the Persian Empire, conquered Babylon.