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Four Empires

Four Empires . Of Mesopotamia. What happened to Sumer?. Sumerians lived in many city-states They were not unified This left them vulnerable to attack Do you remember what Sumerian city-states fought about?. Akkadians. 2300 BCE the Akkadians conquered Sumer.

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Four Empires

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  1. Four Empires Of Mesopotamia

  2. What happened to Sumer? • Sumerians lived in many city-states • They were not unified • This left them vulnerable to attack • Do you remember what Sumerian city-states fought about?

  3. Akkadians • 2300 BCE the Akkadians conquered Sumer. • They developed the first empire, with Sargon as king • Sargon used military techniques to conquer the city-states

  4. Akkadians • Sargon did several things to ensure his empire flourished: • Destroyed city walls to discourage rebellion • Ensured city-state governors were loyal to him • Established his son as the next king • Utilized tributes

  5. Akkadian Facts They spoke a Semitic language • A family of languages. Examples: Assyrian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Arabic and Hebrew Sargon ruled for 56 years • His sons ruled after him. • Naram-Sin was the most successful.

  6. Akkadian Facts • Naram-Sin was the first Mesopotamian king to claim divinity. He was called “King of the Four Quarters” (The world!) • They adapted cuneiform to the Semitic language • They had skilled craftspeople who made three-dimensional relief sculptures called steles

  7. Akkadian Facts • Agade was the capital of the empire. • The vast empire grew weak and was gone by 2190 BCE • The Akkadian Empire lasted about 200 years. • The Sumerian city-states briefly reemerged after the Akkadians fell.

  8. Babylonian Empire • Babylon was a small city-state in central Mesopotamia. • Hammurabi was the ruler of Babylon. • Hammurabi conquered Mesopotamia, bringing an end to the Sumerian political structure. • Hammurabi named the new empire Babylonia, with Babylon as its capital.

  9. Babylonian Facts • Babylonian empire began in 1792 BCE • They spoke Akkadian (a Semitic language) • Sumerian language died • Hammurabi developed his code of laws • Babylonians had an extensive trade system: traded grain and cloth for wood, gold silver, gems and livestock

  10. Babylonian Facts • Hammurabi ensured the irrigation systems worked, so food was plentiful • Women had more rights than in other ancient cultures • They utilized silver for payment, but not in coin form

  11. Babylonian Facts • Babylonians made achievements in math • They developed a system of math based on the number 60 (has many divisors) • Thus, we have 60 second minutes, 60 minute hours, 360 degree circles (60 x 6) • Had multiplication tables, square roots and reciprocals • Had knowledge of pi and geometry • Had a mile measurement (appx. 7 miles = 1 Babylonian mile)

  12. Babylonian Demise • After Hammurabi’s death, the Babylonian Empire became weak. • The Babylonian Empire fell about 1600 BCE

  13. Hittite Invasion • The Hittites moved into Mesopotamia and invaded Babylon in 1595 BCE • Hittites were great metalworkers • They were some of the first people to utilize iron for making weapons • Iron weapons were stronger than their enemies’ bronze weapons. • By 1200 BCE, iron replaced bronze • This was the beginning of the “Iron Age”

  14. Hittites • Hittites were from Anatolia (Turkey) • They had an expansive trade network • Internal fighting weakened the Hittites and led to their demise

  15. The Assyrian Empire • Located on the upper Tigris • This empire was built by conquering with fierce military strategy • They used wealth of captured cities to expand their empire • They would export conquered people to avoid coups

  16. Assyrian Empire • Nineveh and Ashur were capitals • Ashur was named after the patron god of war • They did not consider their kings to be divine • They built aqueducts • Assyria collapsed following the death of Ashurbanipal (627 BCE) • Nineveh was sacked in 612 BCE

  17. Assyrian Warriors • Nineveh was built to withstand invaders • Outer city wall was 200 feet high and three chariots could ride side by side on top • Assyrians would ask a city to surrender. If they did not, they utilized siege.

  18. Assyrian Warriors • They were the first to use battering rams • Their army used many techniques and weapons • Army wasn’t strong enough to protect entire empire. Internal dissent and attacks weakened the empire.

  19. Neo-Babylonian Empire • After Nineveh fell, Babylonians rose to power again • Nabopolassar was the first king of the empire • His son, Nebuchadrezzar, was the most famous Neo-Babylonian king.

  20. Neo-Babylonian Empire • Nebuchadrezzar expanded the empire • He conquered Syria and part of Canaan. He exported the Egyptians and Hebrews from their lands. • He created gardens for his palace now know as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

  21. Neo-Babylonians • They created the first sundial • The tower of babel is associated with Etemenaki, a ziggurat built by Nabopolassar • The Neo-Babylonian empire lasted from 612-539 BCE

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