Section 2 Babylonia and Assyria

1. Section 2 Babylonia and Assyria

2. Two Empires of Mesopotamia • The person who conquered Mesopotamia gained great wealth from trade and agriculture • As a new ruler won the land, they became a target • Empire-Area of many territories and peoples that is controlled by one government • Biggest empires were Babylonia and Assyria

3. Babylonia and Assyria • Babylon-Beautiful city at the center of the empire • Reached height around 1750 BC • Assur- Assyrian capital • Expanded lands in 1300 BC • By 600 BC controlled a large empire • Two things in common- Quest for riches, vicious warriors • Built grand cities- Culture and learning were highly valued

4. Babylonia • Hammurabi- Creator and King • United cities of Sumer • Conquered the lands all the way to present day Turkey • Created a system of roads through the empire • Travel was easier and encouraged trade • Crossroads of trade- Caravans or groups of travelers traveling from cities of Sumer in the south and Assyria to the north

5. Babylonia • Bazaars-markets- shoppers could buy cotton cloth from India and spices from Egypt • Trade made Babylon rich • So did Conquest

6. Wealth through Conquest • A conqueror, if successful, could be greatly rewarded • 1760 BC Hammurabi conquered Mari, which had the best war weapons, chariots, and tools • That didn’t prevent it from being conquered in 1600 BC

7. Assyria • Originally small kingdom of a few walled cities • Like, Babylon, grew to great empire • Lay in open land, so they were easy to invade • Since they were constantly being attacked they became skilled warriors • By 650 BC they had conquered a very large empire which stretched across the Fertile Crescent, From the Nile river to the Persian Gulf by attacking all the lands around them

8. Assyria’s Contributions • Invented the battering ram- very powerful wooden beam mounted on the wheels which pounded the city to rubble • Slings- hurled stones at enemies • Expert archers were well protected with armor • Armed Charioteers- very violent, very feared

9. Assyrian Education • Nineveh, the capital- place of great learning • Remarkable library held thousands of clay tablets with writing from Sumer and Babylon • It is the reason we know so much about the Mesopotamian Culture

10. Defeat of Assyria • Had many enemies • The Medes and Chaldeans joined forces to defeat the Assyrian Empire in 612 B.C. • What were the strengths of the Assyrian Empire? Skilled warriors with advanced techniques in war, capital was center of learning

11. Babylonia Rises Again • Babylon rose again under Chaldeans rule • Became Center of New Babylonian Empire • King Nebuchadnezzar II-rebuilt city • Put up massive walls for protection • Gigantic palace decorated with colored tiles • Palace on several terraces that rose over 350 feet total

12. Advances in Learning • Babylonia center of learning and science • Chaldean astronomers charted paths of the stars and measured the length of a year • The measurement was only a few minutes different than modern day time • Raised Honey Bees • Still open to attack-539 B.C. fell to Persians

13. Questions • What were Babylonia and Assyria and where were they located? • Important Mesopotamian Empires located in southeast Asia Minor • Describe the empires of Babylonia and Assyria • Babylonia united the cites of Sumer and stretched to Asia Minor or Turkey. Great military power and center of trade • Assyria- skilled warriors, stretched across Fertile Crescent, from Nile to Persian Gulf. Capital Nineveh- City of great learning