Mesopotamian Empires

1. Mesopotamian Empires Essential Question: How does conflict develop?

2. PRewrite • How does conflict develop? (Sentence Frame: In my opinion, conflict develops _______________________. This is important because __________________________. ) • 3 minutes (2-3 complete sentences) • Don’t stop writing until the timer STOPS.

3. Why this all Matters • It Matters Because: • Mesopotamia’s empires greatly influenced other civilizations. Hammurabi’s Code even influenced the legal codes of Greece and Rome.

4. Vocabulary review • Empire—a large territory or group of many territories governed by one ruler • Tribute—a payment made to a ruler or state as a sign of surrender • Surrender: Give in to an enemy or opponent • “Over 140 rebels surrendered to the authorities.” • Province—a territory governed as a political district of a country or empire

5. Vocabulary review • Caravan—a group of merchants traveling together for safety, usually with a large number of camels • Astronomer—a person who studies planets and stars

6. The development of the first empires • 2,400 BCE, Sumer’s city-states were weakened by conflict. • Sumer’s power lessened, so other powerful kingdoms arose in Northern Mesopotamia. Remember: Sumer was located in Southern Mesopotamia. • Rulers of these kingdoms built empires. • Through conquest and trade, these empires spread their cultures over a wide region • Conquest: Taking control over somebody else’s land and region usually through force.

7. The way power works

8. Who was Sargon? • Akkad (kingdom)—developed in northern Mesopotamia • Sargon ruled the people of Akkad. They were known as Akkadians. • About 2340 BCE, Sargon moved his well-trained armies south. • He conquered the remaining Sumerian city-states one by one. • He formed the world’s first empire. • Eventually the empire grew to include ALL the people of Mesopotamia • This empire lasted 200 years before invades conquered it.

9. Who was hammurabi? • Amorites were people who lived WEST of Mesopotamia. In 1800 BCE, they conquered Mesopotamia and built their own cities. • Babylon was the grandest (best) of these cities. • Hammurabi was the Babylonian king. He began conquering cities controlled by Amorites to the north and South. Thus, he created the Babylonian Empire.

10. Hammurabi’s code • Hammurabi= “just ruler” • What is a “just ruler?” What type of leadership qualities do they have? • Hammurabi—best known for creating a set of laws for his empire • He posted this code for everyone to read • Code of Hammurabi—stricter than the old Sumerian laws • “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” This means, a punishment for a crime should MATCH the seriousness of the crime. • Do you agree with this type of mentality?

11. Checking for Understanding • Why was Hammurabi’s Code important? • Why do you think Hammurabi created a code of laws?

12. The Assyrian Empire • Arose about 1,000 years AFTER the empire of Hammurabi. • Assyrians built a large and POWERFUL military to defend their hills and fertile valleys. • The Assyrian army was well-trained and disciplined. • In battle, the troops numbered around 50,000 soldiers. This army was made up of infantry (foot soldiers) and cavalry (horse soldiers). • They fought with slingshots, bows and arrows, swords, and spears.

13. Assyrian Army • Assyrians robbed people, set crops on fire, destroyed towns & dams. • They took tribute (forced payments) from conquered people. • People were afraid of the Assyrians that sometimes they would surrender without even trying to fight back. • One key tool that made Assyrians successful was their iron weapons.

14. Kings and government • The Assyrian empire covered a large area, so the kings had to be powerful leaders. They divided their empire into provinces (smaller political districts). • The government built roads to connect these provinces. • The kings chose people to govern, collect taxes, and enforce laws in each province.

15. Life in assyria • Assyrians built large temples and palaces filled with carvings and statues. • They wrote and collected stories. • A king named Ashurbanipal built one of the world’s first libraries in Nineveh. (It had 25,000 tablets of stories/songs to the gods). • Farming and trade were both important to Assyrians. They brought in wood and metal from far away to build stuff, make tools, and weapons.

16. The chaldean empire • Assyrians began fighting as to who would become the next ruler; as a result, a group of people called Chaldeans took power. • In 627 BCE, Nabopolassar led a revolt against the Assyrians. • In 612 BCE, they captured the Assyrian capital of Nineveh and burned it to the ground. • Nabopolassar and his son, Nebuchadnezzar, created a new empire (Chaldean).

17. The greatness of babylon • King Nebchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon, making it the largest and richest city in the world. • Grand palaces and temples were located in the center. • A huge ziggurat stood higher than 300 feet tall. When the sun shone, it’s gold roof could be seen for miles. • The ziggurat had a giant staircase of greenery known as the Hanging Gardens. (*One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World).

18. The greatness of babylon • The Babylonians built many new canals, making the land even more fertile. • To pay for his building projects and to maintain his army, Nebuchadnezzar had to collect very high taxes and tributes. • One Greek historian in the 400s BCE described the beauty of Babylon. “In magnificence, there is not other city that approaches it.”

19. The greatness of babylon • The people of Babylon made many scientific advancements. • Chaldeans, like other people, believed the gods showed their plans in the changes in the sky. • Chaldean astronomers, mapped the starts, the planets, and the phases of the moon as it changed. • Chaldeans invented one of the first sundials to measure time. • They were also the first to follow a 7-day week.

20. The Fall of the empire • Nebuchadnezzar died, and a series of weak kings ruled the Chaldean empire afterwards. • Poor harvests and slow trade further weakened the empire. “NOOOOO!” • In 539 BCE, the Persians recognized that the Chaldeans had lost their strength and leadership. The Persians took advantage and capture Babylon and made Mesopotamia part of their empire.

21. SAY what? Questions I Have for Ms. Brown/or 3 main ideas I heard: 1) 2) 3)