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The First Empires of Mesopotamia. The Assyrian and the Chaldean Peoples. Who were the Assyrians?. They had great military power and well organized government Built strong army to defend their fertile land in northern Mesopotamia near the Tigris Took over rest of Mesopotamia around 900 BCE.
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The First Empires of Mesopotamia The Assyrian and the Chaldean Peoples
Who were the Assyrians? • They had great military power and well organized government • Built strong army to defend their fertile land in northern Mesopotamia near the Tigris • Took over rest of Mesopotamia around 900 BCE
Why were the Assyrians so strong? • Army was well organized- armed foot soldiers, archers, chariot riders and soldiers who rode on horseback • First to use iron weapons- learned from the Hittites • Ferocious warriors- tunneled under walls or climbed them, made battering rams, set fired to buildings, carried away people and goods. Punished people who resisted drove people from their lands.
How was their government organized? • Nineveh was capital city on Tigris River • Divided empire into provinces and chose officials o govern each province • Built roads to join parts of empire and posted soldiers along the way to protect trade
What was life like in Assyria? • Writing based on Babylonian writing and worshiped many of the same gods • Laws were similar to Babylon but punishments harsher • Skilled builders- large temples, palaces, carvings and statues • Collected literature, one of world’s first libraries was in Nineveh • Cruel treatment of people led to many rebellions- gave Chaldeans the opportunity to seize power and Nineveh was captured in 612 BCE and Assyria crumbled
The Assyrians What methods did the Assyrians use to attack cities? • They used war machines like the wheeled battering ram. They also destroyed the lands around a defeated city. They burned crops and destroyed dams and cut down trees. Why were Assyrian soldiers considered brutal and cruel? • They punished anyone who resisted their rule, drove people from their lands, and made settlers pay taxes. How did the Assyrians set up a well-organized government? • The Assyrians divided up the empire into smaller provinces, each governed by provincial officials who collected taxes and enforced laws.
The Chaldeans • Built important landmarks in Babylon and developed the first calendar with a seven day week. • Their king was Nebuchadnezzar and they controlled all of the Mesopotamian region from 605 BCE to 562 BCE
The City of Babylon • Most Chaldeans were descendants of the Babylonian people who made up Hammurabi’s empire 1,200 years earlier • Became world’s largest and richest city. • Surrounded by a brick wall thick enough to have two chariots ride on the road on top • Large temples and ziggurats and the Hanging Gardens made Babylon look impressive to outsiders. • Caravans stopped their on their way from the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea and it became rich from trade. • Astronomers mapped the stars planet and phases of the moon; they created one of the first sundials and followed a seven day week.
Why did the Chaldean Empire fall? • Over time, they found it hard to control the people they had conquered, and in 539 BCE the Persians from the mountains captured Babylon. Mesopotamia became part of the Persian Empire.
Questions and Answers Name two sights that made Babylon a grand city. • Four sights that made Babylon look grand were the massive wall, the tall ziggurat, the Ishtar Gate, and the hanging gardens. What were some accomplishments of Chaldean astronomers? • Chaldean astronomers mapped stars, planets, and the phases of the moon; created the sundial and a seven day week.
