Exploring Four Empires of Mesopotamia: Sumer, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian
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Chapter 6 Exploring Four Empires of Mesopotamia
Sumer • Sumer consisted of independent city-states. Each city-state had its own army. • City-states existed for about 1,500 years until around 2,300 B.C. • What led to the demise of Sumer?
Empire • What is an empire? • Give me 1 example of an empire. • How many empires ruled Mesopotamia from 2,300 to 539 B.C.?
The Akkadian Empire • 2300-2100 B.C. • Existed for approximately 200 years. • 1 large nation
Akkadian Empire • Where did the Akkadians come from? • Who led the Akkadians? • Empire was created through powerful military strategies. • 1st professional army (8,000-10,000).
Akkadian Empire • To maintain control of empire, Sargon used smart political strategy. • Destroyed the walls of cities. • Installed loyal governors in city-states. • Demanded sons rule after his death.
Akkadian Empire • Sargon died of very old age. • Created the first empire, but it was too big.
After the fall of the Akkadians, Sumer was once again city-states. • Who was the next ruler to unite all of Mesopotamia? • What city-state was he from?
Babylonian Empire • 2100-900 B.C. • What was Hammurabi best know for? • Hammurabi used the code of laws to unify his empire and preserve order. • Who told Hammurabi to create laws?
Babylonian Empire • A weak economy caused the empire to break apart • Over the next several hundred years, a number of groups ruled part of Babylonia.
Assyrian Empire • 900-600 B.C. • Assyrians were warlike people. • Briefly had small empire before being conquered by Hammurabi. • Assyrians had many great kings. • Largest empire that lasted for over 300 years.
Assyrian Empire • Professional/Vicious army. • Ruthless and cruel. • Perfected use of horses and iron weapons in battle. • The first to use battering rams. • Extremely good at siege warfare.
Assyrian Empire • Largest empire to date • Territory was too big to control. • With the army stretched to thin, the Assyrians could not fight off neighbors who rose up against them. • Over-run by Babylonians, Scythians, and Medes.
Neo-Babylonian Empire • 605-539 B.C. • Neo means “new”. • Who was their most famous king?
Neo-Babylonian Empire • Nebuchadrezzar rebuilt Babylon. • Under his guidance, Babylon became a great city famous for its Hanging Gardens. • Babylonians were skilled in math and astronomy. • 60 min. hour and 7 day week.
Neo-Babylonian Empire • Empire only lasted for 75 years. • Conquered by Cyrus the Great, the leader of the Persian empire (modern day Iran).