Mesopotamia

Later Mesopotamian Empires

Later Mesopotamian Empires About 2400 B.C., the power of Sumer

started to fade

New civilizations began to develop in Mesopotamia as conquerors moved in from nearby states

Sargon I Sargon I was a ruler from an area in

Northern Mesopotamia known as Akkad

Around 2300 B.C., he moved his armies south and began to conquer the city-states of Sumer one by one

He united the conquered city-states with Akkad and became known as king of Sumer and Akkad

Sargon I Sargon I created the world’s first

empire or group of states under 1 ruler

Sargon I ruled his empire for more than 50 years.

After his death, the empire fell.

Hammurabi of Babylon About 1800 B.C. a new group of

people called the Amorites entered the Tigris-Euphrates Valley and built cities of their own.

One of these cities was called Babylon

The king of Babylon, Hammurabi conquered Akkad and Sumer and became ruler of a great new empire.

The people of Babylon took as their own many parts of the culture, or way of life, of the people they had conquered

Hammurabi of Babylon Hammurabi was a great conqueror

and extended his rule to the Mediterranean Sea

The reform or improvements for which Hammurabi became best known for was his Code of Law

Hammurabi appointed royal judges to make sure that his code was carried out fairly and justly.

Hammurabi of Babylon During Hammurabi’s rule, Babylon

became an important trade center. Babylonians exchanges their surplus

or extra products for money or for goods,

Hammurabi ruled for more than 40 years

His reign or period of power is known as the “Golden Age of Babylon”

The Assyrian Empire After the Babylonians fell apart a

number of groups controlled what had been Babylonia

Then the warlike people of the Assyrian empire took over the Mesopotamian region.

The Assyrian Empire The Assyrians were known for their

military might and their cruelty. Their greatest achievements were new weapons and war strategies.

They used war techniques such as siege techniques, Battering Rams, and Moveable towers.

The Assyrians also invented the Chariot- a wheeled vehicle carried by 2 horses.

They used battering rams on wheels.• These broke down wall and doors. • They were so durable that they could break

down stone walls. They also made holes in the walls Had ladders to climb the walls for “air”

attacks The ruler that was defeated would

have to pluck his eyes out and then he would be locked in a cage.

The new king would sit in a throne outside the gates and cut off all of the other peoples heads

The Assyrian Empire

The Assyrian Empire The Assyrians believed that their

kings were special beings and to honor them they built “The great Palace” in the capital city of Nineveh.

The Assyrian Empire Like other societies in Mesopotamia the

Assyrians had a system of canals to irrigate their land, but they also built the first Aqueducts.

Aqueducts were pipes or channels used to carry water throughout the city of Nineveh and up to 30 miles away.

The NEW Babylonian Empire With the fall of Nineveh, the

Babylonians once again took over the Mesopotamia area.

Their new empire was known a Neo-Babylonia.

The empire’s new famous King was Nebuchadnezzar, who was a ruthless king.

The NEW Babylonian Empire

King Nebuchadnezzar

The NEW Babylonian Empire Nebuchadnezzar conquered the land

of the Israelites took many of them captive back to Babylon after they tried to rebel.

Nebuchadnezzar built two walls, some towers, bridges, and a moat around his capital to protect his city from attacks.

The NEW Babylonian Empire Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt the city of

Babylon and built the Hanging gardens of Babylon along the rooftops and terraces high on the royal palace.

The Neo Babylonian empire only lasted 75 years because controlling such a large areas was very challenging.

End of an Era The Persians conquered

Mesopotamia and controlled it for 200 years, until Alexander the Great came along from Greece.

Contributions of Mesopotamia From the beginnings of Sumer until the

death of Hammurabi, the influence of Mesopotamia on other civilizations was felt in many ways

The Sumerians developed the earliest known civilization in the world, which has been called the “Cradle of Civilization”

The Sumerians also invented many things- such as the wheel, which have helped transportation

Contributions The people of Mesopotamia

developed a 12 month calendar based on the cycles of the moon (lunar calendar)

The people developed a number system based on 60

From that came the 60 minute hour, 60 second minute, and 360 degree circle