EMPIRES OF MESOPOTAMIA: AKKADIAN, BABYLONIAN, HITTITE, ASSYRIAN, CHALDEAN, BABYLON

SUMER Sumer was the dominant culture in

Mesopotamia from about 3200BC-2330BC. Sumer made achievements and innovations

that they passed on to the cultures of Mesopotamia that came after them:

Invented cuneiform, the world’s first writing Invented the plow, wheeled vehicles, & the potters

wheel. Built ziggurats Number system based on 60

In 2330BC, Sumer was attacked and conquered by the Akkadians

AKKADIAN EMPIRE: 2330BC-2180BC

The Akkadians were the people of the city-state of Akkad. They spoke a Semitic language (language related to Hebrew & Arabic)

The city of Akkad was located between the T & E Rivers, slightly north of Sumer.

The Akkadian Empire covered Mesopotamia and some of the land around it.

AKKADIAN EMPIRE - SARGON

Sargon became king of Akkad. He conquered the city-states of Sumer, as well as the rest of Mesopotamia, and created the world’s first known empire.

The Akkadian Empire lasted about 150 years.

ENHEDUANNA

Sargon had a daughter named Enheduanna.

He appointed her as high priestess of the moon god Nanna at Ur.

Enheduanna wrote many poems and hymns in praise of the goddess Inanna

She is the first writer whose name is known is history.

The Akkadian Empire lasted about 150 years

When the Akkadian Empire fell in about 2180BC, the cities of Sumer became independent and strong again, temporarily.

The cities of Sumer flourished for about 200 more years, and the declined and lost their independence yet again as new waves of invaders swept through Mesopotamia.

OLD BABYLONIAN EMPIRE: ABOUT 1790BC-1600BC

Hammurabi was a strong king who came to power in the city of Babylon.

He conquered much of the land of Mesopotamia. His empire is called the Old Babylonian Empire.

He is best known for his code of laws, called the Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest known codes of written laws.

CODE OF HAMMURABI

Code of Hammurabi Written about 1750BC 282 laws These were not the earliest

written laws, but it is the most complete set of early written laws.

Laws dealt with crimes, economic matters, marriage and family

Carved on a black stone stele set up in the temple of the god Marduk in Babylon

2. If any one bring an accusation against a man, and the accused go to the river and leap into the river, if he sink in the river his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river prove that the accused is not guilty, and he escape unhurt, then he who had brought the accusation shall be put to death, while he who leaped into the river shall take possession of the house that had belonged to his accuser.

3. If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if it be a capital offense charged, be put to death.

117. If any one fail to meet a claim for debt, and sell himself, his wife, his son, and daughter for money or give them away to forced labor: they shall work for three years in the house of the man who bought them, or the proprietor, and in the fourth year they shall be set free

142. If a woman quarrel with her husband, and say: "You are not congenial to me," the reasons for her prejudice must be presented. If she is guiltless, and there is no fault on her part, but he leaves and neglects her, then no guilt attaches to this woman, she shall take her dowry and go back to her father's house.

143. If she is not innocent, but leaves her husband, and ruins her house, neglecting her husband, this woman shall be cast into the water.

195. If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off.

196. If a man put out the eye of another man of equal rank, his eye shall be put out. [ An eye for an eye ]

197. If he break the bone of another man of equal rank, his bone shall be broken.

198. If he put out the eye of a freed man, or break the bone of a freed man, he shall pay one gold mina.

199. If he put out the eye of a man's slave, or break the bone of a man's slave, he shall pay one-half of its value.

229 If a builder build a house for some one, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death.

230. If it kill the son of the owner the son of that builder shall be put to death.

231. If it kill a slave of the owner, then he shall pay slave for slave to the owner of the house.

232. If it ruin goods, he shall make compensation for all that has been ruined, and inasmuch as he did not construct properly this house which he built and it fell, he shall re-erect the house from his own means.

OLD BABYLONIAN EMPIRE

Took many aspects of the culture of the Sumerians.

Most Babylonians were farmers The Babylonians were extremely active in

trade, and exchanged goods with places as far away as Egypt and India.

Trade enabled the people of the Old Babylonian Empire to get resources they needed, and it spread their culture throughout a wide area.

OLD BABYLONIAN EMPIRE-RELIGION

Adopted many Sumerian religious beliefs

Believed in a “shadowy” afterlife, with no reward or punishment

They made sacrifices to their gods for favors, like good harvests or success in business, favors that involve successful life on earth.

Their chief god was Marduk Creation story : Enuma Elish

HITTITE EMPIRE: ABOUT 1600BC-1200BC

As the Old Babylonian Empire was declining, another empire arose in what is now Turkey-the Hittite Empire

They are most famous for discovering how to smelt iron (extract iron from iron ore by heating it).

This started the “iron age”

HITTITE EMPIRE ABOUT 1600BC-1200BC

Iron made better weapons than bronze. Using iron weapons, the Hittites conquered Turkey

and part of northern Mesopotamia. They were also known for having somewhat more

lenient laws than other people at the time Only the most serious crimes received the death

penalty. Most crimes were punished by requiring the guilty person to pay a fine.

As the Hittite Empire declined, a mysterious group of people, called the “Sea People”, began to invade the coasts of the Eastern Mediterranean.

ASSYRIANS 900BC-650BC The Assyrians were a

Semitic-speaking people from northern Mesopotamia (not modern Syria). They lived on the upper Tigris River & adopted much Sumerian culture.

Between 900BC-650BC, they conquered more lands and ruled an empire that covered the whole fertile crescent (Mesopotamia, Syria & Palestine) and lower Egypt.

The Assyrians were fierce effective warriors. They used war chariots were the first to use cavalry-

warriors fighting on horseback. Probably the first to use siege

towers & battering rams They were known for cruelty in

war. They frequently killed captured enemy soldiers and enslaved the people they conquered. They also often deported (forced to move) whole populations to other regions.

The Assyrians were the first to effectively govern a large empire. The king had total power, responsible only to the god Ashur (their chief god). The empire was divided into provinces, with a governor over each province responsible to the king.

At first their capital was the city Ashur. Later it was moved to Ninevah.

NINEVAH

Ninevah was surrounded by a double wall. The wall was more than 70 ‘ tall, and in places as much as 148’ wide. It stretched 7.5 miles around the city. There were 15 decorated gates.

In the city of Nineveh they built the world’s first library. They collected clay tablets from around their empire, and preserved them in this library. (Epic of Gilgamesh was found in this library)

FALL OF ASSYRIA

Assyria was hated by the people it conquered & ruled.

In 635BC, a civil war broke out, weakening Assyria.

In 612BC, a coalition force led by the Chaldeans rose up and overthrew the Assyrian empire, and destroyed Ninevah.

CHALDEAN = NEO BABYLONIAN

THE CHALDEAN EMPIRE 612BC-539BC The Chaldean Empire is also called the

“New Babylonian” or “Neo-Babylonian Empire”, because its capital city was Babylon.

The Chaldeans formed a coalition and defeated the Assyrians. They took control of much of the Assyrian Empire

The most famous ruler was Nebuchadnezzar (605BC-562BC)

BABYLON UNDER NEBUCHADNEZZAR Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon into a

magnificent city Trade flourished There were impressive canals and

magnificent buildings in the city Nebuchadnezzar built the Hanging

Gardens, a large step-shaped garden with an internal watering system. He built it to please one of his wives, Amytis

THE BEAUTIFUL ISHTAR GATE

ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN SCIENCE

Skilled astronomers. Kept careful records of the (apparent) movements of the stars & planets and could predict solar & lunar eclipses. They used this knowledge for astrology, to predict earthly events based on movements of the heavenly bodies.

Made advances in mathematics, and could calculate the year with a high degree of accuracy.

FALL OF THE CHALDEANS

Leaders after Nebuchadnezzar were not as strong.

A ruler quarreled with the priests. The priests betrayed the city and let an enemy army (Persians) into the city. Babylon and the Chaldean Empire fell.

PERSIAN EMPIRE (539BC-331BC, LATER REVIVED)

The Medes were a people who lived in what is now northern Iran. The Persians were a people who lived in what is now southern Iran. Their homeland was in Iran.

At first the Medes ruled the Persians. In 550BC, a great ruler, Cyrus.

Cyrus was arose among the Persians. He led a rebellion against the Medes, and then united the Persians & Medes under his leadership

Cyrus was the leader who led a rebellion of the Persians against the Medes, and then united the Persians and Medes under his leadership. He conquered the city of Babylon in 539BC and took control of what had been the Chaldean Empire. He conquered more land and created the Persian Empire.

His successors included Cambyses, Darius and Xerxes.

PERSIAN EMPIRE-CYRUS THE GREAT He conquered Babylon in

539BC, and took over what had been the Chaldean Empire

He said his reason for conquering other lands was to create a single world government and bring peace. He was very idealistic, and his religion was Zoroastrianism.

CYRUS THE GREAT

These events are mentioned in the Bible, and Cyrus is highly praised in the Bible. Among the people conquered by the Chaldeans were the Jews (Hebrews of the tribe of Judah). They had been conquered by the Chaldeans and been brought into exile to Babylon. When Cyrus took Babylon, he let captive people, including the Jews, return home. He gave the Jews help in rebuilding their temple. The Jews honored him as a righteous king. 'Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth

hath the God of heaven, given me; and He hath charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whosoever there is among you of all His people – may his God be with him -- let him go there.' (2 Chronicles 36:23)

CYRUS CYLINDER

CYRUS CYLINDER.

I am Cyrus, king of the universe, the great king, the powerful king, king of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four quarters of the world. . . . . . . When I came to bring peace into Babylon  I founded my sovereign residence within the palace amid celebration and rejoicing.  Marduk, the great lord, bestowed on me as my destiny the great magnanimity of one who loves Babylon, and I every day sought him out in awe.   My vast troops marched peaceably into Babylon, and the whole of [Sumer] and Akkad had nothing to fear. I brought the safety of the city of Babylon and all its sanctuaries.  As for the population of Babylon who had endured a yoke not decreed for them,  I soothed their weariness; I freed them from their bonds.     Marduk, the great lord,  rejoiced at my good deeds,  and he pronounced a sweet blessing over me, Cyrus, the king who fears him, and over Cambyses, my son, and over my all my troops,  that we might live happily in his presence, in well-being. 

TOMB OF CYRUS THE GREAT

PERSIAN EMPIRE

The Persian Empire was efficient, and compared to previous empires, it was concerned with justice and fairness. It was, however, a monarchy, not a democracy.

They allowed conquered people to keep their own religions and cultures.

The empire was divided into provinces, each called a “Satrapy”. Each had a governor called a “Satrap” who was chosen from among the local people

Secret agents of the King, called the “eyes and ears of the King”, went through the provinces and reported back to the king. This was a way to make sure the Satraps were loyal and ruling fairly.

The Persian Empire covered what is now Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, much of Egypt, and part of Bulgaria and Greece.

PERSIAN ROAD SYSTEM

The Persians built an extensive system of roads to link their empire together.

These roads connected cities within the empire. The longest road, called the Royal Road, ran from Sardis (Asia Minor) to Susa (one of the capitals), more than 1,250 miles

PERSIAN POSTAL SYSTEM

The Persians also established a postal system, that operated in relay fashion, with each carrier taking the mail to the next stop.

The postal system was so efficient that Herodotus "It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the men and horses that stand along the road, each horse and man at the interval of a day’s journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed”

ZOROASTRIANISM

At first, the Persians worshiped many gods Religion of Zoroastrianism was founded

about 600BC by Zoroaster (also called Zarathustra)

Monotheistic. There is one God, Ahura Mazda. He is completely good. There is an evil demon called Ahriman. There is a war going on throughout the universe between Ahura Mazda and Ahriman.

ZOROASTRIANISM: GOOD AGAINST EVIL: AHURA MAZDA AGAINST AHRIMAN

ZOROASTRIANISM

Every good deed we do helps Ahura Mazda. Every bad deed we do helps Ahriman. Eventually Ahura Mazda will win. The world as we know it will end. The dead will be resurrected. The good souls will live forever with Ahura Mazda, and the bad would will be sent into a place of torment with Ahriman.

Persian leaders after Darius & Xerxes lacked their strength & leadership.

The Empire was conquered by Alexander the Great in 331BC

Centuries later, around 226AD, the Persian Empire was revived, and continued for many centuries.