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First Empire: The Akkadians• Akkad: area north of
Sumeria• Defeated Sumerian city
states, took control of N & S Mesopotamia
• Sargon I became first Emperor
• Definition of empire: bring together several peoples, nations under one rule
• Empire fell apart after 200 years due to civil war
Stele ofNaram-Sin
Babylonian Empire (c. 2000 BC)• Amorites invaded from
Syria and Lebanon• Founded own cities in N.
Mesopotamia, including Babylon– Cities had much higher
proportion of non-citizen residents than Sumerians
– Cities laid out on grid
• Reached height of power under King Hammurabi, 1792-1750 BC
Babylonian city(above); Hammurabi,seated
Babylonian Empire: Hammurabi• Great conqueror, reformer
– Expanded irrigation system– Road network– Postal service
• Centralized gov’t to himself and Babylon
• Created single uniform Code of Laws– Covered all societal issues– Welded Empire together– Code posted in all towns
Indo-European Migrations: Hittites
• Hittites moved in about 1500 BC
• Their home was in Central Anatolia
• At its height, the Hittite empire included Central Anatolia, Syria, and Northern Mesopotamia
Indo-European Migrations: Hittites
• Hittites were a warrior people– One of first to use iron
weapons– First to use chariots
• Softened Code of Hammurabi– Fines, not vengeance
Indo-European Migrations: Hittites• Expanded into Syria until
1400 BC, bumped into Egyptians in Palestine
• Battle of Kadesh, 1274 BC– Largest Chariot battle in
history – 5k chariots, 9k infantry
• By 1200 BC, Hittites couldn’t hold empire together– Succession of civil wars
– External threat from Sea People (raiders from Italy)
Battle of Kadesh; A “Sea Person”, fromEgyptian hieroglyphs
The Phoenicians
• Around 1100 BC, these people emerged in Lebanon
• Group of independent city states
• Most powerful traders around Mediterranean– Remarkable ship builders,
sailors– Set up colonies around Med
The Phoenicians• Colonies formed the
basis of their power– Included Carthage, on N.
African coast– Spain, Sicily & Italy also
settled
• Trade– Crafts (wood, ivory metal)– Goods from other lands,
especially slaves– Famous for their purple
dyed material