Invaders, Traders, and Empire Builders

Sargon – 2300 B.C.Ruler of Akkad – invaded and

conquered Sumer and surrounding lands

Continued to expand and created the first Empire

When he died other nations invaded and took over

Hammurabi – 1790 B.C.King of BabylonGained control of MesopotamiaHammurabi Code – set of lawsWhy? Wanted to ensure that everyone

knew the law – no exceptions

Hammurabi had artisans ? Carve 300 laws into a stone pillar and display it for everyone to see

First attempt by a ruler to codify lawCodify – arrange and set down in

writing

Private rights and matters – such as: Business, property, inheritance,

marriage and divorce Code was designed to protect the

powerless – slaves and women Allowed women to own property and pass

it to her children A man was both the legal authority over

his and the provider for her Fathers had almost unlimited authority

over children Kept a house running orderly. Was this necessary?

Criminal law – offenses against other Robbery, assault, murder

Set out specific punishments – limited vengeance and created social order

Could be cruel – an eye for an eye If someone built a house and it

collapsed on someone, the person who built it could be put to death

1. Improved Irrigation2. Organized a well trained army3. Ordered repairs for temples4. Encouraged religious unity by

promoting Marduk – the patron god of Babylon, which replaced older Sumerian gods

Hittites – came from Asia Minor around 1400 B.C.

Advancements – Three man chariot Ability to extract Iron from ore Could create better tools and weapons

They were harder and sharper Tried to keep this a secret – but when

their Empire collapsed in 1700 B.C. – iron smiths when elsewhere for work and spread knowledge

Also learned of Iron forgingEstablished an Empire by 1350 B.C. They started expanding across

MesopotamiaEarned the reputation as most

feared warriorsKept order and rule in their citiesNineveh – had one of the first

libraries of cuneiform tablets

Nebuchadnezzar – 612 B.C. Babylonian King

Took control of Assyrian Empire and brought it under Babylonian control

Empire stretched from Persian Gulf to Mediterranean Sea

Rebuilt canals, temples, walls and palaces Surrounded Babylon with a wall (85 ft.

thick) and moat Hanging Gardens – one of the Seven

Wonders Of the World Built for his wife – gardens in dessert –

difficult, expensive

Conquered Babylon in 539 B.C.Cyrus the Great – Persian King, and

his successors built the largest Empire ever seen up until that point

Persians had a policy of tolerance for conquered people

Respectful of others customs

Darius I – created a single law code for Empire which unified it

Built and repaired roads in the Empire Set up model government

Divided Empire into Provinces called a Satrapy

Satrapy was ruled by a governor called a Satrap

Each Satrapy had to pay taxes according to the wealth that was in the province

Darius I – moved from city to city to see people and lead festivals

Darius set up a common weight and measurement scale

Encouraged the use of coinsBarter Economy – trading of goodsMoney Economy – coins used to

purchase itemsCoinage – money with an agreed

upon value

Zoroaster – Persian “thinker” Rejected old Persian gods and taught

there was only one God – Ahura Mazda who was in constant battle with Ahriman – the prince of evil and lies

Eventually Ahura Mazda wins and there would be a final judgment day

Does this sound familiar? Heaven, Hell, Jug dement?

Famous for sailing and trading Occupied area of Eastern Mediterranean

coast Became known for manufacturing and trade Made glass from sand, and a purple dye

from snails Set up colonies around the Mediterranean

Sea to promote trade Colony – territory settled and ruled by a

people from another land Made it as far as Britain and brought back tin

Established an Alphabet – writing system in which each symbol represents a single basic sound, i.e. consonants and vowels

22 symbols – all consonantsLater Greeks added vowelsBecame the alphabet we know today