Chapter 4 Study Smart - Mesopotamian Empires PDF

# LESSON 2 SUMMARY ## Mesopotamian Empires ### The First Empires - Around 2400 B.C., Sumer's city-states were weakened by conflict. - Powerful kingdoms in northern Mesopotamia and nearby Syria invaded Sumer for more land. - City-states had no government structure above their own leaders. ### Who...

# LESSON 2 SUMMARY ## Mesopotamian Empires ### The First Empires - Around 2400 B.C., Sumer's city-states were weakened by conflict. - Powerful kingdoms in northern Mesopotamia and nearby Syria invaded Sumer for more land. - City-states had no government structure above their own leaders. ### Who Was Sargon? - An ambitious ruler named Sargon ruled Akkad, a northern Mesopotamia kingdom. - Around 2340 B.C., he forcibly took over the southern Sumerian city-states, to form the world's first empire. - It was the first time a collection of city-states was under the control of one king. - Sargon's invasions mixed the cultures of Akkad and Sumer. - People spoke the Akkadian language but still wrote in Sumerian cuneiform and worshipped Sumerian gods. - Sargon continued to extend his kingdom to include all of Mesopotamia. - His empire ruled for 200 years until it was conquered by invaders. ### Who Was Hammurabi? - During the 1800s B.C., Amorites - a group who lived west of Mesopotamia - conquered Mesopotamia and built cities along the western regions. - The city of Babylon was built on the eastern banks of the Euphrates River in what is now Iraq. - Around 1792 B.C., the Babylonian king Hammurabi created the Babylonian Empire by conquering Amorite cities in the north and south. - The empire stretched from the Persian Gulf through the Tigris-Euphrates valley and west to the Mediterranean Sea. ### Hammurabi's Code - Hammurabi was considered a fair ruler. - He created and posted a set of laws for all to read - The Code of Hammurabi - which protected the less powerful. - There were laws that involved farming, business, marriage, and family matters. - The laws clearly described the punishments for each crime. - Although stricter than old Sumerian laws, the punishments were designed to fit the crime. - Hammurabi's code is where the expression "an eye for an eye" comes from. - Later, Hammurabi's code influenced law codes in Greek and Roman government. ### 1. USING DEFINITIONS ACCURATELY - **village:** A small settlement, typically one that is smaller and less important than a town. - **kingdom:** A country, state, or territory ruled by a king or queen. - **city-state:** An independent city and its surrounding territory, functioning as a self-governing state. - **empire:** A large group of states or countries ruled by a single sovereign power. ### 2. MAKING INFERENCES - Hammurabi was considered a fair ruler because his code protected the less powerful and clearly described the punishments for each crime. ## LESSON 2 SUMMARY (continued) ### The Assyrian Empire, 900 B.C. - Around 900 B.C., the Assyrian Empire covered the lands in present-day Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq. - Their army defended their lands and took over the rest of Mesopotamia. - Eventually, the Assyrian Empire grew from the Persian Gulf in the east to the Nile River in the west. - Nineveh, located along the Tigris River, became the capital. ### The Assyrian Army - The Assyrians learned how to make iron from the Hittite people of the north. - They used the iron to make weapons - slingshots, bows and arrows, swords, and spears - which were stronger than those of their rivals. - The Assyrian army had about 50,000 disciplined troops trained as infantry, cavalry, and charioteers. - They were known for taking tribute or payments from their enemies. - They also set fires, destroyed dams, and drove people from their homes. - Their brutal methods caused many to surrender without fighting. ### Kings and Government - In the ancient world, kings maintained control over large empires by dividing them into provinces, or political districts. - Chosen officials carried out the laws and collected taxes. - There were stations along the roads built between provinces. - Each station was guarded by soldiers. - The stations offered a resting place for government messengers and protection for traders. ### 3. READING A MAP - (Insert a description of the map here, or a diagram of the map with the Babylonian Empire highlighted) ### Life in Assyria - Historians discovered an ancient library built in Nineveh by Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. - The library collected stories from the Assyrian Empire. - It also included a collection of Sumerian and Babylonian texts. - Assyrian culture borrowed from other Mesopotamian cultures. - For example, Assyrian law codes were similar to Hammurabi's code, but with harsher punishments. - Their written language was based on Babylonian writing, and they worshipped the same gods as the Babylonians. - Farming and trade were also very important to the Assyrians. - They brought in wood from faraway places for building and metal for making tools and weapons. ### 4. INTERPRETING - (Insert a description of the present-day map of the Middle East here. Or a comparison between the maps with the areas once belonging to the Assyrian Empire highlighted.) ### 5. RECOGNIZING RELATIONSHIPS - The Assyrians borrowed from other cultures in the creation and development of their empire because: - They were able to learn from the successes of other civilizations. - They needed to adapt their culture and way of life to the new territories they conquered. ### The Chaldean Empire, 605 B.C. - Assyria ruled the area from the Persian Gulf to Egypt for over 300 years. - But their harsh rule caused rebellion. - In 650 B.C., fighting about who would become the next Assyrian ruler broke out. - The stability of the empire was threatened. ### A New Empire - The Chaldean people, who lived in southern Mesopotamia, had been conquered by the Assyrians centuries before. - They hated the Assyrians' harsh rule. - In 627 B.C., with the Assyrians in turmoil, Chaldean king Nabopolassar decided to reclaim his kingdom. - He formed an alliance with the Medes people. - Together they fought the Assyrians. - In 612 B.C., they captured Nineveh and burned it to the ground. - Nabopolassar and his son, Nebuchadnezzar, created a new empire. - Many Chaldean people were descendants of the Babylonians from Hammurabi's time. - Thus they reclaimed Babylon as their capital. - The Chaldean Empire became known as the New Babylonian Empire. ### The Greatness of Babylon - Under Nebuchadnezzar's rule, Babylon became the largest and richest city in the world. - Grand palaces, temples, and a gold-roofed ziggurat were located in the center. - The Hanging Gardens on the king's palace later became known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. - A complex irrigation system watered the plants in the Hanging Gardens. - There were large trees, flowering vines, and other plants on the stepped terrace. - For the people, Nebuchadnezzar built beautiful streets. - They were made of limestone and marble and aligned with blue glaze tiles. - Babylonians built more canals as well. - This made the land even more fertile. - The government had to be efficient for an empire so vast. - To pay for the building projects, Nebuchadnezzar collected high taxes and tributes. - Despite high taxes, Babylonian people became wealthy. - Caravans of merchants along the trade route bought Babylonian pottery, cloth, and baskets. - Babylonians believed the gods revealed plans in the sky. - Astronomy is the study of the heavenly bodies. - Chaldean astronomers mapped the stars, planets, and phases of the moon. - They invented the first sundials to measure time and followed a seven-day week. ### 6. IDENTIFYING - Assyrian government maintained control of their empire by: - Maintaining a strong military. - Building a strong infrastructure through the use of roads and stations. - The implementation of strict laws to control the people. - Maintaining a control by their officials in the provinces. ### 7. SPECULATING - (Insert a description of the map here or a diagram illustrating the difference in size between the Assyrian Empire and the Chaldean Empire.) - The land not claimed by the Chaldean Empire during their reign likely became part of other empires or remained as independent regions. ### 8. DIFFERENTIATING - The Chaldean Empire under Nebuchadnezzar was different from the empires of Mesopotamia that came before because: - It was an era of great wealth in Babylon and the city became the largest and richest in the world. - There was a focus on building grand palaces and temples in the Chaldean empire as well as maintaining a complex irrigation system for the Hanging Gardens. ### 9. PREDICTING - The Persian Empire’s decision to allow the Chaldeans to maintain their culture may have resulted in a peaceful transition. - This might have allowed the Persians to avoid any resistance or resentment from the Chaldean people. ## REVIEW LESSON 2 ### We'll Do in Class ### 1. Comparing and Contrasting - (Insert a table showing the differences and similarities between the three empires using the provided information. For example): | Empire | When did it emerge? | Where was it located? | How did it rise to power? | What achievements are they best known for? | |---|---|---|---|---| | Babylonian Empire | Around 2400 B.C. | Southern Mesopotamia | Took over neighboring city-states and formed an empire. | The Code of Hammurabi | | Assyrian Empire | Around 900 B.C. | Present-day Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq. | Built a strong army and conquered neighboring states. | Military strength and brutality. | | Chaldean Empire | Around 612 B.C. | Southern Mesopotamia | Overthrew the Assyrian Empire and formed an alliance with the Medes people. | The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. | ### 2. ANALYZING INFORMATION - (Insert a brief essay discussing the similarities and differences between the three empires described in the chart. Describe what it might have been like to live under each empire's rule and the advantages and disadvantages citizens of each empire might have experienced.)