1. Early Empires in the Ancient Near East
Chapter 3
Lesson 1: Akkad and Babylon
Lesson 2: Egypt and Kush
Lesson 3: Assyria and Persia

2. ASSYRIAN EMPIRE 700BCE – Empire including Mesopotamia and Egypt

3. King ruled with absolute power
ASSYRIAN EMPIRE
King ruled with absolute power
Messenger System – relay network of riders using horses & donkeys (in mountains)

4. ASSYRIAN EMPIRE MILITARY 1 – Very effective and well trained
2 - Large numbers
3 – Infantry, cavalry, chariots
4 – Used iron weapons

5. ASSYRIAN EMPIRE MILITARY 5 – Highly feared (brutality)
6 – Destroyed lands they fought

6. ASSYRIAN EMPIRE **NINEVEH** Assyrian capital
**One of the first libraries were built here**
FALL – 612BCE Chaldeans and Medes (from the east) divided the empire

7. PERSIAN EMPIRE
King NEBUCHADNEZZAR - made Babylon the leading state in west Asia Re-built Babylon as one of the world’s greatest cities falling to the Persians in 539BCE

8. PERSIAN EMPIRE Cyrus the Great:
Persians – nomadic Indo-Europeans united by the Achaemenid family --- CYRUS
Cyrus the Great:
1 – Created a powerful empire, ruled: 559BCE-530BCE
2 – Asia minor to India
3 – Treated conquered people well ---- How did that make them feel?
Would that benefit the Persians? How?
4-jews were being held as slaves in Babylon

9. PERSIAN EMPIRE Cyrus the Great:
4 – Allowed the Jews to return to their homeland
5 – Allowed those from conquered nations to hold gov’t offices
6 – Reputation for mercy!
7- Very accepted and respected – Showed wisdom and compassion
4-jews were being held as slaves in Babylon
Pic – tomb of Cyrus

10. PERSIAN EMPIRE
Cambyses – Successfully invaded Egypt Darius I – 1 - Ruled 521BCE-456BCE 2 – Largest empire to this time 3 – Powerful, professional army ---- Immortals (10,000)

11. PERSIAN EMPIRE
4 – Strengthened the empire What is so difficult about a huge area? Satrapies – The empire was divided into 20 provinces (satrapies) Satrap – A governor or literally “protector of the kingdom” King – Greatest authority --- known as a Monarchy 5 – Good roads sustained the Empire. Included way stations that provided food, shelter and fresh horses.
Royal road – Roman Roads – Highway systems of today TRADE-MOVEMENT OF ARMIES

12. PERSIAN EMPIRE Enter --- Alexander the Great www.glscott.org
Royal road – Roman Roads – Highway systems of today TRADE-MOVEMENT OF ARMIES
Alexander the Great would defeat Darius and take over the Persian Empire

13. ZOROASTRIANISM
1 - Zoroaster (YOB 628BCE) Thought of as a “great prophet” 2 – Zend Avesta – book that contained his teachings 3 – Ahuramazda – The one god of the Zoroastrianism 4 – Monotheistic - (if you don’t know this by now, look it up!) 5 – Ahriman – The evil spirit 6 - Main Ideas 1 – Final judgement (all will go to paradise or misery) 2 – Human choice between good and evil 3 – Good would triumph