Chapter 6 Four Empires of Mesopotamia

Akkadian Empire 2300 BCE King Sargon Agade was a cultural center; had beautiful temples and palaces King Sargon

Akkadian Empire 2300 BCE First empire! Sargon was powerful conquering king Capital was Agade in central Mesopotamia Known for carved stone steles Empire lasted 200 years Agade was a cultural center; had beautiful temples and palaces

Babylonian Empire

Babylonian Empire Hammurabi’s Code – first written laws – 1750 BC Over 280 laws to cover many situations Many seem harsh to us today Laws treated different social classes differently Retributive justice - “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” Society was unusually fair for its day – laws applied to all, women and slaves had some rights Babylon in central Mesopotamia was capital; splendid city

Assyrian Empire – 900 BCE

Assyrian Empire – 900 BCE Cruel and warlike; terrorized people Military advances: horses, iron weapons, siege warfare, battering rams Capital: Ninevah, on upper Tigris Famous king: Ashurbanipal First library – 22,000 clay tablets Built early aqueducts Known for bas-reliefs; flat sculptures Empire lasted 300 years

Neo-Babylonian Empire 500’s BCE

Neo-Babylonian Empire 500’s BCE Nebuchadnezzar was most famous king Conquered Canaan; took Hebrews as slaves Built Babylon into city of splendor Hanging Gardens built for his wife Rebuilt huge ziggurat City had inner and outer walls and moat Babylonians skilled in mathematics & astronomy Created first sun dial Empire lasted only 75 years Conquered by Persians under Cyrus