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 Babylon Gained control of Mesopotamia Hammurabi Code – set of laws Why? 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 law Codify – 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 Irrigation 2. Organized a well trained army 3. Ordered repairs for temples 4. 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 forging Established an Empire by 1350 B.C. They started expanding across Mesopotamia Earned the reputation as most feared warriors Kept order and rule in their cities Nineveh – 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 coins Barter Economy – trading of goods Money Economy – coins used to purchase items Coinage – 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 consonants Later Greeks added vowels Became the alphabet we know today