1. The Four Empires of Mesopotamia
What were their most important achievements?

2. Akkadian Empire Conquered Sumer in 2300 B.C.E
Led by Sargon- First ruler of the Akkadian Empire
Sumer independent for about 1200 years

3. Sargon’s Rule Effective military strategies Large armies
Fought in tight formation
Shields in the front, spears
behind them
Won territory
Destroyed walls, demanded
loyalty

4. Akkadian Achievements
World’s first empire
Art: Skillful 3-D sculptures, steles

5. How the empire fell:
Kings found it difficult to rule a large territory
Empire grew weak
After about 200 years, the Akkadian empire fell to new invaders from the north.

6. Babylon Sumer was once again a group of city states
United by Hammurabi

7. Important people King Hammurabi
Written code law- unified people & kept order
Also: built roads, made postal service `
Laws based on word of the gods- claimed gods told him to create laws that applied to everyone in the empire

8. Trade
Location on the banks of the Euphrates made it an important center for trade.
Gin and woven cloth for wood, gold, silver, precious gems, and animals
Arts flourished

9. Assyrians: Background
Warlike people
Located- North of Babylon
Briefly in power before Hammurabi
Rose to power around 900 B.C.E

10. Important people Feared for their military might and cruelty
The kings and army were important because the Assyrians believed that their kings were special beings

11. Achievements New weapons and war strategies Dug canals to irrigate
Horses, iron weapons & siege warfare
Battering rams
Movable towers
Dug canals to irrigate
Built the first aqueducts
Artisans known for two-dimensional sculptures called Bas-reliefs
Used ivory to decorate thrones, beds, chairs and doors

13. How it fell Too big of a territory for the army to control
Army stretched too thin- could not fight off neighbors

14. Neo-Babylonia
After the fall of the city of Nineveh – Babylonians took over again
“Neo” means New

15. Nebuchadnezzar Ruthless military leader
Expanded his empire by taking over other lands
Built walls around Babylon,
his capital

16. Achievements: Hanging Gardens of Babylon Skilled in Math and astronomy
Gardens planted on the rooftops of Nebuchadnezzar's Palace
Skilled in Math and astronomy
First sundial
60 minute hour, 7 day week

17. How it fell
The Persian Empire, under Cyrus conquered the area