1. Chapter 6 Four Empires of Mesopotamia

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

3. 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

4. Babylonian Empire

5. 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

6. Assyrian Empire – 900 BCE

7. 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

8. Neo-Babylonian Empire 500’s BCE

9. 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