1. Empires of Ancient Middle East
The Hittites
The Assyrians
The Nubians

2. Main Idea: To identify the Hittites and the effects of their technology on other societies

3. Essential Question: Who were the Hittites?

4. The Hittites
By 2000 B.C.E., they occupied most Anatolia (or Asia Minor)
City-states formed into an empire by 1650 B.C.E.
Capital: Hattusas
Controlled much of Mesopotamia for 450 years
Fought with Egypt to control ancient Syria
Eventually signed peace treaty

5. The Hittites Essential Question:
What influenced their law system and how was it different?
The Hittites

6. The Hittites
Borrowed ideas about literature, art, politics, and law from Mesopotamian peoples
Gave each own distinctive twist
Legal code similar to Hammurabi’s Code, but less harsh
Murderers not automatically punished by death
Convicted murderer could make up for death by giving the family a slave or own child

7. Essential Question: How was the Hittites war technology superior?

8. The Hittites Excelled in war technology Superior chariots Iron weapons
Light and easy to maneuver
Iron weapons
Around 1500 B.C.E., first in Mesopotamia to smelt iron and harden it into weapons
Iron technology spread to areas conquered
Fell suddenly in 1190 B.C.E. due to waves of invasions, and the burning of the capital

9. The Assyrians Main Ideas:
Assyria built a military machine that was greatly feared by others in the region.
Assyria used several different methods to control its empire.

10. Essential Question: How was Assyria able to build an empire?
The Assyrians

11. The Assyrians – A Powerful Army
Assyria was located in hilly northern Mesopotamia
Built powerful horse and chariot army to protect lands
Soldiers were only ones in area to use iron swords and spear tips
Used battering rams, ladders, tunnels to get past city walls
Inside cities, feared Assyrians slaughtered enemy inhabitants

12. Harsh Treatment of Captured People
Assyrians were cruel to defeated peoples
Enemies who surrendered were allowed to choose a leader
Enemies who resisted were taken captive and killed and enslaved
Enemy leaders were killed, and cities were burned
Captured peoples were sent into exile
Exile: forced to move from homelands to other lands, often far away

13. Assyrian Builds a Huge Empire
Essential Question:
How did Assyria control its empire?
Assyrian Builds a Huge Empire

14. A Huge Empire
From 850 to 650 B.C.E., Assyrians conquered most of the Fertile Crescent
Including Syria, Egypt, Babylonia, Palestine
Reached peak under Ashurbanipal ( B.C.E.)
Known for creating libraries to collect documents
Assyrians chose native kings and governors to rule conquered lands
Conquered rulers paid tribute (payment for army’s protection)
Assyrians destroyed cities if no tribute was paid, and exiled people
Assyrians made many enemies by their cruelty
Exiled peoples tried to gather forces to fight the Assyrians
Assyrians put down many revolts

15. Assyria Crumbles Assyrian empire fell in 609 B.C.E.
Defeated by combined forces of the Medes and Chaldeans
Victors burned Assyrian capital city of Ninevah

16. Why learn about the Assyrians?
The Assyrian Empire showed that to control large areas of land with many people, an empire must have a highly organized government and a strong military.
Why learn about the Assyrians?

17. Nubia and the Land of Kush
Main Idea:
The region of Nubia had connections with Egypt.

18. Essential Question: In what ways were Nubia and Egypt connected?
The Region of Nubia

19. Upper and Lower Nubia
Nubia: African region south of Egypt, includes modern Sudan and South Sudan
Nubia was divided into two areas
Upper area was southern or upstream
Lower area was northern or downstream
People of Nubia lived along the Nile River
Southern Nubia’s moist climate didn’t limit farming to Nile River Valley

20. Cultural Relations Between Egypt and Nubia
Egypt controlled parts of Nubia between 2000 and 1000 B.C.E.
Egyptian art, architecture, and religion influenced Nubia
Egypt went through a period of decline, and Nubian kingdom Kush became powerful
Kushite nobles went to Egypt and brought back rituals and writing system
Adopted Egyptian customs, clothing styles, adapted pyramids

21. The Decline of Kush (Nubia)
Taharqa, a later Kushite ruler of Egypt, fought Assyrian invasion
Assyria conquered Egypt in 671 B.C.E. with iron weapons, bows and arrows
Kushite bronze weapons were too weak