Assyrian and Persian Empires Flashcards
Where is Assyria?
North of Babylon along the Tigris River
In the beginning who was Assyria a part of?
First under the influence of Sumer later it was part of the Akkadian and Babylonian Empires
Why were Assyrians Fierce Warriors?
After Babylon fell Assyrians had to fight many Invaders
What were some things developed by the Assyrian armies because of all of the fighting?
They had a Cavalry which was soldiers who fought on horseback and used iron weapons and tools which were much stronger than the bronze that was used earlier
Who did the Assyrians learn Iron working from?
Assyrians Learn to Earn work from the Hittites who invaded Mesopotamia from Asia Minor
When and where did the Assyrian Empire lie?
The Assyrian Empire was established in the mid-600 BCE and it stretched North from the Persian Gulf across the entire fertile crescent and Southwest into Egypt
Assyrian rulers found governing a large population difficult how did they do it?
They divided the empire into 70 smaller provinces, each province had a governor that reported directly to the Assyrian ruler
How did Assyria keep control over distant lands?
The Governor from the distant Province would report to the ruler
Who was Ashurbanipal?
And Assyrian ruler who built a library in the capital filled with cuneiform tablets
What is an important source of Mesopotamian history?
20000 tablets survive today from the library made by Ashurbanipal
What were on the tablets in the library Babylonian?
The tablets were text and letters from Sumer and Babylonian about law, literature, mathematics, and science.
What happened after Ashurbanipal’s death?
Enemy attacks weakened the empire and in 604 BCE Nebuchadnezzer II became king of Babylon.
What was Nebuchadnezzar’s Empires name and what was he known for?
Neo Babylonian Empire, he was known for great projects like walls Gates and temples. His most famous project was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Who conquered neo-babylonian?
Babylon and the rest of Mesopotamia fell under the Persian Empire. Within a few Decades of this the Persian Empire was the largest empire ever.
Who lead the rise of the Persian Empire?
Cyrus the Great
How did Cyrus the Great make the Persian Empire so strong?
Originally Persia was led by the Medes in 550 b c e Cyrus the Great led the Persians to overthrow the Medes and create the Persian Empire. He then defeated the kingdom of Lydia and the Greek city-states.
Why was Persians growth so fast?
Because they had a standing army, a permanent Army of professional soldiers.
Who were the Immortals?
10000 elite soldiers in the core of the army
How did Cyrus and the Persian army treat the Babylonians?
He treated them well allowing them to keep their customs and religions rather than forcing them to the Persian way. And he allowed the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple
After Cyrus the Great who took over?
Cambyses his son
How did can buy Cambyses expand Persian Empire?
He captured Egypt and try to capture Kush but failed.
What happened to the Persian Empire after cambyses died?
Darius took the throne by force and expanded the Empire
to the Indus Valley
he went West and defeated the Greek city-state of Thrace.
How did Darius the Great control the Persian Empire?
Provinces were called satrapies and he allowed each one to choose a leader. Each leader had a lot of Independence and made their local laws and traditions and made their own decisions.
How did Darius the Great handle wealth?
Tribute was paid to show loyalty. Dharius made it fair where each province paid according to its wealth. They had one common currency, money
Why was the common currency so important?
Common currency Unified the Persian economy and made it easier for trade between distance provinces.
How did roads help the Persian Empire
1- Trade, Armyies, government officials and Royal Messengers travel on them.
2- Persian set up postal stations along the great Royal Road Messengers on Horseback and relayed messages from one station to the next
3 -the persian system was the fastest communication system in the world all because of the roads
Who is Zoroaster?
Around 600 BCE he developed a religion where there was a supreme
god ahura-mazda
who had a evil opponent
What did Zoroastrianism believe?
- the universe is a fight between Good and Evil
- believe in an afterlife
- people have an important role to play by working for good
What is the Avestra?
The holy text of Zoroastrianism.
What do historians believe about Zoroastrianism?
That it influenced Judaism Christianity and Islam.
What role did seals play for the Sumerians?
Stone seals were used to identify the owner of an object before cuneiform writing. Seal left the owner’s personal mark on goods.
How would someone use a seal in Sumeria?
Trade Goods would be tied with a string and the owner would cover the knot with clay and stamp the clay with a seal to show ownership.
What is relief?
A Mesopotamian form of sculpture. In relief the sculpture scene sticks out from the surface of the base of the material.
Where would you find a relief sculpture?
On a stele, a stele is a carved stone slab or pillar that stands on its end.
Which cultures did the Assyrians do?
Large colorful reliefs on the side of buildings. They also decorated walls with cone-shaped pieces of baked clay painted white black and red
