Social Studies 4: The Fertile Crescent - Assyrian and Persian Empires

Question 1

Meaning of cavalry

Answer 1

Soldiers who fight while riding horses

Question 2

Meaning of standing army

Answer 2

A permanent army or professional soldiers

Question 3

Meaning of tribute

Answer 3

A payment or gift to a stronger power

Question 4

Meaning of currency

Answer 4

Money, or something used for exchange

Question 5

Meaning of stele

Answer 5

Grand stone pillar

Question 6

Meaning of elite

Answer 6

Representing the best

Question 7

Meaning of reform

Answer 7

To improve

Question 8

What was the state of civilization after the fall of Hammurabi’s Babylonian empire

Answer 8

There was continual fighting among the city-states in Mesopotamia, and others invaded the region, until the rise of the Assyrians, followed by the Persians

Question 9

How did the neo Assyrian empire develop?

Answer 9

Assyria was a city in northern Mesopotamia and was part of Sumer, as well as the Akkadian and Babylonian Empires.

The Assyrians had some of the earliest calvaries and used iron weapons and tools which were stronger than bronze ones. They used their military superiority to conquer other city-states to build their empire.

Question 10

How did the Assyrian Empire govern their empire?

Answer 10

As we saw with Sargon and Hammurabi, governing a large empire is not easy. The Assyrians divided their empire into about 70 smaller units of government or provinces, with each province ruled a by a governor who was under the Assyrian ruler, so the ruler controlled the governors who controlled their provinces.

Question 11

What was the Assyrian ruler Ashurbanipal known for?

Answer 11

He made the city of Nineveh the capital of the empire, and built a library filled with many cuneiform tablets of writings on law, literature, math and science. Many of these tablets still survive today.

Question 12

How did the downfall of the Assyrian Empire happen? What came after it?

Answer 12

After Ashurbanipal died, civil wars and enemy attacks weakened the empire. Then, a ruled called Nebuchadnezzar II became king of Babylon and expanded what is known as the Neo-Babylonian Empire as far as present day Egypt and Jerusalem.

Question 13

What is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?

Answer 13

Nebuchadnezzar II built great city walls, gates and temples, and he also built his most well-known project, the Hanging Gardens, which were elaborate gardens built on a series of terraces.

Question 14

How did the Persian Empire rise to power?

Answer 14

Babylon was was eventually captured and made part of the Persian Empire, which ruled for over 1000 years and dominated Southwest Asia.

Persia is east of Mesopotamia in present day Iran. It was ruled by its neighbor, the Medes, until Cyrus The Great, who was a military genius, led the Persians to conquer the Medes.

Cyrus then led his army to defeat other city-states including Lydia (present day Turkey) and Ionia (which was Greek), and also expanded east toward India. Eventually, the Persians conquered Babylon.

Question 15

What made the Persians so powerful?

Answer 15

The Persians were known for their military power. They had a standing army of highly skilled and professional soldiers, which was much better at fighting than city-states who did not have well-trained army. The core of this army was a 10,000 strong force called The Immortals.

The Persians used their powerful army to conquer other states and built their empire.

Question 16

How did Cyrus and Darius rule the empire, and how did they do it differently from previous rulers?

Answer 16

They treated the conquered people well. They divided their vast empire into provinces and allowed local people to participate in local government to make their own decisions.

They also allowed local people to keep their own customs and religions instead of forcing them to follow Persian customs. For example, after he conquered Babylon, he allowed the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem to rebuilt their temple.

Darius also reformed the central government by creating a fairer way to calculate the tribute that each province had to pay.

Darius spent money to build a network of roads and postal stations, which made it easier to communicate and govern, as well as to conduct trade. This was the fastest communication system in the ancient world.

Darius created a common currency that could be used across the empire, which made it easier to trade and helped keep the empire united.

Question 17

Did the Persian Empire fall after the death of its great king Cyrus, like the fall of other empires after the death of their great king?

Answer 17

No. Cyrus died in battle, and then his son Cambyses ruled the empire. Cambyses made some major mistakes, including marching his army through the dessert, resulting in many deaths and a weakened army.

However, after Cambyses, a great king called Darius ruled the empire and grew it further into the Indus Valley and into Europe against the Greeks.

The Persian Army eventually lost in the effort to conquer Greece, at a famous battle called the Battle of Marathon.

Question 18

True or false: Cyrus The Great declared himself the king of the world

Answer 18

True!

Question 19

What were some unique characteristics of the Persian Army that made them different and more powerful?

Answer 19

The Persians were known for their military power.

They used archers to attack from long range to start battles. Once this weakened their opponents, their soldiers wore less armor so these soldiers together with the calvary could move fast into battle.

They had a standing army of highly skilled and professional soldiers, which was much better at fighting than city-states that did not have a standing army of professional soldiers. The core of this army was a 10,000 strong force called The Immortals.

The Persians used their powerful army to conquer other states and built their empire.

Question 20

What were some of the important artistic practices in Mesopotamia?

Answer 20

Sumerians created seals that were used to identify the owner of objects. These were made to match each owner’s personal and unique preferences.

Sumerians made sculptures of people that were more realistic than the art that came before.

They also made relief sculptures carved on stele, and large and colorful reliefs on the side of buildings.

They decorated buildings and walls with colorful tiles and bricks of baked clay that formed elaborate patterns and images of real and imagined animals.