The Four Empires Of Mesopotamia Flashcards
What are the four empires?
Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian
Sumerian city-states were conquered by a group of people from the north called what?
The Akkadians
The Akkadians were led by a powerful military minded king named?
Sargon
What did Sargon do to keep his power?
- Destroyed the city walls to prevent a rebellion
- Put governors in place that were loyal to him
- He is the first to insist that his sons take over after his death
What did the Akkadians do that made it easier to keep Sumer under control?
- Kept Sumerian irrigation techniques
- Used cuneiform, Sumerian writing
- Worshipped Sumerian gods, but gave them Akkadian names
How did the Akkadians contribute to the culture?
i. Using the Akkadian spoken language
ii. Steles – which are sculptures on the sides of stones
1. The “Victory Stele” shows a famous king winning a battle.
2. You can tell who the king is by his size on the sculpture. (page 53)
What eventually happened to the Akkadian empire?
In the end, the empire became too large to defend, and the Akkadians eventually lost to a new invader.
What was Sargon’s greatest achievement?
He created the first empire.
After Sargon, who was the next ruler to unite all of Mesopotamia?
King Hammurabi of Babylon
What is Hammurabi best known for?
His ‘code of laws’
Describe Hammurabi’s code of laws. (3 main things)
i. These laws unified his empire and kept order
ii. The laws were chiseled onto a stele and placed where everyone could see them
iii. The codes/laws covered everything from trade rules, marriage/divorce, to punishments for crimes.
Other than his code of laws, what are two more important things that Hammurabi did?
He had roads built and created a postal service.
What eventually happened to Babylonia?
d. Babylonia became very wealthy through trade (business), but eventually got too big to keep under control
Who took over the Babylonian empire?
A military power from the north called Assyria.
What are some of Assyria’s greatest achievements? (hint 4 things)
i. Perfected the use of horses and iron weapons.
ii. Siege warfare – sealing off a city and forcing it to surrender
iii. Battering rams
iv. Moveable towers
Where did the Assyrians build palaces and why?
Palaces were built on hills for citizens to look up to them
This Assyrian technology brought drinking water from 30 miles away.
Aqueducts
This Assyrian 2-d sculpture is usually placed on walls.
Bas-relief
What eventually happened to the Assyrian empire?
In the end, it was too big to control
Since the Babylonians retook the area, what did they call it?
They called it the new Babylonian empire, or, “Neo-Babylonian Empire”
Who was the most famous king?
Nebuchadrezzar II
Why was Nebuchadrezzar II the most famous king? (hint 3 things)
i. A military minded leader that conquered many lands
ii. He knew it was important to keep his capital safe so he built an inner and an outer wall.
iii. Has the “Hanging Gardens” built as a gift for his wife.
Nebuchadrezzar II was skilled in what?
Math and Astronomy
What did Nebuchadrezzar II build?
The first sundial to tell time
