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Ch. 1/L3
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The First
Empires
Assyrians and Chaldeans
the Assyrians
● 1,000 years after Hammurabi
● from northern Mesopotamia
● defended their land and expanded their empire with a large, fierce army
the Assyrians
● The army was…○ well organized○ well armed
■ spears, daggers, bows, and arrows
○ mobile■ chariots,
horseback
the Assyrians
the Assyrians● The army was…
○ the first to use iron weapons.
○ ferocious. ■ tunneled under
walls■ climbed ladder
over walls■ battering rams■ once captured,
they burned a city down.
the Assyrians● A Well Organized
Government○ Assyrian kings had to be
strong to rule an empire that stretched from the Persian Gulf to Nile River.
○ The capital of the empire was Ninevah.
the Assyrians
the Assyrians● A Well Organized
Government○ The empire was divided
into provinces. ○ Each province had its
own royal official who collected taxes and enforced the king’s laws.
○ The provinces were joined by roads that were guarded by soldiers.
○ Messengers used the roads too.
the Assyrians● Life in Assyria
○ Assyrian writing and religion was based on the Babylonians.
○ They built grand temples and palaces, as well as one of the world’s first libraries. ■ > 25,000 tablets of
stories and songs.
● The End○ Their cruel treatment of
people lead to many rebellions.
○ In 612 BC, the Chaldeans rebelled, captured Ninevah and defeated the Assyrian Empire.
the Assyrians
● In 605 BC, King Nebuchadnezzer lead the Chaldeans to control all of Mesopotamia.
● The Chaldeans were descendents of the Babylonians who had been led by Hammurabi 1,200 years earlier.
the Chaldeans
● Babylon was rebuilt as the center of the Chaldean empire, and it became the world’s largest and richest city.
the Chaldeans
Ishtar Gate rebuilt in Berlin.
● The tops of the city walls were wide enough for two chariots to pass.
● Every 100 yards, soldiers were stationed atop the walls.
● A large ziggurat called the Tower of Babylon reached nearly 300 feet into the sky.
● The greatest achievement in Babylon was the Hanging Gardens.
the Chaldeans
A relief of a garden watered by an aqueduct.
19th century painting of the Hanging Gardens.
● Water from the Euphrates River was brought to the top of the gardens and then it flowed down the terraces.
● It was built for Nebuchadnezzar’s wife, who wanted to remember the mountains and plants of her homeland.
● It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. ● The city was a major avenue of trade.
○ Caravans brought goods from the surrounding region to trade.
● Babylon was also a center of science.
the Chaldeans
● In 539 BC, Cyrus, king of Persia captured Babylon and made it a part of his empire. ○ This was the end of the
Chaldean empire.
the Chaldeans