The Early Empires

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The Early Empires
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The Phoenicians (1200 BC)

• Live in what today is the area of Israel and
  Lebanon.
• Earned a living from the sea
• Traveled all across the Mediterranean
• Trade
• Alphabet of 22 characters (basis for Greek)

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The Hittite Empire (1650-1200 BC)

• From Asia Minor (Turkey today)
• Relations with Egypt treaty after short time of
  control
• Took over Babylon
• First to use iron tools
• Used Chariots
• Legal system used payments for damages

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Hittites

• Reasons for fall
• Empire was too big
• Assimilation of other cultures
• Borrowed traditions from people they conquered

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The Assyrian Empire (900-612 BC

• Semitic Language
• Library collected work from around the fertile
  crescent
• Governing the Empire
• Absolute Kings
• Well-Organized Empire Regional officials report
  to king.
• Roads built to help communication

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Assyrians

• Military
• Many people, professional army
• Discipline
• Weapons iron, chariots, bows, battering rams,
  soldiers on horseback
• Tactics
• Terror
• Kicked people out of their cities or made them
  pay taxes.

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Ashurbanipal Destroys an Elamite City
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King Ashurbanipuls Lion Hunt
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The Chaldeans (612-539 BC)

• Descendants of Babylonian Empire
  (New-Babylonians)
• Overthrew the Assyrians
• The City of Babylon was rebuilt
• Hanging Gardens
• Interested in astronomy made maps
• Weak rulers led to the fall of Babylon to Persians

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The Persian Empire

• Cyrus the Great (559 530 B.C.)
• Conquered Kingdom of Lydia (c. 547 B.C.)
• Conquered Greek city-states
• Conquered Mesopotamia (539 B.C.)
• Cambyses (530 522 B.C.)
• Conquered Egypt
• Darius the Great (521 486)
• Western India
• Ionian Revolt in Asia Minor
• Invasion and Defeat in Greece (490 B.C.)

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Map 2.3 The Persian Empire at the Time of Darius
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Panel in glazed brick at the Ishtar Gate
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Persian Religion

• Zoroastrianism
• Zoroaster (born c. 660 B.C.)
• Monotheistic
• Ahuramazda
• Ahriman (Evil Spirit)
• Struggle between good and evil
• Last Judgment