New Empires

1
New Empires

• Chapter 1
• Section 3
• Pages 142-147

2
The Assyrians

• The Assyrian Empire arose about 1,000 years after
  the rule of Hammurabi.
• The Assyrian army was the 1st large army to use
  iron weapons.
• Iron is stronger than copper or tin.
• They made spears, daggers, bows and arrows,
  chariots, and had soldiers on horseback.
• The capital of Assyria is Nineveh.
• The empire was divided into provinces.
• Provinces are political districts.
• Each province was governed by an official who
  collected taxes and enforced laws.
• The Assyrians built large temples and palaces,
  with statues and wall carvings.
• One of the 1st libraries was in Nineveh and held
  25,000 tablets of stories and songs.

3
The Assyrians

• How were the Assyrians like other Mesopotamians?
• They built temples and palaces.
• Both used art and writing.

4
The Chaldeans

• The Chaldeans in todays Iraq still speak
  Aramaic, the language of ancient Babylon.

5
The Chaldeans

• People rebelled because of Assyrias cruel
  treatment.
• The Chaldeans rebelled and took control of
  Nineveh in 612 B.C.
• Nebuchadnezzar was the king of the Chaldeans
• The Chaldeans rebuilt Babylon.
• Babylon became the center of the empire.
• The city was surrounded by a huge wall.
• Inside the wall were palaces, temples, and a huge
  ziggurat.
• Nebuchadnezzar ordered the Hanging Gardens to be
  built for his wife, who missed her green,
  mountainous homeland.
• The Chaldeans were merchants, artisans, and
  traders.
• Babylon was on a major trade route and profited
  from trade with caravans, or traveling merchants.
• The Chaldeans studied the sky to understand the
  gods.
• Their astronomers (people who study the heavenly
  bodies) mapped the stars, planets, and phases of
  the moon.
• The Chaldeans lost control of the empire to the
  Persians in 539 B.C.

6
Babylon

• What made Babylon the worlds richest city?
• Being on a major trade route meant merchants and
  artisans benefited from trade.
• The city also had beautiful structures, such as
  the Hanging Gardens and the Ishtar Gate.