The First Empires

September 25, 2012

The Assyrians
Main Ideas: Assyrias military power and wellorganized government helped it build a vast empire in Mesopotamia by 650 B.C. The Chaldean Empire built important landmarks in Babylon and developed the first calendar with a seven-day week. Focus: Today, many countries have armed forces to protect their interests.

Important Terms (and person)

Nebuchadnezzar: Province: Astronomer: Lets define these words together.

The Assyrians
About 1000 years after Hammurabi, a new empire arose in Mesopotamia, north near the Tigris River. Assyria had fertile valleys that attracted outside invaders. To defend their land, the Assyrians built a large army.

 They got a little full of themselves and began taking over the rest of Mesopotamia. Their army was well organized. Some used spears and daggers, others used bows and arrows. They even had

They were the first army to use iron weapons. What was iron previously used for? They were ferocious warriors. Anyone who resisted Assyrian rule was punished. They drove people from their lands and moved them into foreign territory They then brought in new settlers and forced them to pay heavy taxes.

 They Assyrian kings divided the empire into provinces or political districts. They chose the officials that would rule each province. The Assyrians lived much like other Mesopotamians. They wrote like Babylonians, had similar laws, worshipped the same gods. The Assyrians treated people cruelly. What do you think happened?

 People started to fight each other over who would be their next king. The Chaldeans seized the opportunity to rebel and captured Nineveh in 612 B.C. The empire soon crumbled.

The Chaldeans
Led by King Nebuchadnezzar. Most were descendants of the Babylonian people who made up Hammurabis empire about 1200 years earlier. They rebuilt the city of Babylon as the glorious center of their empire. It quickly became the worlds largest and richest city.

Hanging Gardens (The Kings Palace)

Beliefs and Contribution

Like earlier people in Mesopotamia, the Chaldeans believed that changes in the sky revealed the plans of the gods. Their astronomerspeople who study the heavenly bodiesmapped the stars, planets, and phases of the moon. The Chaldeans made one of the first sundials and were first to have a seven-day week.

Why Did the Empire Fall?

As time passed, they began to lose their power. They simply could not control the people they conquered. In 539 B.C., Persians from the mountains to the northeast captured Babylon. Mesopotamia became part of the new Persian Empire.

Homework
Section 3 Review #s 1, 2, 4, 5 Begin studying for Chapter One Test, THURSDAY