Ch 1, Sec 3 The First Empires. The Assyrians Lived in the Northern part of Mesopotamia around 900...
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Transcript of Ch 1, Sec 3 The First Empires. The Assyrians Lived in the Northern part of Mesopotamia around 900...
Ch 1, Sec 3The First Empires
The Assyrians• Lived in the Northern part of Mesopotamia
around 900 B.C.• Built around the Tigris River• Had a large army to fight off enemies• Great Builders- created one of the 1st libraries 25,000 tablets
Assyrian Army
• Well organized• Foot soldiers had spears/daggers• Used bow/arrows, horses, and
chariots• 1st to use iron weapons– Borrowed heating/cooling
technique from the Hittites to make iron stronger
Assyrian Battle Strategies
• Tunneled under walls• Used ladders to climb tall walls• Used battering rams• Set cities on fire• Enslaved their enemies or moved them to new areas• Charged high taxes on new groups
Assyrian Government• Divided the empire into provinces (Political
districts)• Officials collected taxes and enforced the
king’s laws• Capital city: Nineveh (NIH*nuh*vuh)• Had roads connecting cities with soldiers to
protect the traders and pass gov’t info to other cities
Downfall of Assyria• Empire grew too big• Gov’t treated the
people badly-led to revolt in 650 B.C.
• Fight for the crown started
• The Chaldeans took power in 612 B.C.
The Chaldeans
• Led by King Nebuchadnezzar• Controlled Mesopotamia from 605-562 B.C.• Descendants of the Babylonians (Hammurabi)• Rebuilt the capital city of Babylon– Surrounded by a brick wall– Protected by soldiers/chariots
Chaldeans Were Great Builders
• 300 ft Ziggurat stood at the center of Babylon• Hanging Gardens– Built at Nebuchadnezzar’s Palace for his wife– Staircase of plants and trees
The Power of Trade in Babylon• Marketplaces surrounded the city• Artisans sold goods to caravans as they came
through town• Major trading stop in Mesopotamia
Chaldeans and Science
• Astronomers mapped the stars, planets, and phases of the moon
• Created one of the 1st sundials• 1st to use the 7 day week
Fall of the Chaldean Empire
• Empire became to big• Lost control of the
people• 539 B.C. Persians came
from the Northeast and took control of Babylon