Exploring Five empires of Mesopotamia The city states of Ancient Sumer, since they were small city states were often fighting over land and water rights. Their lack of unity left them open to attacks by stronger groups.

Exploring four empires of Mesopotamia The Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians were an empire because they were a large territory ruled by a single leader or government, unlike the Sumerians.

The Akkadian Empire The Akkadians were the first empire after Sumer. They were led by a great powerful king, Sargon the Great. Sargon was a strong king and a skilled general Sargon used his military skills to conquer the land and take over Sumer. King Sargon the Great

Life Under Akkadian rule Stele Sargon had created the world’s first empire, this was the Akkadians greatest achievement. During Sargon’s reign he made the city of Agade in Northern Mesopotamia. He built up the city with tributes he collected from the people he conquered. The Akkadians used steles to record important events with three dimensional sculptures, such as a military victory.

Hammurabi and the Babylon Empire After the Akkadians fell, Sumer once again became city states. The next ruler King Hammurabi from Babylon united all of Mesopotamia once again.

Hammurabi and the Babylonian Empire King Hammurabi made the capital Babylon and is best remembered for his code of laws the Hammurabi code. He based his laws not only on his own authority but on the word of the gods. This code was the first set of laws to apply to everyone. This is the first legal system to treat all classes the same , which was advanced at that time. Code of Hammurabi

Life in the Babylonian Empire Euphrates River in present day Iraq With the Babylonian location on the banks of the Euphrates river, it became an important center of trade. Trade in the Babylonian empire helped the economy by trading grain and woven cloth for wood, gold, silver, precious gems and livestock.

The Assyrian Empire The Assyrians After the Babylonians fell apart a number of groups controlled what had been Babylonia, until the warlike people of the Assyrian empire took over the Mesopotamian region.

The Assyrian Empire The Assyrians were known for their military might and their cruelty. Their greatest achievements were new weapons and war strategies. The Assyrian’s army made great use of a cavalry, or soldiers who fight while riding horses. They used iron weapons and built a powerful military empire that stretched from Mesopotamia to Egypt! Assyrian Cavalry

Life under Assyrian Rule The Assyrians believed that their kings were special beings and to honor them they built “The great Palace” in the capital city of Nineveh.

Life under Assyrian Rule Like other societies in Mesopotamia the Assyrians had a system of canals to irrigate their land, but they also built the first Aqueducts. Aqueducts were pipes or channels used to carry water throughout the city of Nineveh and up to 30 miles away. Aqueducts in Assyria

The Neo Babylonian Empire With the fall of Nineveh, the Babylonians once again took over the Mesopotamia area. Their new empire was known a Neo-Babylonia. The empire’s new famous King was Nebuchadnezzar, who was a ruthless king. King Nebuchadnezzar

The Neo Babylonian Empire Nebuchadnezzar conquered the land of the Israelites took many of them captive back to Babylon after they tried to rebel. Nebuchadnezzar built two walls, some towers, bridges, and a moat around his capital to protect his city from attacks. The Ishtar Gate

Life in the Neo Babylonian Empire Hanging Gardens of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt the city of Babylon and built the Hanging gardens of Babylon along the rooftops and terraces high on the royal palace. The Neo Babylonian empire only lasted 75 years because controlling such a large areas was very challenging.

The Persian Empire The Persian Empire was founded by Cyrus the Great who wanted to build a great empire. The success of the Persians was due largely to their standing army, or permanent army of professional soldiers. The core of the army was an elite group of 10,000 soldiers called “the Immortals.” Cyrus the Great

The Persian Empire Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539 b.c. The Persians generally treated conquered peoples well. Their government was very organized. They build roads, including the 1500 mile Great Royal Road that they used to send messages throughout the empire. The Persians conquered all Mesopotamia and controlled it for 200 years, until Alexander the Great came along from Greece. Alexander the Great

The Phoenicians The Phoenicians lived along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea near what are now Lebanon, Israel, Jordon and Syria. The Phoenicians were great sea traders. There were experts at sea navigation. They traveled and traded throughout the Mediterranean Sea to places like Greece, Spain and Portugal.

The Phoenicians The great port at Carthage The Phoenicians established colonies throughout the Mediterranean region. The most important of these colonies was a city in North Africa called Carthage. The most important achievement of the Phoenicians is the fact that they developed the alphabet that we use today!