Mesopotamia
Where was Mesopotamia? Present day Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Iran Word means “land between two rivers” The rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Judeans (Israelites), Assyrians, Chaldeans (Neo-Babylonians), Persians
Map of Modern Mesopotamia
Sumeria 4000 – 2340 BC Cuneiform – wedges, clay tablets Epic of Gilgamesh – king of Uruk, friend Endiku, goddess Ishtar Ziggurats Abraham from Ur
Map of Sumeria
Akkadians BC, centered at Akkad Sargon the Great overthrows Sumerian cities
The Akkadian Empire
Babylonians 1800 BC – 1650 BC Hammurabi The Code of Hammurabi The Stele
Map of Babylonian Empire
The Assyrians Nineveh – mentioned in the Bible, Jonah and the fish King Ashurbanipal Centered around Ashur
Map of Assyrian Empire
Judea 1800 BC – Abraham from Ur (in Babylon) Isaac, Jacob (Israel), 12 sons including Joseph Captivity in Egypt 1300 BC – Moses born Israelites freed during Ramses II reign, return to Palestine Babylonian Captivity – 6 th or 5 th century BC
Chaldeans (Neo-Babylonians) BC Nebuchadnezzar II – Hanging Gardens of Babylon Took Hebrews (Israelites) into slavery, destroyed the temple in Jerusalem
Chaldeans (Neo-Babylonians)
Persian Empire Also known as Achaemenid Empire BC Cyrus the Great freed Israel, let them go back to Jerusalem and rebuild temple Zoroastrianism – monotheistic 518 BC – Darius the Great took power, built Persepolis
Map of Persian Empire