Fertile Crescent Empire Section 2

Vocabulary Empire – an area of many territories and peoples that is controlled by one government Babylonian Assyrian Chaldean Persian Babylon – the center of the Babylonian empire

Caravan – a group of travelers Bazaars - markets Zoroastrianism – a religion that developed in ancient Persia

The Babylonian Empire Hammurabi created the Babylonian Empire by conquering, and uniting, the cities of Sumer in 1787 B.C. Babylonians built roads throughout the empire Made travel easier Encouraged trade – which made Babylon rich

Contributions Hammurabi’s Code of Laws – first legal system “An Eye for an Eye”

The fall of the Babylonian Empire Even with all of their wealth, the Babylonian Empire could not defend itself from invaders. Hammurabi’s empire was destroyed by invaders in 1500 B.C.

Assyrian Empire Ruled by Sargon II – Assyrians were skilled warriors Since their empire lay open to invaders, their best method of defense was to attack and gain control Assyrians = Assassins Their empire stretched from the Fertile Crescent to the Persian Gulf

Assyrian Contributions Battering ram – powerful weapon on wheels Skilled / Advanced warriors: Rode horses in battle Armor and helmets Library at Nineveh – library that held thousands of clay tablets with writings from Sumer and Babylon

The fall of the Assyrian Empire Assyrians had very few allies (friends) The people they conquered tried to overthrow the empire Two groups were finally successful: The Medes and Chaldeans joined together to defeat the Assyrians

Chaldean Empire Ruled by Kind Nebuchadnezzar II Rebuilt the city of Babylon the Assyrians had destroyed Created a beautiful palace and garden for his wife

Contributions Center of learning and science Astronomers charted the paths of the stars Measured the length of a year Raised honey bees – “flies that collect honey”

The fall of the Chaldean Empire Open to attack Babylon fell to Cyrus the Great and the Persian Empire in 539 B.C.

Persian Empire Ruled by Cyrus the Great Built the largest empire that the Fertile Crescent had ever known Stretched from Greece in the west to India in the east

Contributions Monotheism – belief in one God Organized Empire Humane Bureaucracy – complex structure of government offices Built a road network – promoted trade Humane Tolerated people with different beliefs Freed Jews captured in Babylon