1. Hittites, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians
Empire Builders
Hittites, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians

3. Hittites 2000 BC conquered Asia Minor
Established a well organized kingdom
Strong, fearsome army that was the first to use iron weapons
2 person chariots
Conquered Babylon—Syria and parts of Mesopotamia
Borrowed aspects of Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures
Contributed a legal system that was less harsh than Hammurabi’s Code
Empire lasted until about 1200 BC

4. Assyrians Lived in Northern Mesopotamia
Powerful army, conquered neighbors
Army organized: foot soldiers, charioteers, and cavalry
Used iron weapons and battering rams
Treated conquered people cruelly
Deported populations from their homelands
High Taxes

5. Assyrians
By 650 BC empire stretched from the Persian Gulf to Egypt to Asia Minor
Divided into provinces each headed by a governor who reported to the king
Officials from central government collected taxes
Tax money supported the army and building projects
Built a network of roads to connect provinces
Empire declined due to rebellions by conquered peoples
In 612 BC, the Chaldeans helped to bring down the empire

6. Chaldeans Dominated the entire Fertile Crescent
Height of empire was reached under their greatest leader— King Nebuchadnezzer
Extended empire as far west as Syria and Canaan
Rebuilt Babylon into one of the most beautiful cities in the ancient world
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon—one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

7. Chaldeans Interested in astrology
Observed the stars and planets and made maps showing their positions—contributed to the science of astronomy
Conquered by the Persians in 539 BC

8. Essential Questions: Monumental Structures
Have you ever visited a place that had an impressive structure or building? What kind of structure was it? Why was it built? What made it impressive?
HW: Read in Packet—The Seven Wonders of the World
Answer the question above and the question following the reading selection.
What are today’s 7 Wonders of the Modern World?

9. Essential Questions: Empire/Warfare
How are empires forged? Why?
What is needed to conquer an empire?
What do the empire builders want?
Why do nations go to war?

10. Persians
Cyrus II, 540’s BC
Strong army—conquered the Fertile Crescent and beyond
His son conquered Egypt in 525 BC—entire Middle East under Persian rule-50 million people
Darius I, BC
Divided empire into provinces and assigned satraps (provincial governors) to rule
Inspectors–“eyes and ears of the king” made unannounced tours of the provinces and reported on the activities of the officials

11. Persians
Treated conquered peoples well—they could keep their religions, languages, and laws. As a result most of the conquered people remained loyal to the Persians.
Built a magnificent city known as Persepolis.
Improved roads built by the Assyrians to encourage trade—Royal Road—Persia to Asia Minor
At first the Persians worshipped many deities—polytheism
In 570 BC, a prophet named Zoroaster called for religious reform
Read selection in packet--Zoroaster

12. Zoroastrianism
Z preached that the world was divided by a struggle between good and evil
The god Ahura Mazda led the forces of good and Ahirman-a lesser deity, led the forces of evil.
Z believed that in the end, the good would win. He believed that the people who chose good would be rewarded with eternal life.

13. Theocracy
Persian kings believed that they ruled by the power of Ahura Mazda
The Persian style kingship influenced the divine monarchies of the Western world
Z’s beliefs may have influenced Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-- particularly the concept of heaven and hell