1. Mesopotamian Civilizations

2. Mesopotamian Civilizations
Sumerians
Amorites (Old Babylonians)
Assyrians
Chaldeans (New Babylonians)

5. Sumerians Earliest Mesopotamian civilization
Lived in Southern Mesopotamia (modern day Kuwait)
Formed Large City-States
Constantly at war with themselves and others (Akkadians)

6. The writing beneath the figures is cuneiform

7. Artist’s vision of Ur

8. Sumerians/Akkadians Akkadians migrate from Arabian Peninsula
Akkadians were Semetic
Abandoned much of their Culture and absorbed into Sumerian civilization
Sumerians had the first monarchy – divine selection (Theocracy)

10. Amorites Amorites take control of area circa 1900 B.C.
Centralized their gov’t at the city of Babylon
Called the old Babylonians
Ruled by a monarchy – divine selection (theocracy)
Controlled an empire not city-states, so they needed unified laws
Code of Hammurabi

12. Assyrians Semetic group, lived in northern Mesopotamia
Extremely warlike and introduced psychological warfare
Built empire from conquering other people
First to enslave and relocate the Jews
Founded capital at Nineveh after destroying Babylon
Later rebuilt Babylon because they feared the Babylonian god Marduk
Eventually weakened and were replaced by Babylonians

14. Assyrians spearing Judeans

15. Chaldeans New Babylonians Rose up and burned Nineveh Enslaved the Jews
Rebuilt the city of Babylon to previous status
Nebuchadnezzer was famous ruler built the hanging gardens for his wife Amytas, from the Area Medes

16. The Ishtar Gate at the Berlin Museum of Art