1. The Ancient World Chapters 5-6 PowerPoint
Ancient Sumer
The Four Mesopotamian Empires

2. Sumerian Civilization

3. Stable Food Supply
Two inventions helped create a stable food supply
- irrigation systems
- plow = tool for tilling the soil

4. Government City-states were ruled by kings The king’s duties were:
- enforce laws
- collect taxes
- build temples
- maintain irrigation systems
- lead the army

5. Government – continued
Chariots – wheeled vehicles pulled by horses & used by soldiers
Scribes – a person who writes & helps record laws

6. Religion
Ziggurat = a religious tower made of mud bricks & located near temples

7. Technology The wheel The plow
The arch = upside down U or V shaped structure that supports buildings

8. Arch

9. Writing Pictographs = symbols that stand for real objects
Cuneiform = writing that uses wedge-shaped characters

10. Chapter 6: Exploring Four Empires of Mesopotamia

11. The Akkadian Empire

12. The Akkadian Empire
Sargon was their first ruler. He was a strong king & a skilled general.
Sargon used his military skills to win territory for his empire.
He destroyed the walls of cities to make it harder to rebel. He made sure governors were loyal to him.
He demanded that his sons replace him after his death.

13. Sargon
Akkadian Army

14. Life Under Akkadian Rule
The Akkadians collected tributes (money & goods) from the people they conquered.
Akkadians borrowed irrigation techniques, writing, & religious beliefs from the Sumerians.
Akkadians achievements included their own language and three-dimensional sculptures called steles.

15. Victory Stele

16. Hammurabi & the Babylonian Empire

17. Hammurabi & the Babylonian Empire
Hammurabi was the king of Babylon.
He is best known for his code of laws.
He used the code to unify his empire & preserve order.
The laws could never be
changed & were very detailed.
First code of laws to apply
to everyone

18. Life in the Babylonian Empire
Hammurabi built roads and created a postal service.
Agriculture and trade flourished.
The society was very fair for its time. Slaves and women even had some rights. Both could own property and keep their own money.
Slaves could even buy their own freedom.

19. The Assyrian Empire

20. The Assyrian Empire
The Assyrians had a trained army that helped them expand their territory.
Their greatest achievements were their new weapons and war strategies.
Used horses & iron weapons
Used battering rams & moveable towers
They were extremely good at siege warfare

21. The Assyrian Empire

22. Life Under the Assyrians
Religion was very important to this group.
The Assyrians believed that kings were special beings so they built beautiful palaces for them.
They also built the first aqueducts (pipes that carry water to distant places).
Assyrians created two-dimensional sculptures called bas-reliefs.

23. Assyrian Bas-relief

24. The Neo-Babylonian Empire
The most famous king of this empire was Nebuchadrezzar II.
He conquered Syria & part of Canaan.
To keep his capital safe, he built an inner & outer wall around the city.
He built towers for archers to stand on & also dug a moat around the city.

25. Life in the Neo-Babylonian Empire
Nebuchadrezzar rebuilt the ziggurat.
He also decorated his palace with gardens. They became the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

26. Neo-Babylonians
Babylonians were also skilled in mathematics & astronomy.
The created the first sundial.
They made discoveries that led us to the 60-minute hour & the 7-day week.
Was conquered by the Persian Empire in 539 BCE