1. To sum it up in Sumeria.. See what I did there?!
Remember SargoN?
Leader of the First Empire
In the Sumerian region…
Capital city at _____

2. 2340 BCE- Sargon Seizes power
Conquered southern and northern Mesopotamia and moved into Syria and Anatolia- he ruled for 55 years
Grandson named Naram-sin (muahhahahahaaa!)
Pushed reached of the empire to Mediterranean

3. Victory Stela of Naram-Sin
Sus, Iran
BCE
Sandstone 78” high
Louvre Mus.- Paris
Why are some figures larger than others?
How do you know that a holy mountain is depicted here?
Compare the organization of figures here to the Royal Standard of Ur.

5. Naram-sin’s predecessors were not skilled leaders and a period of confusion and decay of the Akkadian empire followed his reign
By 1800 BCE- there was a new sheriff in town and the Babylonians had taken over…
POP QUIZ:
Akad: Akkadian Empire= ________: Babylonian Empire

6. Hammur-Time- A Superdope homie from Bab-town

7. Hammurabi 1st leader of the Babylonian Empire 2 legit 2 Quit
Thousands of records from his rule verify that Babylon was a center for international trade– Persian Gulf, India and Egypt
Most well known for the codification of Babylonian Laws- Hammurabi Code 1772 BCE

8. The code of Laws
282 laws with scaled punishments
Fair but harsh laws that governed the land
Why is Hammurabi’s Code so important?

9. The detail at the top of the stela
Hammurabi receives the laws from the God Shamash
Look at Ham’s face? Remind you of anyone?

10. The Hittites just keep coming
In 1600 BCE the Hittites from Syria invade Babylon and rule for 500 years
THEN- the Assyrians from northern Mesopotamia begin to gain power and with its center at Ninevah the Assyrian Empire emerges
The use of iron weapons and the horse around 2000 BCE allow the creation of cavalry
Assyrians are ruthless
They set out to conquer the world
Deport “unwanted” Hittites and Syrians and Jews (called what in 2000 BCE?!)

13. Assyrians take to palace building
Huge empires- Arabian Peninsula, Mesopotamia, parts of Anatolia, all of Syria, Palestine and parts of Egypt- need huge palaces

15. Ashurnasiripal Killing Lions 883-859 BC

16. Bas-Relief Sculptures from the Assyrians
The sculpture protrudes and the background is undercut
Shift in Mesopotamian art
The relief  here on the palace walls is depicting a real time ceremonial act.
Documents a moment in history
Shows power over nature- Empire Building

17. What’s new here? How has our artistic language shifted?
Dying Lioness
Ninevah
BCE
131/4” high

18. Every Assyrian must fall…
Power, terror and armed force go only so far
Each Assyrian ruler spent time and resources squelching rebellions and securing borders
612 BCE- Ninevah razed and defeated… Old Testament prophet Ezekiel rejoices at the fall of the Israelites’ oppressors, “all of them slain, fallen by the sword which caused terror in the land of the living.”
The region is conquered by Cyrus of Persia in 550 BCE