2. Project Time!

3. The Akkadians made elaborate carvings called Steles → Used to keep track of important events!
The Akkadians used steles to record important events with three dimensional sculptures

6. Led by Sargon the Great Strong military general
Used military skills to conquer & unify the city- states of Sumer
Superior military technology
Chariot warfare
Led constant conquest
What kind of leader was he?
King Sargon the Great

9. Sargon’s sons and grandsons tried to hold it together...
King Sargon the Great ruled for approx. 50 years until his death → His empire started to fall apart
Sargon’s sons and grandsons tried to hold it together...
but they sort of sucked at ruling (and getting along)
They focussed more on individual power than the empire
2154 bc the empire collapsed
Barbarians from the Zagros Mountains took advantage of instability
Terrible rulers who set the animals free and seemed to just want anarchy and destruction 9

10. Established the city of Babylon approx. 1894 bc
Mesopotamia was characterized by:
anarchy, war, famine and drought for hundreds of years
the Amorite Dynasties began and started the long road to recover- what is a dynasty?
Established the city of Babylon approx bc 10

11. Euphrates River in present day Iraq
Babylon was located on the banks of the Euphrates river
most important center of trade in Mesopotamia
Traded grain and woven cloth for wood gold, silver, precious gems and livestock.
Became very wealthy
Known as a magical city of wealth and excess

13. Tower of Babel

15. Hammurabi united Mesopotamia (1754bc)
Developed the world’s first system of written laws
Rule of justice → Unlike Sargon’s rule of the sword and tribunes

16. His own authority + the word of the gods
Apparently the gods “handed” the laws to Hammurabi
First set of laws to apply to everyone
Kings and rich men all the way down to slaves
Code of Hammurabi

17. The Assyrians took over dominance of Mesopotamia
After the Hammurabi died, Mesopotamia again fell to conflict, anarchy and chaos
Babylonian Empire was still present, but their neighbors were gaining power
The Assyrians took over dominance of Mesopotamia
Some seriously BA dudes!

19. Strong-Arm Rule → Military might and cruelty
Sheer power and intimidation established their dominance
war strategies.
siege techniques
Battering Rams
Moveable towers
Assyrian Weapons

20. They used iron
Armed cavalry
Reinforced bows & iron tip arrows
Iron swords
Iron plated steel shields

21. The Assyrians believed that their kings were special beings and to honor them they built “The great Palace” in the capital city of Nineveh.

22. Like other societies in Mesopotamia the Assyrians had a system of canals to irrigate their land, but they also built the first Aqueducts.
Aqueducts were pipes or channels used to carry water throughout the city of Nineveh and up to 30 miles away.
Aqueducts in Assyria