1. Chapter 2 Section 4 Global History Mr. Schoff

2. OA Why is the Fertile Crescent considered the crossroads of the world? Read “A Money Economy” on page 42 and answer the question that follows.

3. Fertile Crescent Invasions Many groups invaded and conquered the civilizations of the Fertile Crescent Some invaders destroyed the city-states Others stayed to rule Some of these rulers created large, well-organized empires An empire is a group of territories under the control of one ruler or government

4. Sargon - First Empire Builder Around 2300 B.C., Sargon, ruler of Akkad, invaded and conquered Sumer Built the first empire known to history Did not last long After his death, other invaders crumbled his empire Other conquerors followed in the footsteps of Sargon and united Sumer

5. More Control 1790 B.C., Hammurabi, king of Babylon, brought almost all of Mesopotamia under his control Took steps to unite Babylonian Empire Creation of the Code of Hammurabi First major collection of laws in history NOT the author of the code Most of the laws had been around since Sumerian times Hammurabi simply wanted his people to know of the policies that his gov’t was going to enforce 300 laws on a stone pillar for all to see Improved irrigation, well-trained army, repaired temples, promoted chief Babylonian god, Marduk, over older Sumerian gods

6. Hammurabi’s Code Criminal law – offenses against others like robbery, assault, murder His policies limited personal vengeance and encouraged social order Often seen as cruel, actually more orderly than unrestricted revenge Civil law – private rights, business contracts property inheritance, taxes, marriage, divorce Designed to protect the powerless (slaves, women) Gave husband both legal authority over his wife and legal duty to support her Gave a father nearly unlimited authority over his children Babylonian belief that orderly household = stable empire

7. Hittites Pushed into Mesopotamia around 1400 B.C. Less advanced, yet learned how to extract iron from ore Tools/weapons were harder, stronger, sharper than those made out of copper, bronze Able to arm more people at less expense Tried to keep this new system a secret, but as empire collapsed around 1200 B.C., ironsmiths migrated to serve other customers

8. Assyrians Lived on upper Tigris For 500 years, they earned a reputation for being among the most feared warriors in history Rulers were cocky, boasting of their conquests They did, however, encourage a well-ordered society King Assurbanipal founded one of the first libraries and ordered scribes to collect cuneiform tablets which has given modern scholars a wealth of information about the ancient Middle East After his death, other peoples joined forces to crush the Assyrians

9. Nebuchadnezzar Aggressive, ruthless king, united Babylon Thought highly of himself – 90 foot statue 9 feet wide, forced people to bow90 foot statue 9 feet wide Fiery Furnace Story in Old Testament Known for Hanging Gardens One of the wonders of the world Advancements in astronomy Polytheistic beliefs Fell to the Persian armies

10. Cyrus the Great Conquered the greatest empire yet seen Asia Minor to India, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan Tolerance – acceptance

11. Darius of Persia In 522 B.C., Darius controlled an empire that stretched from Asia Minor to India Darius divided his empire into provinces Locally controlled regions Made many roads Drew up a single code of laws Set up weights and measures, coins, barter and money economy Later rulers used his ideas about government

12. Zoroaster Persian thinker Helped unite the empire Rejected old Persian gods Single wise god, Ahura Mazda, ruled the world Constant battle with Ahriman, prince of lies and evil Judgment Day, all individuals would be judged for their actions

13. Phoenicians Sailors and traders Made glass from coastal sand Used papyrus from Egypt to make scrolls Words Bible and bibliography are from the city of Byblos Set up colonies in North Africa, Sicily, Spain Alphabet, cuneiform was too clumsy 22 symbols for consonant sound, Greeks adapted this alphabet and added vowels, from the Greeks, came our own alphabet

14. Babylonians1790 B.C. Created Code of Hammurabi, studied astronomy, especially sun, moon, and planets Hittites1400 B.C. Forged iron tools and weapons Assyrians1100 B.C. Set up one of the first libraries, maintained a well-organized society Persians539 B.C. Conquered large empire from Asia Minor to India, improved trade by using coins and standard measures, Zoroaster taught new religion Phoenicians600 B.C. Gained fame as great sailors and traders, created alphabet similar to the one we use today