1. Chapter 3 Section 4 Later Peoples of the Fertile Crescent

2. The Babylonians Conquer Mesopotamia
What is a monarch?
A monarch is a ruler of a kingdom or empire.
Sumerian kings claimed to be chosen by the gods.
Babylon had once been a Sumerian city located on the Euphrates River near what is today, Baghdad.
Ancient
Babylon

3. Hammurabi Who was Hammurabi?
In 1792 BC Hammurabi became king of Babylon and was a
brilliant war leader. He brought all of Mesopotamia into his
empire and called it the Babylonian Empire. He improved
the lives of his people. He oversaw the building of new
sewer, irrigation, building, and tax collection systems.
He ruled for 42 years. During his reign Mesopotamia
prospered.

4. Hammurabi’s Code
The penalty
for
breaking
the bone
of a
slave was
to pay
a fine!!!!
Hammurabi was best known for creating the earliest known collection of laws.
The Hammurabi Code was a set of 282 laws that dealt with almost every part of daily life.
People all over the empire could read exactly what was against the law.
Actual Code of Laws
carved in stone

5. Invasion of Mesopotamia
Who were the Hittites?
The Hittites were a strong
kingdom in Asia Minor, in
what is today,Turkey. They
were the first people to
master ironworking. They
made the strongest
weapons of the time. They
also skillfully used the
chariot, a wheeled, horse-
drawn cart used in battle. They captured Babylon in
1595 BC.

6. Who were the Kassites?
The Kassites were people who lived north of Babylon. They captured the city of Babylon from the Hittites and ruled for almost 400 years.

7. Who were the Assyrians?
The Assyrians, who lived in northern Mesopotamia ruled off and on for 300 years, after they captured Babylon. In 900 BC they began to conquer all of Mesopotamia, parts of Asia Minor, and Egypt. They were fierce in battle and before attacking, they spread terror by looting villages and burning crops. Anyone who resisted was killed!!

8. Assyrian Empire was ruled from Ninevah
Assyrian Empire was ruled from Ninevah. They were harsh rulers, whose kings ruled their kingdom through local leaders. Communication between cities was done by messengers on horseback.

9. Who were the Chaldeans? The Chaldeans were a group from the Syrian
Desert. They attacked
Ninevah in 612 BC and
won over the weaker
Assyrian Empire. Babylon
became their capital and a
center for astronomy. They
also created a calendar and
solved complex problems of
Geometry.

10. Who was Nebuchadnezzar?
Nebuchadnezzar was the most famous Chaldean king. He rebuilt Babylon into a beautiful city. He admired Sumerian culture and studied their language and religion.
Palace of
Nebuchadnezzar

11. Who were the Phoenicians?
They were a group of people who lived at the western end of the Fertile Crescent along the Mediterranean Sea. They created a wealthy trading society.
Today the nation of Lebanon occupies most of what was once Phoenicia.

12. The Phoenicians were expert sailors and found new colonies such as Carthage in northern Africa.

13. Phoenician Achievements
One of the world’s first alphabets.
Glassblowing
Purple dye from a
snail-like shellfish
Ivory carvings
Became powerful because of establishing Mediterranean trade routes, not winning battles.

14. Summary
Many different peoples ruled in the Fertile Crescent after the Sumerians. Some made important contributions that are still valued today.
Mesopotamian
Calendar