1. Babylonia and Assyria

2. Two Empires of Mesopotamia The Babylonian King, Hammurabi, united the cities of Sumer with Babylon Babylon was the center of trade, where caravans of travelers brought their goods to the bazaars The Babylonian empire lasted until 1600 B.C. Assyria lay north of Babylon on the Tigris river Because it lay on open land without natural borders, its people became skillful warriors The capital, Nineveh, had a great library and became a center for learning Assyria invented a weapon called the battering ram The Medes and Chaldeans smashed the Assyrian empire in 612 B.C.

3. Babylonia Rises Again Nebuchadnezzar II rebuilt the city of Babylon which was destroyed by the Assyrians City was surrounded by giant walls with a gigantic palace in the center The New Babylonian empire became a center for learning and science Chaldean Inventions: charted paths to the stars, measured the length of a year, and raised wild bees for honey