1. Fertile Crescent Empire
Section 2

2. Vocabulary
Empire – an area of many territories and peoples that is controlled by one government
Babylonian
Assyrian
Chaldean
Persian
Babylon – the center of the Babylonian empire

3. Caravan – a group of travelers
Bazaars - markets
Zoroastrianism – a religion that developed in ancient Persia

4. The Babylonian Empire
Hammurabi created the Babylonian Empire by conquering, and uniting, the cities of Sumer in B.C.
Babylonians built roads throughout the empire
Made travel easier
Encouraged trade – which made Babylon rich

5. Contributions Hammurabi’s Code of Laws – first legal system
“An Eye for an Eye”

6. The fall of the Babylonian Empire
Even with all of their wealth, the Babylonian Empire could not defend itself from invaders.
Hammurabi’s empire was destroyed by invaders in B.C.

7. Assyrian Empire Ruled by Sargon II – Assyrians were skilled warriors
Since their empire lay open to invaders, their best method of defense was to attack and gain control
Assyrians = Assassins
Their empire stretched from the Fertile Crescent to the Persian Gulf

8. Assyrian Contributions
Battering ram – powerful weapon on wheels
Skilled / Advanced warriors:
Rode horses in battle
Armor and helmets
Library at Nineveh – library that held thousands of clay tablets with writings from Sumer and Babylon

9. The fall of the Assyrian Empire
Assyrians had very few allies (friends)
The people they conquered tried to overthrow the empire
Two groups were finally successful: The Medes and Chaldeans joined together to defeat the Assyrians

10. Chaldean Empire Ruled by Kind Nebuchadnezzar II
Rebuilt the city of Babylon the Assyrians had destroyed
Created a beautiful palace and garden for his wife

11. Contributions Center of learning and science
Astronomers charted the paths of the stars
Measured the length of a year
Raised honey bees – “flies that collect honey”

12. The fall of the Chaldean Empire
Open to attack
Babylon fell to Cyrus the Great and the Persian Empire in 539 B.C.

13. Persian Empire Ruled by Cyrus the Great
Built the largest empire that the Fertile Crescent had ever known
Stretched from Greece in the west to India in the east

14. Contributions Monotheism – belief in one God Organized Empire Humane
Bureaucracy – complex structure of government offices
Built a road network – promoted trade
Humane
Tolerated people with different beliefs
Freed Jews captured in Babylon