1. Fertile Crescent Empires

2. The Babylonian Empire Created by Hammurabi in 1787 B.C. by conquering cities in Sumer. Built roads throughout empire to make trading easier Babylon became rich through trade. Conquered and destroyed in the early 1500s BC

3. The Assyrian Empire After being constantly attacked and defending themselves, Assyrians became skilled warriors. By 650 B.C., their empire stretched from the Nile River to the Persian Gulf. Battering ram, slings, expert archers, and charioteers

4. The Assyrian Empire Capital of Nineveh became a great center of learning. We know a great deal about Mesopotamia because of the records the Assyrians kept. The Assyrians were overthrown in 612 B.C. by the Chaldeans and Medes

5. The New Babylonian Empire Under the Chaldeans, Babylon became the center of the New Babylonian Empire. King Nebuchadnezzar II rebuilt Babylon It is rumored he built a royal palace with a dazzling landscape for his wife (she hated the dry lands)

6. The New Babylonian Empire Babylon once again became a center of learning Charted the paths of stars and measured the length of a year (only a few minutes off the actual amount) In 539 B.C., the Babylonian Empire fell to the Persians, led by Cyrus the Great. Babylon was spared

7. The Persian Empire Built the largest empire in the Fertile Crescent (stretched from Greece to India). Built roads which enabled trade across their empire. Spread their system of government and religion and Babylonian science to neighbors. Helped to shape our modern civilization

8. The Persian Empire