The Ancient World
Chapters 5-6 PowerPoint
• Ancient Sumer
• The Four Mesopotamian Empires
Sumerian Civilization
Stable Food Supply
• Two inventions helped create
a stable food supply
- irrigation systems
- plow = tool for tilling the soil
Government
• City-states were ruled by kings
• The king’s duties were:
- enforce laws
- collect taxes
- build temples
- maintain irrigation systems
- lead the army
Government – continued
• Chariots – wheeled vehicles
pulled by horses & used by
soldiers
• Scribes – a person who writes
& helps record laws
Religion
• Ziggurat = a religious tower
made of mud bricks & located
near temples
Technology
• The wheel
• The plow
• The arch = upside down U or V
shaped structure that supports
buildings
Arch
Writing
• Pictographs = symbols that stand
for real objects
• Cuneiform = writing that uses
wedge-shaped characters
Chapter 6:
Exploring Four Empires of
Mesopotamia
The Akkadian Empire
The Akkadian Empire
• Sargon was their first ruler. He
was a strong king & a skilled
general.
• Sargon used his military skills to
win territory for his empire.
• He destroyed the walls of cities to
make it harder to rebel. He made
sure governors were loyal to him.
• He demanded that his sons
replace him after his death.
Sargon
Akkadian Army
Life Under Akkadian Rule
• The Akkadians collected tributes (money &
goods) from the people they conquered.
• Akkadians borrowed irrigation techniques,
writing, & religious beliefs from the
Sumerians.
• Akkadians achievements included their
own language and three-dimensional
sculptures called steles.
Victory Stele
Hammurabi & the Babylonian
Empire
Hammurabi & the Babylonian
Empire
• Hammurabi was the king of Babylon.
• He is best known for his code of laws.
• He used the code to unify his empire &
preserve order.
• The laws could never be
changed & were very detailed.
• First code of laws to apply
to everyone
Life in the Babylonian Empire
• Hammurabi built roads and created a
postal service.
• Agriculture and trade flourished.
• The society was very fair for its time.
Slaves and women even had some rights.
Both could own property and keep their
own money.
• Slaves could even buy their own freedom.
The Assyrian Empire
The Assyrian Empire
• The Assyrians had a trained army
that helped them expand their
territory.
• Their greatest achievements were
their new weapons and war
strategies.
– Used horses & iron weapons
– Used battering rams & moveable towers
– They were extremely good at siege warfare
The Assyrian Empire
Life Under the Assyrians
• Religion was very important to this
group.
• The Assyrians believed that kings
were special beings so they built
beautiful palaces for them.
• They also built the first aqueducts
(pipes that carry water to distant
places).
• Assyrians created two-dimensional
sculptures called bas-reliefs.
Assyrian Bas-relief
The Neo-Babylonian Empire
• The most famous king of this empire
was Nebuchadrezzar II.
• He conquered Syria & part of
Canaan.
• To keep his capital safe, he built an
inner & outer wall around the city.
• He built towers for archers to stand
on & also dug a moat around the city.
Life in the Neo-Babylonian Empire
• Nebuchadrezzar rebuilt the ziggurat.
• He also decorated his palace with
gardens. They became the famous
Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Neo-Babylonians
• Babylonians were also skilled in
mathematics & astronomy.
• The created the first sundial.
• They made discoveries that led
us to the 60-minute hour & the 7-
day week.
• Was conquered by the Persian
Empire in 539 BCE
