The First

Empires

Assyrians and Chaldeans

the Assyrians

● 1,000 years after Hammurabi

● from northern Mesopotamia

● defended their land and expanded their empire with a large, fierce army

the Assyrians

● The army was…○ well organized○ well armed

■ spears, daggers, bows, and arrows

○ mobile■ chariots,

horseback

the Assyrians

the Assyrians● The army was…

○ the first to use iron weapons.

○ ferocious. ■ tunneled under

walls■ climbed ladder

over walls■ battering rams■ once captured,

they burned a city down.

the Assyrians● A Well Organized

Government○ Assyrian kings had to be

strong to rule an empire that stretched from the Persian Gulf to Nile River.

○ The capital of the empire was Ninevah.

the Assyrians

the Assyrians● A Well Organized

Government○ The empire was divided

into provinces. ○ Each province had its

own royal official who collected taxes and enforced the king’s laws.

○ The provinces were joined by roads that were guarded by soldiers.

○ Messengers used the roads too.

the Assyrians● Life in Assyria

○ Assyrian writing and religion was based on the Babylonians.

○ They built grand temples and palaces, as well as one of the world’s first libraries. ■ > 25,000 tablets of

stories and songs.

● The End○ Their cruel treatment of

people lead to many rebellions.

○ In 612 BC, the Chaldeans rebelled, captured Ninevah and defeated the Assyrian Empire.

the Assyrians

● In 605 BC, King Nebuchadnezzer lead the Chaldeans to control all of Mesopotamia.

● The Chaldeans were descendents of the Babylonians who had been led by Hammurabi 1,200 years earlier.

the Chaldeans

● Babylon was rebuilt as the center of the Chaldean empire, and it became the world’s largest and richest city.

the Chaldeans

Ishtar Gate rebuilt in Berlin.

● The tops of the city walls were wide enough for two chariots to pass.

● Every 100 yards, soldiers were stationed atop the walls.

● A large ziggurat called the Tower of Babylon reached nearly 300 feet into the sky.

● The greatest achievement in Babylon was the Hanging Gardens.

the Chaldeans

A relief of a garden watered by an aqueduct.

19th century painting of the Hanging Gardens.

● Water from the Euphrates River was brought to the top of the gardens and then it flowed down the terraces.

● It was built for Nebuchadnezzar’s wife, who wanted to remember the mountains and plants of her homeland.

● It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. ● The city was a major avenue of trade.

○ Caravans brought goods from the surrounding region to trade.

● Babylon was also a center of science.

the Chaldeans

● In 539 BC, Cyrus, king of Persia captured Babylon and made it a part of his empire. ○ This was the end of the

Chaldean empire.

the Chaldeans