Akkadian Empire Geography Cities Akkad Sumer Located in

Akkadian Empire Geography & Cities - Akkad - Sumer Located in present day Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, & Iran

Akkadian Empire • Transportation & Communication - Most citizen spoke Sumerian and Akkadian - Earliest known bilingual society - Rivers were used for easy transportation

Akkadian Empire • Accomplishments - Intricate system of roads kept the empire together - Postal service

Akkadian Empire • Reasons for Decline - Sumerians believed that the Akkadian Empire collapsed because of a curse placed on them - Archaeologists believe a widespread drought caused citizens to move elsewhere.

Babylonian Empire Geography & Cities -Babylon was a massive city in Mesopotamia - Conquered cities include: Ur, Uruk, & Nippur

Babylonian Empire • Transportation & Communication - merchants from southern Mesopotamia travelled to cities and distant lands to trade their goods. Boats, rafts, donkeys, and carts w/ wheels were used for transport - Spoke the Akkadian Language

Babylonian Empire • Accomplishments - became a major military power under King Hammurabi - Code of Hammurabi, a system of laws that represent the first attempt to record all laws. His Code contained 282 laws arranged under headings such as trade, family, labor and real estate

Babylonian Empire • Reasons for Decline In 539 BC, the Babylonian Empire fell to Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, with a military engagement known as the Battle of Opis. Babylon's walls were considered impenetrable.

Egyptian Empire Geography & Cities - Memphis, Thebes, & Aswan

Egyptian Empire • Transportation & Communication -Ships and boats were the main means of transporting people and goods around the country. Egyptian watercraft had a high stern and bow - The language spoken today that is most similar to ancient Egyptian, would be Coptic

Egyptian Empire • Accomplishments • Built monumental pyramids and temples; a system of mathematics, a practical and effective system of medicine, irrigation systems and agricultural production techniques

Egyptian Empire • Reasons for Decline • A combination of poor weather, coupled with being conquered by other empires, lead to the decline of the Egyptian Empire

Kush Empire Geography & Cities - Napata, Meroe - Located in present day Egypt & Sudan

Kush Empire • Transportation & Communication - Donkeys and later horses, were the primary means of transportation - Meroitic, the earliest known written language of Africa.

Kush Empire • Accomplishments • Gold helped Kush to become wealthy as it could be traded to the Egyptians and other nearby nations. Iron was the most important metal of the age. It was used to make the strongest tools and weapons. • In battle, Kush was famous for its archers and the bow and arrow were often depicted in the art of Ancient Kush • Built smaller pyramids

Kush Empire • Reasons for Decline • Kush gradually declined in power. A series of problems within the kingdom weakened its economy. One problem was that Kush's cattle were allowed to overgraze. . By 350 CE, they were conquered by neighboring kingdoms and the last influences of the Kush disappeared.

Assyrian Empire Geography & Cities - two major cities Assur and Nineveh

Assyrian Empire • Transportation & Communication - Horses and carts, the Assyrians had stone bridges and roads which is a testament to how wealthy they were at the time. - originally spoke and wrote Akkadian before the easier to use Aramaic language became more popular

Assyrian Empire • Accomplishments - Known for their fearsome army - Perfected the use of horse in battle - Devised great attack plans

Assyrian Empire • Reasons for Decline • The empire fell due to civil wars, political unrest and sacking of the Assyrian capital Nineveh

Persian Empire Geography & Cities - Babylon, Persepolis - At its peak, the Persian Empire spanned 5. 5 million square kilometers. For a modern day comparison, it is equivalent to approximately two times the size of Argentina.

Persian Empire • Transportation & Communication - An excellent system of roads, allowed travelers, military, and traders to move freely about the empire on horseback or using a cart. - Aramaic language gained prominence in many regions of the Persian Empire

Persian Empire • Accomplishments - King Cyrus the Great Encouraged blended cultures that led to peace - Network of high quality roads - World’s first highway

Persian Empire • Reasons for Decline • King Xerxes did not tolerate other cultural traditions. This led to rebellions and a long period of warfare with the Greek city-states resulted in defeat and decline