Early Empires in the Ancient Near East Chapter

Early Empires in the Ancient Near East Chapter 3 Lesson 1: Akkad and Babylon Lesson 2: Egypt and Kush Lesson 3: Assyria and Persia

ASSYRIAN EMPIRE 700 BCE – Empire including Mesopotamia and Egypt

ASSYRIAN EMPIRE King ruled with absolute power Messenger System – relay network of riders using horses & donkeys (in mountains)

ASSYRIAN EMPIRE MILITARY 1 – Very effective and well trained 2 - Large numbers 3 – Infantry, cavalry, chariots 4 – Used iron weapons

ASSYRIAN EMPIRE MILITARY 5 – Highly feared (brutality) 6 – Destroyed lands they fought

ASSYRIAN EMPIRE **NINEVEH** Assyrian capital **One of the first libraries were built here** FALL – 612 BCE Chaldeans and Medes (from the east) divided the empire

PERSIAN EMPIRE King NEBUCHADNEZZAR made Babylon the leading state in west Asia Re-built Babylon as one of the world’s greatest cities falling to the Persians in 539 BCE

PERSIAN EMPIRE Persians – nomadic Indo-Europeans united by the Achaemenid family --- CYRUS Cyrus the Great: 1 – Created a powerful empire, ruled: 559 BCE-530 BCE 2 – Asia minor to India 3 – Treated conquered people well ---- How did that make them feel? Would that benefit the Persians? How?

PERSIAN EMPIRE Cyrus the Great: 4 – Allowed the Jews to return to their homeland 5 – Allowed those from conquered nations to hold gov’t offices 6 – Reputation for mercy! 7 - Very accepted and respected – Showed wisdom and compassion

PERSIAN EMPIRE Cambyses – Successfully invaded Egypt Darius I – 1 - Ruled 521 BCE-456 BCE 2 – Largest empire to this time 3 – Powerful, professional army ---- Immortals (10, 000)

PERSIAN EMPIRE 4 – Strengthened the empire What is so difficult about a huge area? Satrapies – The empire was divided into 20 provinces (satrapies) Satrap – A governor or literally “protector of the kingdom” King – Greatest authority --- known as a Monarchy 5 – Good roads sustained the Empire. Included way stations that provided food, shelter and fresh horses.

PERSIAN EMPIRE Enter --- Alexander the Great

ZOROASTRIANISM 1 - Zoroaster (YOB 628 BCE) Thought of as a “great prophet” 2 – Zend Avesta – book that contained his teachings 3 – Ahuramazda – The one god of the Zoroastrianism 4 – Monotheistic - (if you don’t know this by now, look it up!) 5 – Ahriman – The evil spirit 6 - Main Ideas 1 – Final judgement (all will go to paradise or misery) 2 – Human choice between good and evil 3 – Good would triumph