Fertile Crescent Empires The Babylonian Empire Created by

Fertile Crescent Empires

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 1500 s BC

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

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

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)

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

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

The Persian Empire