Mesopotamia Present day Iraq Turkey Syria Lebanon Israel

Mesopotamia • Present day Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Iran • Word means “land between two rivers” • The rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates • Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Judeans (Israelites), Assyrians, Chaldeans (Neo-Babylonians), Persians

Map of Modern Mesopotamia

Sumeria • • • 4000 – 2340 BC Cuneiform Epic of Gilgamesh – king of Uruk, Endiku Ziggurats Goddess Ishtar Abraham from Ur

Map of Sumeria

Cuneiform

Ziggurat

Akkadians • 2340 -2230 BC, centered at Akkad • Sargon the Great overthrows Sumerian cities

Babylonians • • • 1800 BC – 1650 BC Hammurabi The Code The Stele Ishtar Gate

Map of Babylonian Empire

The Assyrians • Nineveh – mentioned in the Bible, Jonah and the fish • King Ashurbanipal • Centered around Ashur

Map of Assyrian Empire

Judea 1800 BC – Abraham from Ur (in Babylon) Isaac, Jacob (Israel), 12 sons including Joseph Captivity in Egypt 1300 BC – Moses born Israelites freed during Ramses II reign, return to Palestine • Babylonian Captivity – 6 th or 5 th century BC • • •

Chaldeans (Neo-Babylonians) • 626 -539 BC • Nebuchadnezzar II – Hanging Gardens of Babylon • Took Hebrews (Israelites) into slavery, destroyed the temple in Jerusalem

Chaldeans (Neo-Babylonians)

Persian Empire • Also known as Achaemenid Empire 550 -330 BC • Cyrus the Great freed Israel, let them go back to Jerusalem and rebuild temple • Zoroastrianism – monnotheistic • 518 BC – Darius the Great took power, built Persepolis • Greeks revolted, Persians lost Battle of Marathon in 493 BC

Map of Persian Empire