Review 17
Order & Control
Name
TOPIC
UNIT
_____________________________________
Rise of Monarchy in the Pre-Classical World
Order and Control
Directions
Read the following historical summaries, and complete the tasks beneath each.
THE AKKADIANS
The ancient Sumerians started the first civilization in Mesopotamia (part of the large farming region called the
Fertile Crescent). They lived in the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The Sumerian city-states
were independent. Each city had its own monarch who ruled over his city-state.
The Akkadians lived north of the Sumerians in a city called Akkad. The leader of the Akkadians was
Sargon. Sargon took an army south and conquered the city-states of Sumer. He then travelled north and
defeated many other city-states in Mesopotamia. Under his leadership, the Akkadians created the first empire
in the Fertile Crescent. (An empire exists when one government controls the governments and territories in
foreign lands.) Sargon became the first military dictator in the Fertile Crescent. He used soldiers to keep
order in the conquered city-states. When Sargon died, his successors struggled to control the empire.
Invasions by other civilizations ended the rule of the Akkadians.
1. Why are the Akkadians important (what did they do)?
THE BABYLONIANS
The Babylonians (from the city of Babylon near Akkad) took control of the Akkadian empire soon after
Sargon’s death. The leader of the Babylonian Empire was a monarch named Hammurabi. Hammurabi was
known as “the lawgiver.” To keep order, he created the Hammurabi Code. The code punished all crimes
very severely. Even minor crimes carried the punishment of death. But not all people were treated the same
in Hammurabi’s Babylon. The code protected members of the aristocracy (rich upper class) more than it
protected the poor people. As a result of this discrimination, Babylonian society grew more separated.
Still, the rich were not free to do whatever they pleased. Hammurabi required the aristocrats to live in the city
of Babylon. He tried to make the nobles feel like he was keeping them nearby so they could assist him in
government, but really he was keeping them nearby so that he could control them. Most of the nobles
realized this and became angry. When Hammurabi died, many rich nobles revolted. Without a strong leader,
the Babylonian Empire fell.
1. How did Hammurabi control the rich aristocrats?
2. Why do you think Hammurabi wanted very strict laws in his empire?
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THE HITTITES
After the fall of Hammurabi’s Babylon, several other civilizations created empires in the Fertile Crescent.
The Hittite civilization was one of them. The Hittites made their home in what is now the country of
Turkey. The Hittite capital was the city of Hattusa. The Hittites were able to gain power because of their
knowledge of ironworking. Iron was a strong metal, and it gave the Hittites an advantage over other
civilizations that were still using weaker metals like bronze and copper. The Hittites became so strong that
they even rivaled the mighty Egyptians! But eventually other civilizations in the area learned how to use iron.
Pretty soon, the Hittites lost their advantage, and other civilizations challenged them for power.
1. Why were the Hittites able to build a strong empire that rivaled the Egyptians?
THE ASSYRIANS
After the Hittite collapse, a violent people called the Assyrians created a new empire in the Fertile Crescent.
During the rule of King Assurbanipal the Assyrians controlled the Fertile Crescent as warriors and military
specialists. They were brutal in war, and they tortured those who refused to honor Assyrian leadership. It
was common for Assyrian warriors to tear the skin from their enemies and nail the skin to city walls as a
warning to others. The Assyrians were intolerant – they did not accept the beliefs or customs of others. For
instance, the polytheistic Assyrians tried to conquer all of the Jews (the Jews believed in one God, not in
many gods like the Assyrians). Surprisingly, the Assyrians were only able to defeat the northern kingdom of
Israel (they were unable to capture the southern Jewish kingdom of Judah).
Off the battlefield, Assurbanipal created the world’s first library in the capitol city of Nineveh. Nineveh
became a center of learning.
Instructions: Write a Cinquain poem about the Assyrians.
Follow the instructions, and see the example on the right.
Instructions
Line 1: One word… the subject (title)
Line 2: Two adjectives that describe the subject
Line 3: Three –ing words about what the subject does
Line 4: A four-word phrase about the subject
Line 5: A short summary (1-2 words) of the subject
EXAMPLE OF A CINQUAIN POEM
Israelites
Hebrew, monotheistic
Praying, loving, obeying
They follow God’s commandments
Jews
Write an original cinquain poem here: Follow the instructions above.
1st line:
ASSYRIANS
2nd line: ______________________________________________________________________________
3rd line: ______________________________________________________________________________
4th line: ______________________________________________________________________________
5th line: ___________________________________
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THE CHALDEANS (NEO-BABYLONIANS)
People were tired of living under the violent control of the Assyrians. After the death of Assurbanipal, a
group of people in Babylon called the Chaldeans revolted against Assyrian power. Because the Chaldeans
lived in Babylon, they are often called the Neo-Babylonians (“New Babylonians”). The Chaldeans took control
of the Assyrian empire in Mesopotamia.
The most famous Chaldean king was Nebuchadnezzar. Like many other kings before him,
Nebuchadnezzar was intolerant. He did not accept the beliefs and traditions of others. For instance, he was
not comfortable with the monotheism of the Israelites (also called the Hebrews or Jews). The Hebrews
believed in one God. The Assyrians had already weakened the Hebrew kingdom of Israel, but the southern
Hebrew kingdom of Judah remained strong. The Israelites refused to change their beliefs to please
Nebuchadnezzar. So Nebuchadnezzar marched an army to the “Promised Land” and conquered the
kingdom of Judah. Instead of letting his Hebrew prisoners live in their holy land, Nebuchadnezzar forced
them into “exile” (the Israelites were kicked out of their country). In 586 BCE Nebuchadnezzar brought the
Jewish slaves to Babylon where they remained for 70 years until 516 BCE. This period of slavery in Jewish
history is called the Babylonian Captivity or the Babylonian Exile.
1. How was Nebuchadnezzar similar to earlier kings like Hammurabi and Assurbanipal?
2. Why did Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans attack the Jewish kingdom of Judah?
3. Why do you think Nebuchadnezzar brought the Jews to Babylon – why didn’t he let them live in their
own country?
Mini-Review: Answer the following questions about the Akkadians, Babylonians, Hittites, Assyrians, and Chaldeans.
1. ____ Which ancient monarch enslaved the Jews in Babylon?
a. Assurbanipal
c. Nebuchadnezzar
b. Hammurabi
d. Sargon
2. ____ Which military dictator is famous for creating the first empire in the Fertile Crescent?
a. Assurbanipal
c. Nebuchadnezzar
b. Hammurabi
d. Sargon
3. ____ Which word or phrase below is NOT associated with the ancient Hittites?
a. masters of iron
c. capital city at Hattusa
b. library at Nineveh
d. rivals of Egypt
4. ____
a.
b.
c.
d.
Which statement is true?
The monarchs of Babylon and Assyria treated conquered people with intolerance and violence.
The Akkadians were the first people to develop an understanding of iron.
The Chaldeans and Israelites were allies (friends).
All people were treated equally in Hammurabi’s Babylon.
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THE PERSIANS
The Chaldeans were eventually overthrown by a civilization called the Persians. The Persian monarchs were
different from other Fertile Crescent monarchs. The Persians learned something by studying the Assyrians,
Babylonians, and Chaldeans: None of the intolerant, violent empires had lasted. The Persians wanted their
empire in the Fertile Crescent to last. So their kings behaved differently than many earlier kings.
The first major Persian ruler was Cyrus the Great. Cyrus treated the people he conquered with tolerance;
he did not force them to give up their religious beliefs or ideas. One of his greatest achievements took place
in 516 BCE. He freed the Jews that Nebuchadnezzar had enslaved in Babylon. Cyrus allowed the Jewish
people to return to their holy land. This kindness caused many people in the Fertile Crescent to respect the
Persians.
Cyrus’ grandson, King Darius I, brought a golden age of wealth and honor to Persia. He created the largest
empire the world had ever seen at that time. Under Darius the Persian Empire stretched from India to
Greece and Egypt. To manage such a large empire, Darius created a bureaucracy (a team of officials who
helped to manage different regions of the empire). The empire was divided into 20 provinces, and each was
governed by a Persian governor called a satrap. Darius improved communication between each province by
creating a road system. He also continued Cyrus’ policy of tolerance and kindness. He encouraged religious
diversity by allowing many people to keep their religious beliefs. Darius, himself, believed in one god, but he
allowed his people to worship whatever gods they wished. Conquered people lived freely within the Persian
Empire as long as they accepted Persian rule and paid taxes to the Persian government.
1. How were the Persian monarchs different from earlier rulers of the Fertile Crescent?
2. Why do you think Cyrus the Great released the Jews from slavery in Babylon?
3. How did Darius I manage such a huge empire?
4. What was life like for non-Persians living in the Persian Empire?
Instructions: In the box on the right, w rite a Cinquain
poem about the Persians. Follow these instructions:
Line 1:
Line 2:
Line 3:
Line 4:
Line 5:
One word… the subject (title)
Two adjectives that describe the subject
Three –ing words about what the subject does
A four-word phrase about the subject
A short summary (1-2 words) of the subject
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THE EGYPTIANS
The first great king of Egypt was King Menes of Thebes. Some historians say that Menes was the famous
“Scorpion King” written about in Egyptian texts. Before Egypt, there were two Egyptians kingdoms: Lower
Egypt (the flat land near the Mediterranean Sea) and Upper Egypt (the highlands and mountains in the
south). King Menes united Upper and Lower Egypt into one kingdom in 3100 BCE.
After Menes, pharaohs ruled Egypt with absolute power (control over everything). The Egyptians believed
the pharaohs were gods with “divine authority,” meaning their power came from the gods. By obeying the
pharaohs Egyptians thought they were helping to create a better world. If disorder existed, then Egyptians
believed it was because they had offended the gods. When pharaohs died, Egyptians believed they rose into
the heavens and watched over Egypt with the other gods.
After the death of a pharaoh, power passed to his son. This transfer of power is called hereditary
succession: The son inherits the power and succeeds to the throne. If a single family rules a kingdom for a long
time, then that family’s rule is called a dynasty.
Pharaohs relied on a bureaucracy, a team of government officials, to help manage the kingdom. Chief
advisors were called viziers. The priests of Egypt also played a big role in the government. They influenced
the pharaohs and viziers.
1. Why is King Menes important?
2. “The pharaohs ruled with absolute power and divine authority.” What does this mean?
3. What is hereditary succession?
4. What is a dynasty?
5. What is a bureaucracy, and why was it important in ancient Egypt?
6. Why did the Egyptian people care so much about pleasing their king, the pharaoh?
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THE SHANG and THE ZHOU (CHINA)
Like Egypt, ancient China was governed by ruling families called dynasties. One of the earliest ruling families
in ancient China was the Shang dynasty. Historians know a lot about Shang culture from oracle bones.
On turtle shells or other animal bones, Shang priests wrote questions for the gods to answer. The priests
heated the bones until they cracked. Priests would read the crack patterns to determine the will of the gods.
By studying the questions on the oracle bones, historians can figure out what the people in Shang China were
thinking about.
The Shang were eventually overthrown by a family called the Zhou. The Zhou developed an idea called the
Mandate of Heaven. They said the Mandate of Heaven was given by the gods to the family that should rule
China. When the gods wanted to change the government of China, they gave the Mandate of Heaven to a
specific family. That family would then take power from the ruling family that the gods no longer supported.
Therefore, when the Zhou took power from the Shang, the Zhou said it was because the Shang family had
lost the Mandate of Heaven.
1. Why are the oracle bones important to historians?
2. Why were the oracle bones important to the people of Shang China?
3. According to the Zhou family, why did the Shang dynasty end?
4. ____ Which phrase below best explains the Mandate of Heaven?
a. Hereditary succession
b. Tolerant government
c. Support of the gods
d. Destruction of the government