•The
city states of
Ancient Sumner, since
they were small city
states were often
fighting over land and
water rights.
•Their lack of unity left
them open to attacks by
stronger groups.
Exploring four empires of
Mesopotamia

The Akkadians,
Babylonians, and
Assyrians were an
empire because
they were a large
territory ruled by a
single leader or
government, unlike
the Sumerians.
The Akkadian Empire
The Akkadians were the
first empire after Sumer.
 They were led by a great
powerful king, Sargon the
Great.
 Sargon was a strong king
and a skilled general
 Sargon used his military
skills to conquer the land
and take over Sumer.

King Sargon the Great
Life Under Akkadian rule
Stele
Sargon had created the
world’s first empire, this was
the Akkadians greatest
achievement.
 During Sargon’s reign he
made the city of Agade in
Northern Mesopotamia. He
built up the city with tributes
he collected from the people
he conquered.
 The Akkadians used steles to
record important events with
three dimensional sculptures,
such as a military victory.

Hammurabi and the Babylon
Empire
After the Akkadians fell,
Sumner once again
became city states.
 The next ruler King
Hammurabi from
Babylon united all of
Mesopotamia once
again.

Hammurabi and the Babylon
Empire
Code of Hammurabi




King Hammurabi made the
capital Babylon and is best
remembered for his code of
laws the Hammurabi code.
He based his laws not only
on his own authority but on
the word of the gods.
This code was the first set of
laws to apply to everyone.
This is the first legal system
to treat all classes the same
, which was advanced at that
time.
Life in the Babylonian Empire
Euphrates River in present day Iraq
With the Babylonian
location on the banks
of the Euphrates river,
it became an important
center of trade.
 Trade in the
Babylonian empire
helped the economy
by trading grain and
woven cloth for wood,
gold, silver, precious
gems and livestock.

The Assyrian Empire
The Assyrians

After the Babylonians fell
apart a number of groups
controlled what had been
Babylonia, until the
warlike people of the
Assyrian empire took
over the Mesopotamian
region.
The Assyrian Empire
The Assyrians were
known for their military
might and their cruelty.
Their greatest
achievements were new
weapons and war
strategies.
 They used war
techniques such as siege
techniques, Battering
Rams, and Moveable
towers.

Assyrian Weapons
Life under Assyrian Rule

The Assyrians
believed that their
kings were special
beings and to
honor them they
built “The great
Palace” in the
capital city of
Nineveh.
Life under Assyrian Rule
Like other societies in
Mesopotamia the
Assyrians had a
system of canals to
irrigate their land, but
they also built the first
Aqueducts.
 Aqueducts were pipes
or channels used to
carry water throughout
the city of Nineveh and
up to 30 miles away.

Aqueducts in Assyria
The Neo Babylonian Empire
With the fall of Nineveh, the
Babylonians once again
took over the Mesopotamia
area.
 Their new empire was
known a Neo-Babylonia.
 The empire’s new famous
King was Nebuchadnezzar,
who was a ruthless king.

King Nebuchadnezzar
The Neo Babylonian Empire
Nebuchadnezzar
conquered the land of
the Israelites took
many of them captive
back to Babylon after
they tried to rebel.
 Nebuchadnezzar built
two walls, some
towers, bridges, and a
moat around his
capital to protect his
city from attacks.

The Ishtar Gate
Life in the Neo Babylonian
Hanging Garden of
Babylon
Empire


Alexander the
Great

Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt
the city of Babylon and
built the Hanging gardens
of Babylon along the
rooftops and terraces
high on the royal palace.
The Neo Babylonian
empire only lasted 75
years because controlling
such a large areas was
very challenging.
The Persians conquered
Mesopotamia and
controlled it for 200
years, until Alexander the
Great came along from
Greece.