Chapter 2 Section 2
Study Guide
Section 2 Vocabulary
Empire
Many territories and peoples controlled by one government
Babylon
The capital of Babylonia; a city of great wealth and luxury
Caravan
A group of travelers journeying together
Bazaar
A market selling different kinds of goods
Zoroastrianism
A religion that developed in ancient Persia
Key Idea: There were three great empires of The Fertile Crescent.
1. Babylonian Empire
o Hammurabi conquered the city-states of Sumer to create the empire of Babylonia in 1787 B.C.
o Babylon’s location between Sumer and Assyria made it a crossroads for trade.
o Roads made travel easier and increased trade.
o Shoppers bought Indian cloth and Egyptian spices as bazaars.
o Later, the empire became smaller and was destroyed by invaders in the 1500s.
1. Assyrian Empire
o Was easy to attack because it was open land
o Assyrians were skilled warriors and conquered a large empire-from the Nile River to the
Persian Gulf
 Invented battering ram, slingshots; skilled at archery; well-made helmets and armor
o Valued learning- built a large library and kept good records that helped us learn about
Mesopotamia
o The Assyrians had many enemies and were defeated by the Medes and the Chaldeans in
612 B.C.
1. Persian Empire
o The Persian Empire, the largest empire built in the Fertile Crescent, was built in 490 B.C.
o Present-day Iran
o They believed in Zoroastrianism, and they worshipped one god,.
o They developed a bureaucracy, or a complex structure of government.
o They tolerated and promoted trade with other civilizations.
o Their cultural achievements in religion, government, science helped to shape modern
civilization.