THE RISE OF NEW EMPIRES
Chapter 2 Section 4
The Assyrian Empire
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The Assyrians came from
the northern part of
Mesopotamia.
The Assyrian Empire
would eventually include
Iran, sections of Asia
Minor, Syria, Israel and
Egypt.
The Assyrian Empire
The Assyrian Empire
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Because of the size of the empire, it was divided
into provinces that were headed by a governor.
A network of roads protected by soldiers was built
to improve communication and trade throughout the
empire.
This network allowed for a governor from anywhere
in the empire to send a question to the king and
receive an answer within a week.
The Assyrian Empire
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The Assyrian army was
large, well organized
and disciplined.
The army was organized
into infantry, cavalry, and
horse drawn chariots.
The army could use
different military tactics
such as guerilla warfare,
battles on open plains,
and lay siege to cities.
The Assyrian Empire
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The Assyrians treated
their conquered people
cruelly by burning their
cities, torturing and killing
prisoners, and deporting
entire populations from
their homelands.
They would force the
people under their control
to pay heavy taxes to
pay for improvements in
Nineveh, the Assyrian
capital.
The Assyrian Empire
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The attack on Nineveh by the Medes and
the Chaldeans ended the Assyrian Empire.
The Assyrians faced
continual revolt from the
people under their rule
as a result of their cruel
treatment.
Eventually around 612
B.C. two groups, the
Chaldeans and the
Medes allied and
defeated the Assyrians.
The Assyrians: Masters of War
The Chaldeans
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The Chaldeans or the “NeoBabylonians”, were descendants
of Hammurabi’s Babylonian
Empire in the 1700’s B.C.
After the fall of the Assyrian
Empire the Chaldeans would
rise to prominence in
Mesopotamia.
They would reach the apex, or
height of their power under the
rule of Nebuchadnezzar, who
ruled from 605 B.C. to 562 B.C.
The Chaldeans
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Nebuchadnezzar would
extend the boundaries of
the Chaldean Empire as
far west as Syria and
Canaan, forcing the
people of Judah into exile
in Babylon.
The Chaldeans would gain
great wealth from their
conquests and rebuild
Babylon as on the largest,
most beautiful cities of the
ancient world.
The Chaldeans
The Chaldeans
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Two of the things that
made Babylon so
beautiful were the
Hanging Gardens and
the Wall of Babylon.
Both are considered to
be among the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient
World.
Artist’s rendition of the Hanging Gardens
The Ishtar Gate one of eight city gates
in Babylon.
The Persians
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The Chaldeans would weaken after the death of
Nebuchadnezzar and would eventually be
conquered by the Persians in 539 B.C.
The Persians originated in central Asia and settled in
Mesopotamia around 2000 B.C. in what is now Iran.
The Persians
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Cyrus II developed a strong army
and conquered the Medes ,
Northern Mesopotamia, Syria,
Canaan, and the Phoenicians.
In 525 B.C. Cyrus II’s son
Cambyses conquered Egypt,
bringing all of the Middle East
under Persian control.
The Persian Empire would stretch
from the Nile River to the Indus
River, a distance of 4,800
Kilometers and included 50 million
people.
The Persians
The Persians
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Darius I who ruled from 522 to 486
B.C. organized the Empire into
provinces and assigned provincial
governors, or Satraps to rule.
Military and tax officials were
chosen by the king from the
conquered people and assisted
Satraps in implementing the Kings
policies in the provinces.
A uniform monetary system was
introduced and he made Aramaic
the official language of the Empire.
Darius I also employed agents
known as “Eyes and Ears of the
King” to inspect the running of the
provinces.
Darius I organized the Persian Empire
The Persians
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The Persians had learned lessons from the Assyrians
on how not to treat conquered people.
Lands and people that had been conquered by the
Persians were allowed to keep local languages,
traditions, religions, and some laws.
This action by the Persians would earn them loyalty
from the people they had conquered.
The Persians
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Darius I brought artisans from many of his
conquered lands to build his capital at
Persepolis.
Roads were built to encourage trade as
well as ease the movement of troops.
The Royal Road was the most important
road built; it ran from Susa to Sardis.
Spanning 1,400 Kilometers it had stations
every 14 Kilometers to provide travelers
with food and fresh horses.
Royal Messengers could travel the road in
seven days, a journey that had previously
taken three months.
The Royal Road ran from Susa to Sardis
a distance of 1,400 Kilometers.
The Royal Road & Trade Routes
The Persians
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All of the rebellions during the reign
of Darius I were quelled, including
the Ionian rebellion of 499 B.C. in
Asia Minor.
In 499 B.C. the Ionian Greek CityStates revolted against Persia with
the help of Athens and other
mainland Greek city-states.
Darius I would send 30,000 troops
to punish Athens for its interference
only to be defeated at Marathon in
490 B.C.
The Greco-Persian Wars 500-479 B.C.
The Persians
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Darius I would die in 486
B.C. while making
preparations for another,
larger invasion of
Greece.
His son Xerxes would
succeed him as king and
would lead a force to
conquer Greece that
would cripple the Persian
Empire.
“Xerxes at the Hellespont”, by Jean Adrien
Guignet
“Xerxes at the Hellespont”, by Jean
Adrien Guignet
Engineering an Empire: The Persians