3
3. The first civilisations
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POLITICAL EVOLUTION OF MESOPOTAMIA
Sargon I
,
King of Akkad
,
conquered
Sumer
and
founded the first empire in
history, which lasted just under
a century. This was followed
by another period of Sumerian
rule, which is notable for the
cities of Lagash and Ur.
Nomadic tribes from the east
invaded Mesopotamia and
took control of several cities.
One of these,
Babylon
,
gained power over the others
and its king,
Hammurabi
,
imposed his rule over the
whole region.
Relief from an Assyrian palace
Reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate in Ancient Babylon (Iraq)
2300 B.C.
539 B.C.
331 B.C.
1800 B.C.
1300 B.C.
612 B.C.
A
KKADIANS
S
UMERIANS
B
ABYLONIANS
A
SSYRIANS
N
EO
-
BABYLONIANS
P
ERSIANS
The
Assyrians
, who inhabited
the north of Mesopotamia,
conquered Babylon and also
created an empire. Their most
important cities were Ashur
and Nineveh, where large
palaces were built. They were
a warrior society who used
weapons made of iron, which
were superior to the bronze
ones used by their neighbours.
They also had a cavalry
12
and
war chariots. One of their
kings,
Ashurbanipal
, invaded
Egypt and established the
great library in Nineveh. The
Assyrian Empire disappeared
after a rebellion led by the
Babylonians and the Medes,
an ancient Iranian people.
After the fall of the Assyrian
Empire,
Babylon
recovered
13
its splendour. Its king,
Nebuchadnezzar II
, expanded
his empire by conquering
Jerusalem. During his reign,
the Great Ziggurat of Ur
(Tower of Babel) was
completely restored and the
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
(a series of terraces planted
with gardens at different
levels) were built, which are
one of the Seven Wonders of
the Ancient World. The
beautiful Ishtar Gate was also
built in the city walls. The city
was then conquered by
Cyrus
II
and it became part of the
Persian Empire.
Understand
10.
Read about
Mesopotamia
and prepare a brief oral presentation
entitled
The geographical
environment of Mesopotamia
to give to
your group.
11.
Answer the followingquestions and thenwrite an essay about themain
characteristics and historical periods of Mesopotamian civilisation.
a)
What does the word
Mesopotamia
mean?
b)
What is the difference between an empire and a city state?
c)
Why were there frequent conflicts among the Sumerian cities?
d)
Which groups ruled Mesopotamia after the Sumerians?
Analyse
12.
Describe the scene in the video
that shows Assyrian relief. Relate
it to what you know about these
people.
13.
Look at the map created with
google map engine
. What
countries now occupy what used
to be Ancient Mesopotamia?
And the Assyrian Empire?
