Assyria & Babylon |
Background
The city-states of Mesopotamia continued to grow – remember these city-states were independent of each other, each with its own government and laws. Though trading existing amongst the many different city-states, conflicts became more common. City-states fought wars with each other over the control of fertile land and access to water (Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, Persian Gulf, etc). Why trade products with a city-state that had a weak leader when you could conquer it instead? Conquer: to take over the lands of others.
To protect its land and water-access, city-states surrounded its territory with pillars and walls (keep in mind the geography of Mesopotamia – flat land, with no natural boundaries). If another city-state damaged or destroyed these pillars or walls, it was seen as a violation against god and of man…which basically meant WAR!
With these conflicts leading to war more and more often, technology shifted toward the creation of weapons. Craftworkers invented war chariots, a 2-wheeled cart pulled by horses. The war chariots allowed soldiers to move quicker, using spears or arrows to kill enemy soldiers who were on foot. Such new war technologies meant that more people died in battle.
Sargon and the Akkadians
The first known conqueror in Mesopotamia was a warrior named Sargon. He started out working for the King of Kish (Kish was a city-state in Sumeria). Sargon later killed the king and took control of the city-state. He organized an army and marched through Mesopotamia, creating an empire. Empire: a conquered land of many people and places controlled by one ruler. Sargon became the first emperor: the ruler of the empire. Sargon created a capital city called Akkad, and its people became known as the Akkadians. The Akkadians adopted many of the Sumerian customs. Sargon wanted to show that he controlled the entire region, so he ordered that every pillar and wall around the many different city-states in his empire be torn down. By doing, this, Sargon showed that he had built an empire. As king, Sargon brought all of the city-states together under his rule (the city-states were no longer independent!). He organized an army made up of paid soldiers who served for long periods of time. Before this, people only became soldiers in time of war. Sargon also appointed governors to control conquered cities. Sargon’s rule was forceful and well organized, but in time, his empire gradually weakened. As the Akkadian empire weakened, two other powers started to compete for control of Mesopotamia: Assyria and Babylon.
Babylonia and Hammurabi
At first, Babylon seemed to have more power and control over Mesopotamia. Hammurabi, the king of the city-state of Babylon conquered most of Mesopotamia, creating what was known as the Babylonian Empire. Hammurabi was a great military leader, but he also improved each city-state under his rule by promoting trade, building projects, and keeping up irrigation work. Babylon thrived as a center for trade.
One of Hammurabi’s most important achievements was his use of taxation. Taxation is the system in which people are required to pay taxes (tributes) to the government. The money collected was used to pay for all of Hammurabi’s improvements. He is also best remembered for his establishment of a set of laws which would apply to all of the city-states in the Babylonian Empire (no longer would each city-state have its own laws). This set of laws was called the Code of Hammurabi. This code consisted of 282 laws that dealt with almost every part of daily life. The Code explained the laws in clear statements and set standard punishments. Most of the laws followed the idea of “an eye for an eye.” What does this mean? Whoever causes an injury will be punished with the same injury. This started the idea of equal justice: fair treatment under the law. Of course the Code of Hammurabi was only equal within each social class. The upper class was greatly favored over other people in terms of the laws and punishments. In time, the Babylonia Empire was conquered by….
The
Assyrians
The Assyrians took control of the region and even extended their empire beyond Mesopotamia including parts of present-day Turkey, Egypt, and the Persian Gulf. Assyria was a region of hills between the Tigris River and the Zagros Mountains in northern Mesopotamia. Some of the most important Assyrian cities included Assur, Kalhu, and Nineveh. The Assyrians wanted to control the valuable trading routes in southwestern Asia. They set out and conquered their neighbors one by one until they controlled Mesopotamia and beyond. The Assyrians relied heavily on the use of cavalry, so the breeding and training of horses became a major occupation. They also built a system of roads throughout their empire, allowing for more easy travel.
As the Assyrian Empire expanded, its prosperity increased, as did the taxes (“tribute”) paid by conquered people. Great temples were built to the Assyrian gods. Artwork of the time focused on royal hunting parties, religious rituals, and military scenes. This artwork was all developed to create fear and respect among both subjects and enemies. The Assyrians relocated any conquered people, which lessened the ability of any one group to unite and rise in revolt.
Throughout history Assyria has been known for its ferocity and brutal cruelty. This is mentioned in the Bible (where there are many stories of the Assyrians attacking Hebrews). The Assyrians themselves boasted about their cruel behavior in inscriptions and artwork of the time. In such inscriptions, the Assyrians write about “tearing the tongues out of thousands of prisoners,” and “impaling masses of men on stakes and leaving them behind to die in agony.” The Assyrians believed that they were working in accordance with their god, and they were justified in killing non-believers.
In time, the Assyrian Empire, too, lost its power and control, and was overrun….