Achievements
an ancient writing system that involved cutting wedge-shaped marks into clay
What is cuneiform?
These people built a great army to protect their lands from invasion
Who are the Assyrians?
around 1792 B.C. this king established the Babylonian Empire and wrote a legal code that covered most areas of daily life
Who is Hammurabi?
first civilizations arose here because of farming conditions
What is near river valleys?
Greek for "land between the rivers"
What is Mesopotamia?
the first written poem, and was written in cuneiform
What is the Epic of Gilgamesh?
the first empire created by Sargon
What is the Akkadian Empire?
conquered all of Mesopotamia and created the world's first empire, the Akkadian Empire
Who is Sargon?
the few Sumerians who learned how to write often became
What are scribes?
has its own government but is not a part of any larger unit
What is a city-state?
Sumerian temple to honor their chief god
What is a ziggurat?
conquered all of Mesopotamia and created the world's first empire, the Akkadian Empire
Who is Sargon?
most famous Chaldean king
Who is Nebuchadnezzar?
Sumerians made metal, cloth, and pottery because they were skilled _____
What are artisans?
the division of society by rank or class
What is social hierarchy?
the Assyrians learned to make their army stronger from the Hittites by using this
What is iron?
this empire's army was large, well-trained and used brutal methods causing people to surrender without a fight
What is the Assyrian Empire?
King of the Chaldean Empire that formed an alliance with the Medes against Assyria, captured Nineveh, and reclaimed the Chaldean kingdom
Who is Nabopolassar?
two main factors that influenced where people settled
What is drinking water and the ability to grow crops?
each worker specializes in a particular task or job
What is division of labor?
the most important Sumerian achievement
What is writing (cuneiform)?
Babylon became rich from trade because it was located on a major trade route between the Mediterranean Sea and _____
What is the Persian Gulf?
this leader collected very high taxes from his people to support Babylon's building projects and military
Who is Nebuchadnezzar?
government officials such as scribes and judges, warriors, kings, and priests were members of this class on the social hierarchy
What is the Upper class?
complex societies that have organized governments, culture, and writing
What is a civilization?