Mesopotamia

Where was Mesopotamia?• Present day Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Iran• Word means “land between two rivers”• The rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates• Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Judeans

(Israelites), Assyrians, Chaldeans (Neo-Babylonians), Persians

Map of Modern Mesopotamia

Sumeria• 4000 – 2340 BC• Cuneiform – wedges,

clay tablets• Epic of Gilgamesh –

king of Uruk, friend Endiku, goddess Ishtar• Ziggurats• Abraham from Ur

Map of Sumeria

Akkadians• 2340-2230 BC,

centered at Akkad• Sargon the Great

overthrows Sumerian cities

The Akkadian Empire

Babylonians• 1800 BC – 1650 BC• Hammurabi• The Code of

Hammurabi• The Stele

Map of Babylonian Empire

The Assyrians• Nineveh – mentioned

in the Bible, Jonah and the fish• King Ashurbanipal• Centered around

Ashur

Map of Assyrian Empire

Judea• 1800 BC – Abraham

from Ur (in Babylon)• Isaac, Jacob (Israel), 12

sons including Joseph• Captivity in Egypt• 1300 BC – Moses born• Israelites freed during

Ramses II reign, return to Palestine• Babylonian Captivity –

6th or 5th century BC

Chaldeans (Neo-Babylonians)• 626-539 BC• Nebuchadnezzar II –

Hanging Gardens of Babylon• Took Hebrews

(Israelites) into slavery, destroyed the temple in Jerusalem

Chaldeans (Neo-Babylonians)

Persian Empire• Also known as

Achaemenid Empire 550-330 BC• Cyrus the Great freed

Israel, let them go back to Jerusalem and rebuild temple• Zoroastrianism –

monotheistic• 518 BC – Darius the

Great took power, built Persepolis

Map of Persian Empire