Grade 6 - Social Studies - Chapter 3 - Section 4

alphabet

A set of letters that can be combined to form words.

Who was Hammurabi?

He was a brilliant leader. He brought all of Mesopotamia into his empire, called the Babylonian Empire. He ruled for 42 years. He oversaw many building and irrigation projects. He improved the tax collection system to help pay for them. He is famous for his code of laws.

The Assyrians

In 1200s BC, they briefly controlled Babylon but was overrun by invaders. Starting from 900 BC, they conquered all the Fertile Crescent. The key to their success was their strong army. They used iron weapons and chariots. The army was very organized. They spread terror to the villages by looting (destroy and steal) and burn crops to scare the people before the attack. The kings ruled their empire by local leaders and demanded heavy taxes. They built roads to link distance parts of the empire.

The Chaldeans

In 652 BC, a series of wars broke out in the Assyrian. The Chaldeans destroyed the Assyrian Empire. Nebuchadnezzar, the most famous Chaldean king, rebuilt Babylon into a beautiful city. They admired Sumerian culture and built temples to Sumerian gods. They became a center for astronomy. They charted the positions of the stars and kept track of economic, political, and weather events. They also created a calendar and solved complex geometry problems.

Where and who are the Babylon?

It is group of invaders battled to gain control of Mesopotamia. The city was located on the Euphrates River.

The Phoenicians

It is located at the western end of the Fertile Crescent along the Mediterranean Sea. They do not have a strong military. However, they created a wealthy trading society. They have very few resources. They have cedar trees which is good for their timber, a valuable trade item. They were blocked by mountains and hostile neighbors to trade the cedar so they have to trade by going through the sea. As a result, they became expert sailors and built the world's finest harbors. They became wealthy and traded other items such as silverwork, ivory carvings, slaves and glass objects. They also invented purple dye and purple fabric. The most important achievement they developed was the world's first alphabet.

What is Hammurabi's code?

It was a set of 282 laws that dealt with almost every part of daily life. The code was important because it was thorough and it was written down for all to see. People all over the empire could read exactly what was against the law.

Hittites

They built a strong kingdom in Asia Minor. They have 2 advantages: 1. They were the first people to master ironworking which meant that they could make the strongest weapon. 2. The used chariot which allowed the soldiers to move quickly around a battlefield and fire arrows at their enemies. They capture Babylon but the king was assassinated.

Monarch

a ruler of a kingdom or empire

chariot

a wheeled, horse-drawn cart used in battle.