Marduk: King of the Gods.

Ancient West Asia Ishtar/Inanna: Queen of the Universe.

•Describe the rise to power of the empires Shamash/Utu: The All-Seeing.
and other civilizations that were established
in West Asia. Nanna/Sin: God of the Moon.

• be familiar with the influential figures Three Social Classes

from ancient West Asia.
•talk about the way that Asians lived at that
time.
•study the regional impacts of former
empires and civilizations; and
•appreciate the region's contributions
made by the emperors and civilizations.

Mesopotamia
The empires of Mesopotamia were built
after King Sargon of Akkad succeeded in
Sumerian Civilization
uniting the cities of Sumer. Since then, the -Sumer sprout from Southwest Asia and
powerful empires of Akkad, Babylon, believe that they came from iron during
Assyria, and Chaldea have become part of “bronze age”.
the history of West Asia.   - Earliest known civilization in historical
Other groups in West Asia also succeeded region of Southern mesopotamia.
in improving life for their people.   - Sumer was found in mesopotamia region of
the fertile crescent, between Tigris and
The photos below show some of the great
Euphrates rivers.
contributions of ancient Asians in the region
the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the coins Contribution:
of the Lydians, and the chariots of the
Hittites. Sumerians are known for their innovations in
language, governance, architecture, and more.
Prominent of Mesopotamian They invented the first form of writing, a
Gods number system, the first wheeled vehicles, sun-
dried bricks, and irrigation for farming.
An/Anu: The Supreme Mesopotamian God.
Ziggurat
Enki/Ea: Wisest of the Mesopotamian Gods.
- An Mesopotamian temple tower
Enlil: The Great Mountain. consisting of a lofty pyramidal structure
built in successive with outside staircases Dike water system
and a shrine at the top.
The first engineering feats in history were
- Is a sacred building, essentially a temple created by the Sumerians in southern
and staircase. Mesopotamia, who also constructed
temples, city walls, and canals. The fact that
Cuneiform
these people have struggled over water
- the oldest form of writing used by the rights since the beginning of history is
Sumerian people of Mesopotamia people. equally interesting. The Tigris and
Euphrates carried several times more
- it is the most significant cultural
sediment per unit volume of water than the
development according to Historians.
Nile, making irrigation extremely important
The Wheel in Mesopotamia, the Greek term for "the
country between the rivers," where
- Allowed Sumerians to make pottery faster. flooding issues were more severe than in
Sumerian lunar calendar Egypt. As a result, rivers in Mesopotamia
rose higher and changed channels more
By the year 2100 B.C. A solar year with 360 frequently.
days was invented by the Sumerians.
Twelve lunar cycles (354 days) were Mesopotamian operational science
rounded up to 360 days to create 12 The Sumerian civilization of southern
months with 30 days each. The Sumerian Mesopotamia flourished between the Early
calendar system stood apart from other Dynastic Period (2900-1750 BCE) and the
lunar calendars of the time because of how Uruk Period (4100-2900 BCE). The
they counted time. Sumerians studied the application of
The Sumerian abacus scientific hypotheses, engaged in technical
innovation, produced the written word,
Between 2700 and 2300 BC, it first established mathematics, astronomy, and
appeared. It contained a table with columns astrology, and even crafted the idea of time
that were arranged in increasing orders of itself, laying the groundwork for later
magnitude according to their sexagesimal Mesopotamian advancements in science
(base 60) number system. and technology. Sumerian inventions
included some of the most significant ones.
Ancient Mesopotamian system of
measurement
The Sumerians used units of length, area, Empires in Mesopotamia
and volume that were conventional. The
unit of weight used to be the mina. It was Before proceeding with the discussion on
divided into 60 shekels, or around one the history of Mesopotamia.
pound, roughly. One talent was made up of
sixty minas.
CITY-STATES OF THE SUMER ---------> Sargon was succeeded by weaker leaders.
EMPIRES OF MESOPOTAMIA This led to the decline and eventual collapse
of the Akkadian Empire.

KISH, UR LARAK, NIPPUR, LAGASH

AKKAD, BABYLONIA, ASSYRIAN, Ma
CHALDES p of
the
Akkadian Empire

Akkadian Empire

King Sargon headed the very first empire in

the history of the world, the Akkadian
Empire. Under his rule around 2300 B.C.E.,
Sargon succeeded in uniting the city-states
of Sumer.
Sargon expanded the territory of the
Akkadian Empire from the shores of the
Mediterranean Sea to the southern portion Babylonian Empire
of the Persian Gulf.
Starting around 1800 B.C.E, a new city-state
Aside from land expansion, Sargon also developed and became powerful in
spent time making and repairing dikes and Mesopotamia. This was Babylon. Babylon
water systems in Mesopotamia. He also conquered Sumer and Akkad, leading to the
ordered his warriors to guard the major establishment of the Babylonian Empire.
trade routes in the empire. Sargon ruled for
more than 50 years. Babylonians had many leaders. The most
famous one was Hammurabi, who ruled the
The Akkadian Empire claimed many aspects empire from 1792 to 1750 B.C.E
of the Sumerian culture, the most
important of which was the cuneiform Some architectural structures at
writing system. Babylon 
Ishtar gate of Babylon  3. To protect Babylon, I had strong walls
built.
•It was built by King Nebuchadnezzar II. It
was built around 605-562 B.C.E The Ishtar 4. I improved the roads and traditional,
Gate, named after a Mesopotamian routes, enticing traders from India and
goddess of love and war, was one of eight China to flock to Babylon.
gateways that provided entry to the inner
5. My conquering warriors were skilled, and
city of Babylon during the reign of
very much feared.
Nebuchadnezzar II. It was decorated with
glazed blue bricks that depicted alternating 6. I strengthened the government of the
rows of bulls and dragons. Babylonian empire.
MAP OF BABYLONIAN EMPIRE
Babel tower of Babylon 
•The story of the Tower of Babel explains
the origins of the multiplicity of languages.
Hanging garden of Babylon
•the Hanging Gardens were built alongside
a grand palace known as The Marvel of
Mankind, by the Neo-Babylonian King
Nebuchadnezzar II for his Median wife,
Queen Amytis, because she missed the
green hills and valleys of her homeland The Code of Hammurabi
Out of all of Hammurabi’s works and
contributions, the systematic
Hammurabi’s Achievements.
implementation of laws was considered to
be his legacy. His code of laws was called
the Code of Hammurabi. Some of the laws
were based on the principle of an eye for an
eye, and a tooth for a tooth. This meant
that whatever wrong one had done
warranted the same punishment, for
1. During my time, Babylonia became a
example, if one physically hurt another
powerful empire.
person he would be punished by being
2. I Ordered the construction of a huge physically hurt as well.
ziggurat for Marduk, the primary god of
Hammurabi’s reign was considered the
Babylon.
"Golden age of Babylon" upon his death,
Babylon became weak and Mesopotamia
was once again divided into different small
states

Assyrian Empire
The Assyrian Empire came to power
between 900 and 700 B.C.E. The Assyrians
originally came from the river valley of
Tigris in Mesopotamia. Like the Sumerians,
Akkadians, and Babylonians, the Assyrians
also used cuneiform as their system of
writing.
The Assyrian warriors were feared in the
western part of Asia. This was because of
their violent and cruel ways. Assyrians
launched systematic invasions using horse-
drawn, helmets, spears, and swords made MAP OF ASSYRIAN
of steel. They burned down every place
they conquered. The enemies they
captured were mercilessly killed, beheaded,
and burned alive. Those who were not
FAMOUS LEADERS OF
killed became slaves. Others were cast THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE
away to distant lands.
•Adad-nirari II- ruled around from 911 to
Out of their fear of Assyria, leaders of 891 B.C.E. During his reign, the Assyrian
nearby communities had no choice but to empire became powerful
accept Assyrian dominance instead of
risking their people's lives and property. As . • Sennacherib- ruled from around 704-681
a result, the Assyrians were able to B.C.E. He ruthlessly occupied 89 cities and
establish a strong empire. They lorded over 820 communities. He had Babylon burned
Mesopotamia and the entire Fertile and had its residents killed. He established
Crescent. Assyrians also occupied Egypt in Nineveh as Assyria’s Capital City.
Africa. •Tiglath Pileser III- ruled from around 744
to 727 B.C.E. He placed Syria and Armenia
With the establishment of Nineveh, the
under Assyrian rule, and united Babylon
capital of the Assyrian Empire, Assyrians
and Assyria. He also assigned Assyrian
became even more powerful in West Asia.
leaders to manage their expanding
The prestige of the Assyrian Empire territories
continued until the reign of Ashurbanipal. . •Ashurbanipal- ruled around from 668 to
627 B.C.E. Had a collection of more the
25,000-day tablets and had an ancient as the Second Babylonian Empire or the
library built. Neo-Babylonian Empire of Mesopotamia.
The greatest king of Chaldea was
The empire maintained prominence Nebuchadnezzar. Under his rule, Chaldea's
when Ashurbanipal become the King of territory expanded to the western end of
Assyria. Syria and Canaan (now part of present-day
Israel and Lebanon). In 586 B.C.E., he
Ashurbanipal is considered one of the invaded Jerusalem and drove thousands of
greatest leaders in ancient history. Aside Jews from their land to Babylon, and turned
from his effective governance, he was them into slaves. This became known as the
known for building a huge room or library Babylonian Captivity.
to house almost 25,000 clay tablets. These
tablets contained information on leaders, Under Nebuchadnezzar's leadership,
important events, and other accounts Babylon became a trading center. The city
describing life in Mesopotamia. was protected by walls that were 300 feet
high and 80feet thick. The most lavishly
In 1852, A Turkish archaeologist decorated wall was called the Ishtar Gate.
discovered the ruins of the clay library with This blue wall was adorned with figurines of
the clay tablets preserved. Because of this, bulls and dragons.
Ashurbanipal became known for building
the world's first library. Nebuchadnezzar ruled for 43 years. In
539 B.C.E., the Persians, led by King Cyrus
The end of Ashurbanipal's reign caused the Great, invaded the city of Babylon. This
by the decline of the empire's uprisings in ended the historic civilization of
their occupied territories and the Mesopotamia.
imposition of high use hastened the
downfall of Assyria in 612B.C.E. Nineveh
was occupied with the combined military
campaigns of the Chaldeans from Babylon
and the modes of Persia; the Assyrian Map of the
empire was successfully defeated this
marked the demise of the empire. Chaldean Empire
Chaldean Empire
After conquering Assyria, Nabopolassar
of Chaldea rose to fame. Babylon, which
once again became the capital of the
empire, was revitalized. Nabopolassar
wanted his empire to be as powerful as the
Babylonian Empire. Because of this, the
Chaldean Empire became known in history
 Three of the seven amazing structures in
the list were found in Asia. These were the
Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Iraq, the
WONDERS OF ANCIENT Temple of Artemis and Ephesus, and, the
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, which could
ASIA both be found in Turkey.

Hanging garden of
The temple of Artemis at
Babylon
Ephesus
During ancient times, some people wrote
about exceptional buildings and The Hanging Gardens were estimated to
monuments that caught their attention. The be 75 feet high. Its sides had plants and
most famous of these people is Antipater a trees and a water pump that supplies water
from the Euphrates River. It was assumed
that the building was devastated by a
strong earthquake in 200 B.C.E.
Replica of the temple of Artemis at
Ephesus the Temple of Artemis on the other
hand, is a place of worship for Artemis, the
goddess of fertility. It was located in
Ephesus, an ancient city in Asia Minor. Its
original structure, which was built in the
writer from Sidon in Lebanon-and Philon-a
sixth century B.C.E., was destroyed in 262
mathematician from Byzantium in Turkey-
C.E. during the Goth invasion (a group of
who listed the Seven Wonders of the
foreign invaders who attacked the (Roman
Ancient World.
Empire). The temple was rebuilt around 323 West Asia is also the birthplace of several
C.E but was destroyed in 401 C.E. civilizations that made great contributions
to the world. These are the Hittite, Lydian,
Phoenician, Aramean, and Hebrew
civilizations. On the eastern side of Fertile
Cresent, a powerful empire was born: the
Persian Empire.

HITTITE
To the north of Syria, between the Black
Sea and the Mediterranean Sea was the
mountainous peninsula of Asia Minor. This
is now part of present-day Turkey. In 1700
B.C.E., a group of people called the Hittites
settled in Asia Minor. They were the first to
The Mausoleum at build a notable civilization in Asia Minor.
Hattusas (or Hattusa) became the capital of
Halicarnassus the Hittite Empire.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was the For almost 450 years, the Hittites were a
final resting place of King Mausolus, leader strong empire in West Asia. There were
of a kingdom in Asia Minor. For 24 years, he periods when they occupied Babylon, and
and his wife, Artemisia, ruled over the competed with Egypt for control over
capital of Halicarnassus and nearby places northern Syria. However, the Hittites and
in Asia Minor. When Mausolus died, the Egyptians eventually agreed to end their
conflict. This agreement was the very first
Artemisia had a stately tomb made in honor
peace treaty in the history of the world.
of his greatness.
The Hittites were good warriors because
Mausolus's tomb became so famous that
of two things: the use of chariots and iron
his name came to be associated with stately
and steel weapons.
tombs (mausoleum). Because of its unique
design and engravings, the Mausoleum at
Halicarnassus was named one of the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World.
In the 13th century, earthquakes
destroyed the Mausoleum. It was
completely reduced to ruins during

OTHER CIVILIZATIONS IN
WEST ASIA
 The Hittites moved fast during battles because their Lydians were the very first people in the
chariots were light and easy to drive. Usually, these world to use coins as early as 600 B.C.E. The
were horse-drawn chariots.
coins were made from a mixture of gold,
It is believed that the Hittites were the very first and silver, and bore the crest of the king of
people from West Asia to have melted steel to make Lydia. During this period, a man named
weapons.
Croesus became famous. Croesus was
Despite their advanced warfare technology, considered to be the richest monarch of his
the Hittite empire gradually weakened. time.
Around 1190 B.C.E foreign invaders from
Before Lydians invented coins, the system
the northern part of Asia Minor attacked
of trade involved barter, or the exchange of
the empire and burned down Hattusa's.
goods and services. Problems arose when
This marked the end of the Hittite
the products or services were not what
civilization.
both parties needed.
Other Contribution: The introduction of coins by the Lydians
Chariot facilitated a more efficient trading system in
the area. The independent kingdom of Lydia
 A team of rampaging horses spirit survived until 544 B.C.E. It weakened and
heavily - armed warriors on a eventually fell during the Persian invasion.
battlefield many times faster than a
man could run.
Ancient Iron smelting

 Hittites invented the cementation

process to the iron stronger.
 The Iron was hammered and
heated with the contact of
charcoal.
*WEAPONRY HITTITE’S ERA
* ARMORY OF HITTITES

Phoenician
LYDIAN
At around the time when the Hittite
The kingdom of Lydia could be found at Empire became powerful, the Phoenicians
the western end of the Fertile Crescent and settled along the shores between the
to the east of the Mediterranean Sea. Its Mediterranean Sea and Syria. They called
capital was Sardis, and one of the primary their land Phoenicia. This is now part of
means of livelihood of Lydians was trading. present-day Lebanon and Syria.
PHOENICIAN LIFE The Hebrews lived in the south of
Phoenicia. They gained prominence in
•City-States - Phoenicia was made up of history, not for political or military aspects,
city-states, such as Tyre, Byblos, and Sidon. but because of religion.
The people in this independent city-state
spoke the same language and had one
religion to avoid conflicts they signed a
peace treaty with nearby communities.
•Livelihood -The Phoenicians’ land was not
suitable for agriculture. Because of this,
they focused on sea trade. They traded
products with other places in the
Mediterranean region. Their most
important product was an expensive lilac-
colored dye from a type of snail called
murex fabrics. Cloths colored with this dye
were sewn into garments and worn by the
monarchs of Europe. Phoenicians were also
The Hebrew Kingdom
able to establish colonies in Spain. In
Northern Africa, and Italy along the shores In the history of the world, the Hebrews
of Sicily and Sardinia. Carthage was the are credited with being the pioneers of
most important colony of the Phoenicians. monotheism. They established Judaism, a
religion that worships a single god —
•The Alphabet -One of the greatest
Yahweh. From this, two of the most
contributions of the Phoenicians was the
influential religions in our present time
alphabet or symbols that were formed from
were born: Christianity and Islam.
sounds. The Phoenicians alphabet was
made up of 22 consonants. Some elements The beginning of the Hebrews can be
of the Greek alphabet were derived from traced in the narratives from the Old
this alphabet. The Phoenician aleph and Testament. Figure 8.5 shows the important
beth are the equivalent of the Greek alpha events from when GOD appointed
and beta. Abraham, up to the Hebrews from Canaan
- Even before 700 B.C.E., Phoenicia to Babylon.
was already slowly getting weaker. IN MESOPOTAMIA - The history of the
The civilization collapsed with the
Hebrews started with Abraham at around
constant Assyrian attacks in the
1900 B.C.E. According to the Bible, Yahweh
Fertile Crescent.
ordered Abraham and his family to leave
HEBREW their home for a land called Canaan. After
several generations, there came a severe
drought, and the Hebrews were forced to Despite this, the Arameans were excellent
move to Egypt. traders. Their products became well-known
throughout the region. Aside from this,
IN EGYPT -The Hebrews were enslaved by
other people adapted their language,
the Egyptians and suffered a great deal. It
Aramaic. This language was used in a large
was during this time that Moses led the
part of West Asia until around 800 C.E.
Hebrews to Yahweh’s promised land. The
Aramaic was also used by some of the
Hebrews’ migration from Egypt was called
authors of the Bible.
the Exodus.

IN THE SINAI DESERT -It is believed that the PERSIAN

Hebrews traveled for 40 years in the desert.
In Mount Sinai, Yahweh gave the Ten The Persians came from one of the many
Commandments. ethnolinguistic groups living in the plains of
Central Asia. Climate change, the depletion
IN CANAAN -The Hebrews were divided of pasture lands, and conflicts with other
into 12 tribes. Eventually, they united and groups force them to eventually leave their
appointed kings to rule over them. They land. The Persians traveled until they
were Saur, David, and Solomon. -After reached the eastern part of Mesopotamia,
Solomon’s death, the Hebrews in the present-day Iran.
northern part of Canaan mounted an
uprising. They established their kingdom During this time, the Achaemenid clan
and called it, Israel. Meanwhile, Judah rose to power. They succeeded or uniting
became the kingdom in the southern area. the whole of Persia. Cyprus a member of
the Achaemenid clan, became king in 559
*In 722 B.C.E., Israel was at the hands of B.C.E. This marked Persia’s rose to power in
the Assyrians. The Chaldeans occupied West Asia.
Judah in 586 B.C.E. When the Hebrews
revolted, the Chaldeans destroyed Cyprus was able to expand the territory
Jerusalem and its temples. The Hebrews of Persia leading to the establishment of
were captured and brought to Babylon. the Persian Empire. In 539 B.C.E., he
conquered Mesopotamia and occupied
Babylon.
ARAMEAN Unlike the ruthless Assyrians, Cyprus
The Arameans lived in central Syria around allowed the natives of Babylonia to oversee
1200 B.C.E. They established their capital in their land. He also gave the Hebrews, then
Damascus. Unlike the older groups of known as Jews, the freedom to return to
people in West Asia, the power of the Jerusalem. Cyprus also showed appreciation
Aramean leaders was not absolute. Because for the cultures of other empires. Proof of
of this, their group was easily conquered. this is the architectural influences of the
Assyrians, Babylonians, and Egyptians in
their palaces and other buildings in Persia.
Darius the Great’s Contribution to
His excellent governance and Persia’s
the Persian Empire
ascension as a powerful empire in Asia
prompted people to call him Cyprus the VAST TERRITORY- Persia’s Territory
Great. spanned from the river valleys of India to its
East, to Egypt and Asia Minor in the West of
Cambyses, son of Cyprus, succeeded to the Empire.
the throne and ruled over the Persian
Empire for eight years. During his reign, SILVER AND GOLD COINS- These hasten
Persia’s territory expanded considerably the trading of goods in the empire, making
with the inclusion of Egypt. it more efficient and systematic. They also
employed measuring and weighting
After systems for trade goods.
Cambyses,
PROVINCIAL SYSTEM- He divided Persia
Darius the
into 20 satrapies (provinces) and ruled by
Great became satraps (governments) to facilitate the
the king of empire. The satraps collected taxes, took
Persia. care of the satrapies, and recruited
Darius was warriors.
from a royal
ROYAL ROAD- He ordered the construction
family of
of a road from Lydia and Asia Minor to Susa,
warriors serving the king. He seized the
the main city of Persia. He also had road
drone and ruled from 521 to 486B.C.E.
stations and horses that were used by the
king’s messengers put in place.
Cyrus the Great After the reign of Darius, the Persian

GUIDE QUESTION
HOW DID THE
PERSIAN EMPIRE Empire weakened. Some of the reasons for
this were the extravagance of the
BECOME POWERFUL?
succeeding Persian Kingdom’s higher taxes
and the power struggle in the empire. In
331 B.C.E and Persian Empire collapsed
when Darius III was defeated by the King of
Macedonia —— Alexander the Greek.

MAP SHOWING THE VAST

TERRITORY OF THE PERSIAN EMPIRE
DURING THE REIGN OF DARIUS THE
GREAT.