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• Epic of Gilgamesh – king of Uruk, Endiku• Ziggurats• Goddess Ishtar• Abraham from Ur

Map of Sumeria

Cuneiform

Ziggurat

Akkadians

• 2340-2230 BC, centered at Akkad• Sargon the Great overthrows Sumerian cities

Babylonians

• 1800 BC – 1650 BC• Hammurabi• The Code• The Stele• Ishtar Gate

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 – monnotheistic• 518 BC – Darius the Great took power, built

Persepolis• Greeks revolted, Persians lost Battle of

Marathon in 493 BC

Map of Persian Empire