The document summarizes the major empires and civilizations of the Ancient Near East from 2300 BC to 300 BC. It discusses the Akkadian Empire founded by Sargon, the Babylonian Empire of Hammurabi who created one of the earliest legal codes, the Hyksos who invaded Egypt, Akhenaten's attempt to establish a monotheistic religion in Egypt, the Kingdom of Kush in Nubia, and the later Assyrian and Persian Empires that grew to include many territories across the Near East and Egypt. The document also provides information about the geography, civilizations and city-states of Ancient Greece from 1600 BC to 133 BC, including the influences of geography on political divisions, conflicts between

1. The Ancient Near East’s
Earliest Empires
c. 2300 B.C. - c. 300 B.C.
How were empires of the ancient Near East governed?
How do empires rise, how are they maintained, and what causes them to fall?

2. MAP OF THE PERSIAN EMPIRE

3. Akkadian Empire
• Sargon was the leader of the
Akkadians.
• first empire in world history (empire = a
large political unit or state, usually
under a single leader, that controls
many peoples or territories)
• Sargon’s empire included all of
Mesopotamia and lands westward to
the Mediterranean.
• Sargon’s empire is known as having
“no rival or equal”.
• Sargon used the former rulers of
conquered city-states as governors.
• One of Sargon’s successors, Naram-
Sin, declared himself a god.

4. Babylonian Empire
• Hammurabi gained control of Sumer and
Akkad, creating a new Mesopotamian
kingdom with Babylon as the capital.
• Hammurabi called himself “the sun of
Babylon, … the king who caused the four
quarters of the world to render obedience.”
• Hammurabi created The Code of Hammurabi
which was the first set of written laws. The
laws were based on a system of strict justice
and contained harsh punishments for
breaking the laws. A civilian’s social
structure had an impact on the severity of
the punishment. For example, a crime
against a noble by a commoner was
punished more severely than the same
offense against a member of the lower class.
• Patriarchal society (men dominated) ex. a
woman who’s husband died was expected to
burn with her husband

5. The Hyksos
• The Hyksos used horse-drawn
war chariots to overwhelm the
Egyptian soldiers, who fought
from donkey carts.
• The Hyksos taught the
Egyptians how to use bronze in
the making of their farming
tools and their weapons and
introduced them to horse-
drawn war chariots.
• The pharaoh Ahmose I defeated
and expelled the Hyksos from
Egypt. He reunited Egypt and
established the New Kingdom.

6. Akhenaten’s Attempt at
Religious Changes
• The pharaoh Amenhotep IV
introduced the worship of Aten,
god of the sun disk, as the sole
god.
• Amenhotep changed his name to
Akhenaten, “Servant of Aten,” and
closed the temples of other gods.
• The people didn’t accept this
monotheistic belief and were
already accustomed to being a
polytheistic civilization.
• After Akhenaten’s death
Tutankhamen restored the old
gods.

7. The Kingdom of Kush
• The collapse of the New Kingdom
enabled Nubia to free itself and
become the independent state of
Kush.
• Kush conquered Egypt in 750 B.C.
• The Assyrians drove the Kushites
out of Egypt and back to their
original lands in the upper Nile
Valley.
• Kush grew to be very involved in
trading. The Kushites, having
learned iron smelting from the
Assyrians, made iron weapons and
tools that were sent abroad. The
major exports of Kush were ivory,
gold, body, and slaves.

8. The Assyrian and Persian Empires
more involved in fighting and
war
more peaceful
included Mesopotamia, Egypt,
Asian Minor, and present day
Turkey
located in present day SW Iran
and western India
mixture of different cultures
invaded Egypt
first well organized government
primarily nomadic
polytheistic monotheistic
semitic language
created first library
Royal Road
efficient
communication
systems
monarchy
(absolute power)
strong military
use of iron
weapons

9. οι αρχαίοι Έλληνες
c. 1600 B.C. - c. 133 B.C.
How can geography influence political organization?
How can cultural and political differences lead to conflict and change?
(The Ancient Greeks)

11. Greece’s Geography
• About 80% of Greece is
mountainous.
• Greece consists of numerous
islands.
• Because of the geography,
civilizations located in
different parts of Greece were
isolated from each other,
which resulted in different
cultures.

12. Mycenaean Civilization
• part of the Indo-European
family of peoples who spread
into Europe and Asia
• made of powerful monarchies
• the royal family lived inside the
walls of the civilization, while
the civilian population lived
outside the walls (shows
superiority of royal family
compared to the rest of
society / social structure)
• prided themselves on their
heroic deeds in battle
The Lion Gate (main entrance)

13. Iliad vs. the Odyssesy
epic poems
based on
stories that had
been passed
down from
generation to
generation
Homer used stories
of the Trojan War to
compose these
the tale of the Greek hero
Achilles and how his anger
led to disaster
contains the story
of the Greek hero
Odysseus, after the fall
of Troy, and his ultimate
return to his wife
considered masterpieces
taught the values of
courage and honor
written by Homer

14. Greek Expansion
• Between 750 B.C. and 550
B.C. an abundant amount of
Greeks left their homeland to
settle in distant lands.
• Each new Greek colony
became a new Greek polis
(the early Greek city state,
consisting of a city or town
and its surrounding
countryside), independent of
the polis that had founded it.

15. GREECE
exports imports
• pottery
• wine
• olive oil
• (fish)
• grains
• metals
• slaves
• fish
• wheat
• timber

16. Athens Sparta
• started new colonies
• idea of advancing
politically and
economically
• strong government
• oligarchy (one or two
rulers / democracy)
• arts
• council of 500
• better navy
• “rule of many”
• planned to remain
behind city’s walls for
defense
• conquered other towns
• idea of isolation
• military / war is most
important
• oligarchy
• valued stability
• feared the growing
Athenian empire
• council of 38 and 2 kings
• stronger army
• “rule of few”
• “highly self-disciplined”
• surrounded Athens’ walls
for offense
(calm)
(artsy)

17. SOCIAL GROUP ROLES AND RIGHTS
adult male citizens
adult male foreigners
slaves
women citizens
men that were 18+ could vote and they
were involved in all decision making,
assembled, required to serve in the
military
received protection of the laws, served in
military
no voting, practically no rights, job = work
for rich / successful, public construction
no voting, responsible for having children
(especially boys because they had to
serve in the military when they turned 18),
expected to remain at home, had to have
a guardian if they left the house, couldn’t
own property, women weren’t allowed to
get an education, no formal job

18. Greek = Polytheistic
• Zeus = god of all gods
• Olympus = where he lived
• Athena = wisdom
• Apollo = sun
• Artemis = moon and beauty
• Ares = war
• Aphrodite = love
• Poseidon = water and earthquakes
• Hades = underworld (not on quiz)
• Nike = goddess of victory

19. Socrates Plato Aristotle
Views on the
Purpose of
Philosophy
to improve oneself
fascinated with reality /
train the mind
investigate
Views on human
nature and nature
of the world
believed that all real
knowledge is already
present within each person
a higher world of
unchanging forms has
already existed
things were only physical
and they did not exist in a
higher world / didn’t accept
Plato’s theory of ideal
forms
Views on
Government
questioned authority / soon
got him in trouble
The Republic (upper class,
middle class, lower class) /
people have different
motivations
government that would
rationally direct human
affairs

20. Discussion Notes
• How did marathon get its name? A man named
Pheidippides ran 26.2 miles from Marathon to Athens
to share the news that they beat the Persians.
• Democracy = theory = “rule by people”
• Direct Democracy = action of voting

21. Greek Culture
• their religion
focused on the will
of gods and
goddesses
• Greek architecture
focused on a
standard of ideal
beauty
• the study of
history began with
the Greeks
ancient Greece amphitheater

22. Alexander and the Hellenistic
Era
• the Macedonians and Greeks
attacked the Persians and
established a large empire
• Alexander the Great is
remembered for leaving a
political, economical, and
cultural legacy.
• Alexander the Great’s empire
was succeeded by Hellenistic
kingdoms.
• Hellenistic cities were known
for being centers of culture.

24. Essential Questions
• What was discovered to be the center of the universe?
• Is the earth round or flat? Was this theory accepted?
Why or why not?
• What advancements were made in math?
• Did the Hellenistic Era see religion worship?
• What was Alexander “Great”?

25. Picture Sources
• https://www.pinterest.com/pin/14566398770228214/
• http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/hammurabi
• http://www.mummies2pyramids.info/history-civilization/hyksos.htm
• https://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/f0obp/til_akhenaten_a_pharaoh_who_eradicated_from/
• http://microcosomofenlightenment.weebly.com/ancient-nubian-kingdom-kush.html
• https://greeceprojectjadick.wikispaces.com/Physical+Geography
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycenaean_Greece
• https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/how-has-greek-influenced-english-language
• http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/ancient-greece/pictures/greek-architecture/ruins-of-the-theater-of-
ephesus
• http://www.historyofmacedonia.org/AncientMacedonia/AlexandertheGreat.html
• https://www.pinterest.com/mfmennis/maps-of-ancient-empires/
• http://www.slideshare.net/srinaldipds/maps-ancient-and-medieval-history