Mesopotamia 2.3: The Chaldean Empire

Mesopotamia 2.3: The Chaldean Empire

Guiding Question: Why was Babylon an important city in the ancient world?

Onto the next empire....

​For 300 years, Assyria ruled the area from the Persian Gulf to Egypt. Because they were harsh rulers, people often rebelled. In about 650 BCE, fighting broke out over who would be the next Assyrian ruler. With the Assyrians in turmoil, a group of people called the Chaldeans took power.

​The Chaldean Empire

• ​about 1000 BCE, the Chaldean people moved into southern Mesopotamia

• ​the Assyrians quickly conquered the Chaldeans small kingdom

• ​The Chaldeans hated their harsh new rulers and were never completely under Assyrian rule

• ​Years later, when the Assyrians were fighting each other, the Chaldean king Nabopolassar decided to reclaim his kingdom

Open Ended

What happened that allowed the Chaldeans to overcome their Assyrian rulers?

​The Chaldean Empire

• ​In 627 BC, Nabopolassar led a revolt against the Assyrians and forced them out of Uruk, and was crowned king of Babylon

• ​Another group of people in the area, the Medes, joined the Chaldeans and helped defeat the Assyrian army

• ​In 612 BCE, they captured the Assyrian capital Nineveh and burned it down.

Open Ended

Why do you think the Chaldeans burned Nineveh to the ground?

Multiple Choice

How many wonders were there in the ancient world?

• seven

• eight

• sevn

• six

​The Chaldean Empire

• ​Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadnezzar created a new empire

• ​Most of the Chaldeans were descendants of the Babylonians who made up Hammurabi's empire about 1,200 years earlier

• ​the city of Babylon served as the empire's capital which is why the Chaldean empire is sometimes called the New Babylonian Empire

​The Greatness of Babylon

• ​King Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon

• ​Huge brick walls surrounded the city

• ​soldiers kept watching in towers that were built into the walls

• ​grand palaces and temples were located in the center of Babylon

• ​a huge ziggurat stood 300 feet tall and had a golden roof that could be seen miles away

​The Greatness of Babylon: Hanging Gardens

• ​Babylon's hanging gardens were considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

• ​was located on a giant staircase of the king's palace

• ​these terraced gardens were built like huge steps and included large trees, flowering vines, and beautiful plants

• ​a complex irrigation system brought water from the Euphrates River to water the gardens from the top down flowing from one level to the next

• ​it is believed Nebuchadnezzar built the gardens for his wife who missed her homeland in the northwest

Open Ended

Why do you think ancient cities had at least one magnificent building?

Now we will explore more about ​The Hanging Gardens of Babylon!

​You need:

​earbuds/headphones

​pencil

​Chromebook