CH 3 Sec 4 The First Empires

​The Conquest of Sumer

​what is conquest?

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*Conquest occurs when one people defeat and controls another.

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2450 B.C the Sumerian city states of Umma and Lagash went to war. Lagash took the Win, and began to loot and burn Umma.

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Did this mean that Lagash and Umma battle resulted in a conquest for Lagash? NO, it did not. B/c they did not have king stay to control the land, with military power. Instead they would return to their city states.

​Sargon the Great (2350 B.C)

​A leader that came from a region north of Sumer, known as Akkad.

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Sargon conquered the city states.

​He then united them under his rule to create the first empire of Mesopotamia.

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*empire: an empire is a group of countries or peoples who are ruled by one government. ​

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*chariots: wheeled war vehicles. ​

​The Akkadian Empire:

​Sumerians viewed the Akkadians as barbaric,

or barbarians : people without civilization.

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The Akkadians 'borrowed' features of Sumerian civilization.

• farming techniques

• cuneiform writing

• religion

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​pg 84 map

​Ur Nammu Unites Sumer

​2100 B..C Sumer was united again by a ruled named Ur-Nammu

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Barbarians attacked and destroyed Ur. ​

​The Empire of Hammurabi

​After the destruction of Ur, many groups invaded Sumer.

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• Amorites (from the deserts of Arabia)

  took control of Sumerian cities including Babylon. ​

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• Hammurabi became king of Babylon around 1792 B. C ​

​The Babylon Empire

​for 30 years Hammurabi built up his army.

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then launched attacks against his rivals.

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thus uniting Sumer and northern Mesopotamia into a new Babylon.

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Hammurabi spread his troops around across his empire, and noted which went where. ​(what were the advantages of this?)

• they could get food from local areas.

• and he could call on them easily when needed. ​

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​Hummurabi's Law Code:

​carved his laws in stone for people to see and adhere too.

• defined crimes and punishments

• trade

• marria​ge

• adoption

• daily wages

• rights of landowners.

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He created a strong government by sending his own governors, tax collectors, and judges to distant cities. ​

Open Ended

Why was Hammurabi's Code important?

​The lasting influence of Sumer:

​after Hammurabis death his kingdom also collapsed like Sargons.

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People who came in contact with the Sumer's took ideas and customs back to their homelands.

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Sumerian advances in farming, technology, writing, learning, and the law lived on. ​

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