Lesson 8 – Ancient West Asia

1. King Sargon headed the very first empire in the history of the world, the Akkadian
Empire.
2. The most important aspect of the Sumerian culture that the Akkadian Empire claimed
was the cuneiform writing system.
3. The Code of Hammurabi, a systematic implementation of laws by Hammurabi, is a
round column in Iran where 200 Babylonians laws were written in cuneiform.
4. Babylon conquered Sumer and Akkad, leading to the establishment of the Babylonian
Empire.
5. The most famous leader of Babylonia was Hammurabi.
6. Marduk was the primary god of Babylon.
7. Hammurabi’s reign was considered the “Golden Age of Babylon”.
8. The Assyrian warriors of the Assyrian Empire were feared in the western part of Asia
because of their violent and cruel ways.
9. The Assyrians became more powerful in West Asia with the establishment of Nineveh,
the capital of the Assyrian Empire.
10. Ashurbanipal is considered as one of the greatest leaders in ancient history and is
known for building the world’s first library.
11. With the combined military campaigns of the Chaldeans from Babylon and the
Medes of Persia, the Assyrian Empire was successfully defeated.
12. Chaldean Empire became known in history as the Second Babylonian Empire, or the
Neo-Babylonian Empire of Mespotamia.
13. The greatest king of Chaldea was Nebuchadnezzar.
14. Babylonian Captivity is known as the event wherein Nebuchadnezzar invaded
Jerusalem and drove thousands of Jews from their land to Babylon, and turned them
into slaves.
15. The most lavishly decorated wall in Babylon was called the Ishtar Gate.
16. A group of people called Hittites settled in Asia Minor, and became the first to build a
notable civilization in Asia Minor.
17. Hattusas became the capital of the Hittite Empire.
18. The agreement between the Hittites and the Egyptians was the very first peace
treaty in the history of the world.
 Lesson 8 – Ancient West Asia

19. The Hittites were very good warriors because of their use of chariots and iron and
steel weapons.
20. The capital of the kingdom of Lydia was Sardis.
21. Lydians were the very first people in the world to use coins as early as 600 B.C.E.
22. Croesus was considered to be the richest monarch of his time.
23. The word “Phoenician” comes from the Latin word phoenice, and the Greek word
phoinikes, which means “land of purple”.
24. The Phoenicians called their land Phoenicia.
25. The most important product of the Phoenicians was an expensive lilac-colored dye
from a type of snail called murex fabrics.
26. Carthage was the most important colony of the Phoenicians.
27. The Hebrews gained prominence in history because of religion.
28. The Hebrews were credited with being the pioneers of monotheism.
29. Judaism is a religion which worships a single god called Yahweh.
30. From Judaism, two of the most influential religions in our present time were born:
Christianity and Islam.
31. The Arameans established their capital in Damascus.
32. Other people adopted the language of Arameans called the Aramaic.
33. The Archaemenid succeeded in uniting the whole of Persia.
34. Cyrus, a member of the Archaemenid clan who became king, expanded the territory of
Persia leading to the establishment of the Persian Empire.
35. Cyrus was called Cyrus the Great for his excellent governance and Persia’s ascension
as a powerful empire in Asia.
36. The Persian Empire collapsed when Darius III was defeated by the king of Macedonia,
named Alexander the Great.