Key Terms
Mesopotamia
Stone, timber, metal ores had to be imported. Tribute: a tax-like payment from vassal or subjugated kingdoms; a major me
Zagros Mountains
Eastern boundary of Mesopotamia; home of Elamites and Kassites. Persian Gulf: southern boundary of Babylonian Empire at
Babylon
Previously minor city-state; name likely pronounced Babil; Akkadian speakers called it Bab-ili, meaning "gateway of the
BCE
Amorite chieftain Sumu-adum seized Babylon. Successors built canals and public works; controlled only a small territory
After Hammurabi
Son Samsu-iluna faced resistance from the Kassites (Zagros Mountains) and the new Sealand kingdom (southern marshes). Te
Mursilis
Expanded into Syria and sacked Babylon. Was assassinated on return; empire weakened, fragmented.
REVIVAL
Tudhaliyas I rose to power 1420 BCE; new imperial growth began. By reign of Suppiluliumas I (mid-14th century BCE): most
Religion
Incorporated Mesopotamian elements (divination via animal organs, female soothsayers, bird observation). Key gods: sun g
Iron Age
Iron replaced bronze as the primary material for tools and weapons.
Vassal state
Nominally independent but submits to imperial demands; provides tribute. Wardum: the enslaved in Hammurabi's Code.
Four hierarchical classes
1. Nobility: controlled large estates; received thorough education; held elite positions (military officers, governors,
King
Above all classes; considered viceroy of the gods, especially the chief deity Asshur. Expected to act on divine omens in
Commoner homes
Typically windowless; mud or baked brick with plaster; interior stairs to roof (used for drying vegetables and religious
Gods
Took human forms; expressed human emotions. Pantheon included Sumerian gods plus those introduced by Akkadians and Amori
Hammurabi
Storm god Marduk elevated to top of pantheon; patron of Babylonia. Other major deities: Ea/Enki (fresh waters); Sin/Nann