ÿþ<html> <head> <title> WHKMLA : Historical Dictionaries : Early Empires </title> <!-- copyright Alexander Ganse, 2004-2006 --> </head> <body bgcolor="lightblue" text="black" link="blue" vlink="red" alink="brown"> <style> <!-- A{ font-weight: bold; font-size: 10pt; font-face: arial; } --> </style> <DIV align ="center"> <TABLE border = "0" cellspace="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <TR> <TD align = "center" valign = "center"> <A HREF = "../../index.html"> <img src = "../../whkmla2.jpg" border = "0"></a></TD></TR></TABLE> <TABLE border = "0" cellspace="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <TR> <TD width = "150" height = "36" align = "center" valign = "center"> <font size = "2" face = "arial"><B> Timeline </b></font></TD> <TD width = "36" height = "36" align = "center" valign = "center"> <A HREF = "../../timelines/wh/tlearlyemp.html"> <img src = "../../region/arrowleft.gif" width = "36" height = "36" border = "0"> </a></TD> <TD align = "center" valign = "center"> <A HREF = "../../timelines/whchapters.html"> <img src = "../banhistdic.jpg" border = "0"> </TD> <TD width = "36" height = "36" align = "center" valign = "center"> <A HREF = "../../biographies/wh/bioearlyemp.html"> <img src = "../../region/arrowright.gif" width = "36" height = "36" border = "0"> </a></TD> <TD width = "100" height = "36" align = "center" valign = "center"> <font size = "2" face = "arial"><B> Biographies </b></font></TD></TR></TABLE> <font size = "3" face = "arial"><B><i>First posted on June 19th 2004 </i></b></font><BR><BR><BR><BR> <TABLE border = "0" cellspace="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <TR> <TD align = "center" valign = "center" width = "900"> <font face = "Times Roman" size = "5"><B> Historical Dictionaries : Early Empires </B></font> <BR> <font face = "Times Roman" size = "2"><i> http://www.zum.de/whkmla/histdic/wh/hdearlyemp.html </i></font> </B></font></TD></TR></TABLE> <BR><BR> <TABLE border = "0" cellspace="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <TR> <TD align = "left" valign = "center" width = "150"> <font face = "Times Roman" size = "2"> <A NAME = "akkad">Akkadian Empire</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "assyrianempire">Assyrian Empire</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "babylon">Babylon</A> <BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "babylonianemp">Babylonian Empire</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "babylonianexile">Babylonian Exile</A> <BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "chariots">Chariots</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "cimmerians">Cimmerians</A> <BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "codeofhammurabi">Code of Hammurabi</A> <BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "hanginggardens">Hanging Gardens</A> <BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "hattusas">Hattusas</A> <BR><BR> <A NAME = "hittiteemp">Hittite Empire</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "hyksos">Hyksos</A> <BR> <A NAME = "impaling">Impaling</A> <BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "kassites">Kassites</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "kush">Kush</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> Lydia <BR> <A NAME = "medes">Medes</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "mitanni">Mitanni</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "neobabylonianemp">Neobabylonian Empire</A> <BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "niniveh">Niniveh</A> <BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "nubia">Nubia</A> <BR><BR> <A NAME = "persepolis">Persepolis</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "persianemp">Persian Empire</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "phoenicia">Phoenicia</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "phrygia">Phrygia</A> <BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "forcedresettlement">Resettlement, Forced</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "royalroad">Royal Road</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "samaria">Samaria</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR> Satrapy <BR> <A NAME = "scythians">Scythians</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR> Sea Peoples <BR> <A NAME = "religioustoleration">Toleration, Religious</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "tyre">Tyre</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "urartu">Urartu</A> <BR><BR><BR> </font></TD> <TD align = "left" valign = "center" width = "500"> <font face = "Times Roman" size = "2"> established c.2350 B.C. by Sargon King of Akkad, who conquered Sumer and the west <BR> (Syria, Palestine) into one Empire. The Akkadians were Semitic, in contrast to the <BR> Sumerians; the Akkadians used the cuneiform script they took over from the Sumerians. <BR> Sargon was succeeded by his grandson Naram-Sin. The Akkadian Empire is believed <BR> to have disintegrated after him; by 2100 B.C. it was no longer. <BR> Assyria is a region located in Mesopotamia, on the middle Tigris, capitals Assur and <BR> Ninive. The Elder or First Assyrian Empire lasted from the 12th to the 8th century B.C. <BR> The Younger or Second Assyrian Empire lasted from the 8th century B.C. to its de- <BR> struction in 612 B.C. The Assyrians were warlike and brutal; Assyrian sources take <BR> pride in the numbers of slain enemies, impaled victims; forced resettlement was one of <BR> their policies with which they treated conquered peoples. <BR> city in Mesopotamia, capital of the Babylonian and the Neobabylonian Empires. In the <BR> sixth century B.C. the largest city of the ancient world. Excavated by Koldewey et al. <BR> beginning in 1899. Most famous feature excavated the Gate of Ishtar. <BR> The first Dynasty of Babylon lasted from the 19th to the 16th century B.C. Under King <BR> Hammurabi (19th century B.C.) the Babylonian Empire extended over all of Mesopo- <BR> tamia and reached the Mediterranean. Destroyed by the Hittites c.1595 B.C. see <BR> article from <A HREF = "http://i-cias.com/e.o/babylon.htm">Encyclopedia of the Orient</A> <BR> refers to the Babylonian captivity of the Jews 586-538, and to the voluntary exile of a <BR> Jewish community in Babylon; here, in the 6th century A.D., the Babylonian Talmud <BR> was codified. <BR> open, one-axled waggons pulled by donkeys or horses; with one man steering the <BR> the horses, the other man using spear or bow and arrow. Sharp blades extending the <BR> axle to both sides could make it more dangerous. Used in open terrain. The oldest <BR> reference is a Sumerian image from Ur; the Assyrians, Egyptians, later Greeks made <BR> use of them. <BR> inhabitants of the Russian steppe in the 8th and 7th century B.C.; horse-riding people, <BR> destroyed Phrygia 696/695 B.C., raided Lydia 644 B.C. Expelled from the Russian <BR> Steppe by the Scythians. see article from <A HREF = "http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/cimmerians/cimmerians.html">livius.org</A> <BR> discovered in 1909 as an inscription on a stela; most of the 282 articles have been <BR> translated. Enacted under King Hammurabi of Babylon, who ruled in the 18th century <BR> B.C. <BR> one of the seven wonders of antiquity, described by Strabo and by Philo of Byzantium. <BR> Traditionally allocated to the city of Babylon, while some researchers have suggested <BR> Ninive as the site. No longer existant. <BR> capital of the Hittite Empire (c.1720 B.C. - c.1195 B.C.). Located near Bogazk&ouml;y in <BR> modern Turkey. also spelled Hattush. see article from <A HREF = "http://www.allaboutturkey.com/hattusas.htm">all about Turkey</A> <BR> the Hittites, an Indo-European people, settled in central Anatolia in the 18th century B.C.; <BR> their Empire flourished between 1600 and 1200 B.C. It has long been believed that the <BR> Hittites introduced both the chariot and the use of iron to Mesopotamia; this theory is <BR> no longer upheld. Capital Hattusas; the Empire was destroyed c.1195 B.C., perhaps by <BR> the Sea Peoples mentioned in contemporary Egyptian records. see article from <BR> <A HREF = "http://www.allaboutturkey.com/hitit.htm">all about Turkey</A> <BR> Semitic invaders who conquered Egypt c.1650 B.C.; ruled lower Egypt until c.1550 B.C. <BR> practice of executing prisoners by piercing them on erected, sharpened poles, and <BR> leaving them to rot there, as a warning to others and as a demonstration of power. <BR> Practised by the Assyrians and Neo-Babylonians. Abolished by the Persians. <BR> a people of obscure origin, perhaps from the Zagros Mountains; invaded Babylonia in <BR> the 18th century B.C., during the rule of Hammurabi's son. Conquered N Babylonia <BR> following the sack of Babylon by the Hittites, early in the 16th century, S Babylonia <BR> early in the 15th century B.C. Poorly documented period. The Kassite Dynasty, <BR> ruling from Babylon, maintained in power until into the 13th century B.C. The <BR> Kassite language is regarded as neither Semitic nor Indo-European. <BR> Kingdom in Nubia, to the south of Egypt, with a culture strongly influenced by Egypt. <BR> In the 8th to 7th century B.C. often at war with Egypt, temporarily controlling Egypt. <BR> After the Kushite capital of Napata was destroyed in 590 B.C., the capital was moved <BR> to Meroe. The Meroitic Kingdom existed until it broke up when repeatedly attacked <BR> by Axum in the 4th century A.D. <BR> click <A HREF = "hdclasgr.html#lydia">here</A> <BR> an Iranian people who, in coalition with the Babylonians, in 612 B.C. destroyed the <BR> Assyrian Empire. The Median Empire, capital Ecbatana, covered the mountain lands <BR> east of the River Halys (which formed the border to Lydia). In the south their Empire <BR> bordered on the Neo-Babylonian Empire, which covered the plains of Mesopotamia <BR> and Syria. The borders to the east are unknown; Persia was a part of the Median <BR> Empire, until the Persians revolted under Cyrus the Great, and toppled Median rule. <BR> Kingdom in upper Mesopotamia c.1500-1270 B.C.; the people of Mitanni are believed <BR> to have been of Indian origin, as Indic deities appear in historical records. Temporarily <BR> Mitanni rule extended over Assyria, which in the 14th century broke away. Capital <BR> Wasuganni or Washshukanni. <BR> Established in 626 when Babylonia threw off the Assyrian yoke; in 612 the Assyrian <BR> capital Ninive was conquered; Babylonia annexed her lowland territories. Jerusalem <BR> was conquered in 586 by Nebuchadnezzar (605-562); fell to the Persians in 539 B.C. <BR> capital of the Second Assyrian Empire; conquered by the allied Medes and Babylo- <BR> nians in 612 B.C. Excavated by Austen Henry Layard in 1847-1849, who found the <BR> 'library of Ashurbanipal' (22,000 inscribed clay tablets). <BR> geographical name which described northern Sudan in antiquity. For Nubian civiliza- <BR> tions, see under Kush. <BR> ancient capital of the Persian Empire (the name is Greek - city of the Persians). <BR> Conquered and destroyed by Alexander the Great; afterward provincial capital, by <BR> the name of Istakhr. Excavations began in 1931, under the direction of the Oriental <BR> Institute of the University of Chicago. <BR> established by Cyrus the Great 559 B.C., conquered Medes, Lydians, Neobabylonian <BR> Empire. Zoroastrianism became official religion of the Persians-Medes (Indo-European <BR> peoples); among the conquered nations religious tolerance was practised. Later <BR> rulers conquered the Indus valley, Egypt, Thrace. Defeated by the Greeks in the <BR> Persian Wars 490-479; conquered by Alexander the Great 334-331 B.C. The <BR> largest Empire the world had seen until then. <BR> historical region roughly identical with modern Lebanon. It was divided into a number <BR> of city states (Tyre, Sidon, Beirut, Byblos, Aratus) engaged in overseas trade (with <BR> ships made from Lebanese cedar trees) in the late 9th and 8th centuries the Phoeni- <BR> cians founded colonies (Carthago etc.); the colonization is interpreted as an attempt <BR> to escape Assyrian pressure on the home cities. Phoenicia conquered by the <BR> Assyrians, later the Neobabylonians, Persians etc. The Phoenicians have long been <BR> credited with inventing the alphabet; at least they were among the earliest users. The <BR> Greeks got their alphabet from the Phoenicians. <BR> Kingdom located in central Anatolia, capital Gordion (also spelled Gordium). Emerged <BR> after the destruction of the Hittite Empire c.1200 B.C.; destroyed by the Cimmerians <BR> 696/695 B.C.; Lydia was a successor state of Phrygia. Legendary King Midas. <BR> Policy by which Assyrian and Neobabylonian Kings treated conquered peoples. They <BR> were broken up in small groups and scattered all over the Empire, while people from <BR> elsewhere were settled on their lands. So, the Kingdom of Israel, conquered by the <BR> Assyrians, was turned into the Province of Samaria. The Babylonian Captivity of the <BR> Jews falls into the same category. The policy was abolished by Persian Emperor <BR> Cyrus the Great. <BR> road system connecting the administrative centers of the Persian Empire. At regular <BR> intervals, stables provided fresh horses for messengers, who could switch horses <BR> and, after having covered a certain distance, hand over the message to the next <BR> rider. So, messages from the far end of the Persian Empire could reach the capital <BR> within a week. <BR> after the Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians (722 B.C.), the population <BR> was scattered over the Assyrian Empire, while people from elsewhere in the A.E. were <BR> settled here. The land, after the provincial capital, was referred to as Samaria; the <BR> old testament despised the Samaritans, as they were polytheistic. <BR> click <A HREF = "hdhellenism.html#satrapy">here</A> <BR> ancient people inhabiting the Russian steppe, horse riders; expelled the Cimmerians in <BR> the 7th century B.C.; foiled an attempt by the Persians to conquer them under Darius I. <BR> (522-486); held on to their lands until into the 4th century B.C. Indo-Europeans; <BR> exported grain to Greece. <BR> click <A HREF = "hdpreclas.html#seapeoples">here</A> <BR> policy implemented by Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire. The Persians <BR> were Zoroastrians (monotheists); he permitted the conquered peoples to worship their <BR> gods as long as they obeyed him, paid their taxes and served in his armies. The Jews <BR> of Babylonia were permitted to return home. The Cyrus Cylinder (excavated at Babylon <BR> in 1878), documenting Cyrus taking possession of Babylon 539 B.C. has been inter- <BR> preted as a charter formulating this policy. <BR> most important of the Phoenician city states; from here Carthago was founded 814 <BR> B.C.; became part of the Assyrian, later Neobabylonian, then Persian Empire. The city <BR> of Tyrus (Tyre) was located on an island close to the Lebanese coast. Alexander the <BR> Great took it by siege 332 B.C., after having connected it with the land by a dam. <BR> historical state located in eastern Anatolia, c.1000-585 B.C., Indo-European, believed <BR> to be a predecessor of Armenia. Frequently raided by the Assyrians; in 585 B.C. <BR> conquered by the Medes. <BR> </font></TD> </TR></TABLE> <BR><BR> <TABLE border = "0" cellspace="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <TR> <TD align = "left" valign = "center" width = "700"> <font face = "Times Roman" size = "2"> PRINTED REFERENCE : <BR> </font></TD></TR></TABLE> <BR><BR> </DIV> </DIV> <DIV align="center"> <A href="mailto:aganse@hotmail.com"> <IMG src="../../email.gif" border="0"></a><BR> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <!-- Start of CH Counter --> <script type="text/javascript"> //<!-- // chCounter v2.0.0 // settings: cstatus = "active"; visible = "0"; path_to_counterfile = "http://www.zum.de/whkmla/counter/counter.php"; urlhp = "http://www.zum.de"; //////////////// url = unescape(location.href); file = url.substring(url.lastIndexOf(urlhp) + urlhp.length, url.length); file = (file.charAt(0) != "/") ? 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