Early Empires

I. What is an empire?

A. Conflicting images

B. Characteristics

C. Two forms

1. hegemony

2. dominance

II. The Earliest Empires

A. Akkadian (2331-2200 B.C.E.)

1. Sargon's conquest & rule

2. influenced by Sumerian culture

B. Egyptian New Kingdom (~1550-1050 B.C.E.)

1. cosmopolitan population

2. conquered

a) Nubia

b) Levant

C. Assyrian (900 -- 612 B.C.E.)

1. Nineveh excavated (1839)

2. warfare & brutality

a) sophisticated military organization

-- skilled soldiers

-- technical knowledge

b) How controlled people?

-- calculated terrorism

-- deported whole population

D. Persian(539-330 B.C.E.)

1. Where & who?

a) Iranian Plateau

b) Indo-Europeans

2. Imperial Policies

a) Cyrus II (r. 559 - 530 B.C.E.)

-- founder of the empire

-- allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem

b) Cambyses II (r. 530 - 522 B.C.E.)

-- overextended

-- emotionally unstable

c) Darius I (r. 522 - 486 B.C.E.)

-- satrapies

-- Royal Road

-- Zoroaster (- 600 B.C.E.)

-- good vs. evil (with choice)

-- Ahurmazda Ahriman

-- last judgment & eternity