Mesopotamia was home of the Fertile Crescent. The first civilization to develop was ancient Sumer. Their empire lasted from around 3000 to 2331 B.C.E. They created many towns in the southernmost part of Mesopotamia. The ancient Sumerians developed many new technologies. These included a new writing style called cuneiform and mathematics like geometry and trigonometry. They also made advances in medicine.
Sumer was conquered by Hummurabi, king of the Amorites. He established a capital at Babylon. The Babylonians ruled from 2331 to around 1595 B.C.E. While in power, he created a code of law that governed the land.
Egypt developed around 3100 to 1200 B.C.E. They thought a king was given his right to rule by the gods and called them pharaohs.
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The northern part broke away and established Israel. The bottom half became Judah. The Assyrians wiped out Israel, but Judah survived a little longer. They were crushed by the Babylonians in 587 B.C.E. The people that survived were sent into exile. During this time, they refined their beliefs into the laws of Yahweh and became known as the Jews.
The Assyrians were in power from 859 until 612 B.C.E. They were very militaristic. The Assyrian military was advanced in siege machinery and techniques. They knew how to use their victories and annexed or conquered other states to create an empire.
Even with all their military power, the Assyrian empire fell nearly overnight. Babylon won its independence in 626 B.C.E. and joined the Medes to destroy the Assyrians. By 612, a mere fourteen years after Babylon gained independence, the empire fell.
From 1000 to 464 B.C.E., one of the greatest empires of the ancient Near East rose to power. Conquered people were allowed to practice their native customs and religions. In 550 B.C.E., Cyrus the great conquered the Medes. He then turned his attention to securing Iran from nomadic invaders and winning control of terminal ports for