Mesopotamia 2.4: The Chaldean Empire

​for his people, Nebuchadnezzar built a beautiful street near the palace they could visit

​paved with limestone and marble, and lined with walls of blue glazed tile

​each spring, thousands of people crowded into Babylon to watch a gold statue of the god Marduk as it was wheeled through the streets

​Chaldeans believed that the ceremony would bring peace and bigger crops to their empire

​Many new canals were built in Babylon, making the land even more fertile

​to pay for building projects and to maintain the army, Nebuchadnezzar had to collect very high taxes and tributes

​Because his empire stretched as far as Egypt, it had to have an efficient system of government

​Outside the center of Babylon stood houses and marketplaces where artisans made pottery, cloth, jewelry, and baskets

​the major trade routes between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea passed through Babylon

​Merchants came to the city in traveling groups or caravans to buy Babylonian goods

​Babylon grew wealthy from this trade

​the people of Babylon also made many scientific achievements

​Chaldean astronomers, people who study planets and stars, mapped the stars, planets, and phases of the moon as they changed.

​they believed the gods showed their plans in the changes in the sky

​Chaldeans invented one of the first sundials to measure time

​they also were the first to follow a seven day week

​After Nebuchadnezzar died, a series of weak kings ruled the Chaldean empire

​Poor harvests and slow trade further weakened the empire

​In 539 BCE, the Persians recognized the Chaldeans had lost their strength and leadership

​Persians took advantage of this and captured Babylon and made Mesopotamia part of their empire

​However, they allowed the Chaldeans to keep their culture because they did not want to destroy all they had accomplished