SAT II World History : Babylonian Empire

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II World History

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Southwest Asia And Africa

Which of these individuals is responsible for creating the famous Code of Laws that often defines the Babylonian civilization to modern historians?

Possible Answers:

Nebuchadnezzar

Hammurabi

Ashurbanipal

Cyrus

Gilgamesh

Correct answer:

Hammurabi

Explanation:

Hammurabi's Code of Laws is the earliest known written-down legal system. Hammurabi was a Babylonian king circa 1800 BCE. The Babylonian civilization existed in various forms for roughly 1500 years from 2000 BCE to 500 BCE. 

Example Question #2 : Southwest Asia And Africa

The "Babylonian Captivity" involved __________.

Possible Answers:

The loss of much of the writings of ancient Babylon when the Persian army invaded and sacked the royal library

The forced imprisonment, and subsequent execution, of Christians in Ancient Babylon by Hammurabi

The capture and forced exile of many Jews from the Kingdom of Judah in Babylon

The imprisonment of the Babylonian King by the Assyrians

None of the other answer choices is correct. 

Correct answer:

The capture and forced exile of many Jews from the Kingdom of Judah in Babylon

Explanation:

The Babylon Captivity is a period of Jewish history when many Jewish citizens of the Kingdom of Judah were captured and forced into exile in ancient Babylon by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.

Example Question #3 : Southwest Asia And Africa

The so-called "Babylonian Captivity" ended when __________.

Possible Answers:

The Jewish people were led to their freedom by Moses

Ashurbanipal and Cyrus the Great defeated the forces of Nebuchadnezzar in the Battle of Sargon

Cyrus the Great, and the Persian army, captured the city of Babylon

Ashurbanipal, and the Assyrian army, freed the Babylonian forces being held by a rebel Assyrian ruler

Cyrus the Great was executed by his own people and replaced by his much more tolerant son

Correct answer:

Cyrus the Great, and the Persian army, captured the city of Babylon

Explanation:

The "Babylonian Captivity" of the sixth century BCE involved the forced imprisonment of much of the population of the Kingdom of Judah within the city of Babylon. It ended when Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539 BCE and founded the Achaemenid Dynasty of Persia. Cyrus freed the Jewish people and they mostly returned to Judaea.

Example Question #1 : Babylonian Empire

The Ancient civilization of Babylon existed in the territory of what modern-day state? 

Possible Answers:

Egypt

Iraq

Saudi Arabia

India

Turkey

Correct answer:

Iraq

Explanation:

The Ancient civilization of Babylon existed in the modern-day state of Iraq. Although you might not have known this immediately, you should know that Babylon was a Mesopotamian kingdom and that Iraq is the only modern country on this list which falls in the region of Mesopotamia. 

Example Question #2 : Babylonian Empire

The Amorite Babylonian Dynasty of Hammurabi ended when which civilization sacked the ancient city of Babylon? 

Possible Answers:

Persian

Israelite

Sumerian

Hittite

Egyptian

Correct answer:

Hittite

Explanation:

The Sack of Babylon occurred in approximately 1530 BCE, when the Hittite ruler, Mursili I, marched his army into the heart of Mesopotamia and lay waste to Babylon. It brought about the demise of the Amorite Dynasty of Hammurabi and ushered in a new era of civilizations in the Mesopotamian region.

Example Question #3 : Babylonian Empire

Along with the Babylonian Empire, which of these was also an Akkadian civilization?

Possible Answers:

Byzantine

Kushite

Parthian

Assyria

Kurdish

Correct answer:

Assyria

Explanation:

"Akkadian" is the name of a language group, cultural group, and civilization that predates the Babylonian Empire. The Babylonian Empire arose in the Fertile Crescent of land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Its main rival to the North was another Akkadian civilization known as the Assyrian Empire. The two fought for centuries for control over the Fertile Crescent and each reigned as hegemonic powers for a period of time.

Example Question #6 : Babylonian Empire

The Neo-Babylonian Empire reached it's height during the reign of ________________.

Possible Answers:

Hammurabi

Nabopolassar

Justinian I

Nebuchadnezzar II

Cyrus the Great

Correct answer:

Nebuchadnezzar II

Explanation:

Cyrus the Great was the founded of the Achaemenid Empire, the progenitor of the Persian Empire. Justinian I is the most famous ruler of the Byzantine Empire. Hammurabi was the most influential ruler of the old Babylonian Empire that reached it's apex almost four thousand years ago. Nebopolassar was an early ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. But, it was during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (605-561 B.C.E.) that the Neo-Babylonian Empire reached the height of it's powers. It is useful at this juncture to draw a distinction between the old Babylonian Empire of Hammurabi (circa eighteenth century B.C.E.) and the Neo-Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar II (more than a millennium later).

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