Literature of the Literature of the Ancient WorldAncient World

3000 B.C. – A.D. 5003000 B.C. – A.D. 500

What Ancient Texts Teach Us, What Ancient Texts Teach Us, TodayToday

In the selections we are going to read, you will be introduced to literature from the ancient Middle East and ancient India.– As we begin to study the literature from the oldest

known civilizations—Mesopotamia, Egypt, Hebrew, and India—spiritual beliefs and religious ideals of these ancient cultures will be revealed.

These works are among the world’s oldest, most beloved, and most influential—many of them continue to shape modern cultures.– Selections from the Hebrew Bible will also be looked at,

as this text is one of the foundations of Western literature.

Part 1:Part 1:Mesopotamia, Egypt, and

Hebrew

Why Does Reading “This Stuff” Why Does Reading “This Stuff” Matter?Matter?

The ancient Middle East is often called the “cradle of civilization.” – In prehistoric times, people gathered in the

fertile river valleys of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Canaan—the “Fertile Crescent”—to farm.

From their interactions arose the basic elements of civilization: law, commerce, arts, religion, education, and literature.– On this foundation were built many later

cultures—including our own.

What Time Period Are We In?What Time Period Are We In?Where Are We?Where Are We?

Time Period:– 2500 B.C. – A.D. 300

Geographical Location:– Ancient Middle East (“cradle of civilization”)

– Mesopotamia, Egypt, Canaan (“The Fertile Crescent”)

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia

(c. 3500 B.C.-539 B.C.):(c. 3500 B.C.-539 B.C.):

Where Was Mesopotamia?Where Was Mesopotamia?

Between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in present-day Iraq is a fertile valley known in ancient times as Mesopotamia (“the land between rivers”).

Here, the first cities arose, each existing independently as a city-state.– Each city-state had its own

ruler, its own army, and its own patron deity.

Who Were Its People?Who Were Its People? Mesopotamia was

dominated by a series of empires created by successive invaders. As a rule, however, the conquerors preserved the culture of the peoples they defeated.

The Groups:– Sumerians– Akkadians– Babylonians– Assyrians– Neo-Babylonians

Sumerians Sumerians (c. 3500-2350 B.C.):(c. 3500-2350 B.C.):

Recorded history began with the Sumerians.– The Sumerians invented

writing around 3000 B.C.

The Sumerians settled southern Mesopotamia, which became known as Sumer.– The Sumerians were believed

to have migrated from central-Asia

By 3000 B.C. their villages had grown into city-states, such as Ur and Uruk.– Each city-state had a different

ruler and worshipped a different god or goddess.

Akkadians Akkadians (c. 2350-2000 B.C.)(c. 2350-2000 B.C.)

A group of Semites (people who spoke a language related to Hebrew and Arabic) invaded Sumer from the north.– Led by Sargon of Akkad,

the Akkadians conquered the city-states of Sumer and unified them and the adjoining regions into the world’s first empire.

The Akkadians adopted much of Sumerian culture, including its religion and literature.

Babylonians Babylonians (c. 2000-1570 B.C.)(c. 2000-1570 B.C.)

The Babylonians—a Semitic people who spoke Akkadian—conquered Mesopotamia in about 2000 B.C.– This established an empire with its

capital of Babylon on the Euphrates River.

– Like the Akkadians, the Babylonians also adopted the culture of the Sumerians.

Under King Hammurabi, the Babylonian empire reached its peak from 1792 to 1750 B.C.– King Hammurabi established the first set

of laws (the “Code of Hammurabi”).

In 1570 B.C., the Babylonian empire fell to Kassite invaders, who ruled for more than 400 years.

AssyriansAssyrians(c. 850-612 B.C.)(c. 850-612 B.C.)

Following the Kassite rule, various people vied for control of the region for the next 300 years.– Around 850 B.C. one of these

groups, the Assyrians—a warlike people from northern Mesopotamia, began to consolidate the empire.

The Assyrians extended their rule from Mesopotamia to Egypt and present-day Turkey.– Known for their ruthlessness in

battle, the Assyrians destroyed the kingdom of Israel and dispersed its inhabitants.

The Assyrian capital of Nineveh became an important learning center.– King Ashurbanipal established

an early library, preserving many Sumerian and Babylonian writings.

Neo-BabyloniansNeo-Babylonians(c. 612-539 B.C.)(c. 612-539 B.C.)

In 612 B.C. Chaldean invaders conquered the Assyrians, destroying Nineveh, and founding the second Babylonian empire.– The empire, which

conquered and enslaved the remaining Jews of Palestine, endured until it was conquered by the Persians in 539 B.C.