WH1-2: Civilizations in the Ancient Middle East

SumeriansPeople/Brief History

• One of the oldest civilizations starting around 3200 BCE

• No one knows where they came from, but are believed to be the first nomads to settle in the Fertile Crescent

• Made up of numerous city-states that were constantly fighting over land.

• Their texts include the first mention of the ‘Great Flood’ later talked about in the Torah and Bible.

Contributions to civilization

• Cuneiform – One of the oldest systems of writing and later

adopted by cultures including the Akkadians and Hittites.

• Astronomy – Mapped constellations that are still used today

• Arithmetic – Invented math by combining and modifying different number systems from other civilizations

• Agriculture – First people to cultivate crop and animals on a grand scale; including wheat, cattle, and sheep.

Sumerians

AkkadiansPeople/Brief History

• Sargon of Akkad assumed power of and began conquering the area around Mesopotamia creating the world's first empire (this included the Sumerians).

• Sargon’s Akkadian dynasty lasted around 140 years before it fell.

• The “Curse of Akkad” is claimed to have destroyed this culture.

BabyloniansPeople/Brief History

• Invaders from the Arabian Desert entered Mesopotamia & seized the city-state of Babylon

• Hammurabi became the king of Babylon

• Hammurabi took control of the city-states in lower Mesopotamia & established the Babylonian Empire

• The Babylonians adopted many Sumerian ways

BabyloniansContributions to civilization

• Hammurabi’s Code o Consisting of 282 laws, the code affected all aspects of

life, including farming, trade, wages & punishments. o Hammurabi claimed these laws came from the sun god

Thus everyone must obey the king and his “god-sent” rules.

• The Babylonians believed in astrology, the idea that a person’s life is affected by the movement & position of stars, planets & other heavenly bodies.

HittitesPeople/Brief History• War-like tribesmen from Asia Minor called

Hittites swept into Mesopotamia & captured Babylon.

• Being far from their homeland, the Hittites eventually withdrew from Babylonia, but continued to occupy the western part of the Fertile Crescent.

HittitesContributions to civilization

• The Hittites were the 1st people to make widespread use of iron for tools & weapons.

• They used horse drawn chariots in battle

• A system of laws was set up with punishments that were less severe than the Code of Hammurabi

Israelites/HebrewsPeople/Brief History• The ideas & beliefs of the Hebrews, or Jews, are known

as Judaism.• The founder of Judaism was Abraham. He led his

people out of Mesopotamia because the group’s belief in one god ran against the accepted practice of worshipping many gods.

• The Hebrews lived in Egypt for several hundred years, but were forced into slavery. According to the Bible, Moses began leading the Hebrews (or Israelites) toward a new homeland in Canaan (also called “Palestine” & “Israel”.) On the way to Canaan, Moses went up Mount Sinai & brought back the Ten Commandments, laws of moral conduct revealed to him by the Hebrew god.

Israelites/HebrewsPeople/Brief History (continued)

• The Hebrews recorded their history & religious beliefs in the Old Testament. The “Old Testament”, which is the 1st part of the Christian Bible, tells how:o Saul united the 12 Hebrew tribes, defeated the rival

Philistines & became the 1st Hebrew king.o David slew the Philistine warrior Goliath, became the

2nd king of Israel & made Jerusalem his capital.o Solomon succeeded his father David, and was widely

admired for his wisdom & leadership; and built the magnificent Temple of Jehovah.

IsraelitesContributions to civilization

• The Hebrews practiced monotheism; the worship of only one god, known as Yahweh in the beginningo Also referred to as YHWH and HaShem (The

Name)

• Judaism, the Hebrew religion, stressed high moral conduct (as seen in the Ten Commandments)

• Judaism influenced Christianity & Islam through its emphasis on monotheism & moral principles.

PhoeniciansPeople/Brief History• The Phoenicians lived north of Palestine along the

Mediterranean Sea.• They became skilled shipbuilders & sailors, and

traded throughout the Mediterranean world. They were the greatest seafaring traders of ancient times.

• The Phoenicians established many colonies, including the great city of Carthage in North Africa.

PhoeniciansContributions to civilization

• Phoenician traders carried the products & cultures of the Middle East to less advanced peoples.

• The most notable contribution of these people was the alphabet. The Greeks & Romans later made some changes that resulted in the alphabet we use today.

AssyriansPeople/Brief History• The Assyrians were ruthless conquerors

who overran Phoenicia, Palestine, Babylonia & other parts of the Middle East.

• Their empire was the largest one the world had seen at that time.

• In battle, the Assyrians used bows with iron-tipped arrows, iron spears & swords and battering rams to break through brick walls that guarded cities. Their armies were the 1st to use men on horseback.

AssyriansPeople/Brief History• The hated Assyrians terrorized the people with

acts of violence & torture.• The Assyrian empire lasted for 150 years

before being destroyed by the Chaldeans & Persians.

AssyriansContributions to civilization

• The Assyrians were the 1st people to set up an effective system for governing an empire.

• A great library was built in the capital city of Nineveh. It contained thousands of clay tablets which enabled historians to learn about life in the ancient Middle East.

ChaldeansPeople/Brief History• The Chaldeans helped overthrow the

Assyrians.• They took control of the Fertile Crescent &

established the 2nd Babylonian Empire.• The Chaldeans were led by their strong king

Nebuchadnezzar. He rebuilt Babylon, which became the largest & most impressive city in the ancient world.

ChaldeansContributions to civilization

• The Chaldeans built the beautiful Hanging Gardens on rooftops in Babylon. The Greeks called them one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the World’.

• The field of astronomy was further advanced by accurate observations of the sun, moon, planets & stars.

PersiansPeople/Brief History

• The Chaldean Empire declined after the death of Nebuchadnezzar.

• The Persian Empire extended for 3,000 miles from Egypt to India. It lasted for about 200 years, reaching its height under King Darius I.

PersiansContributions to civilization• A well organized government was set up in which:

o The empire was divided into provinces, each direct by a satrap (governor)

o Roads were built to speed trade and the movement of the armies

o Conquered peoples were allowed to keep their religion, laws & local customs

• Cultural diffusion, the exchange of ways of living, took place within various parts of the empire.

PersiansContributions to civilization

• The Persians accepted the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster, who said that the world was a struggle between good & evil. After death, people who lived good lives would go to heaven, while those who were evil would be sent to hell. This idea of a final judgment is believed to have influenced Judaism & Christianity.