ancient middle east and egypt

*Ancient Middle East and Egypt

*City-States of Ancient Sumer

Section 1

*Objectives and Goals

*Understand how geography influenced development of civilization in the Fertile Crescent*Outline the main

features of Sumerian civilization

*Explain how the advances in learning made the Sumerians left a lasting legacy for later people to build on

*Focus Question

*What were the characteristics of the world's first civilization?

*Questions

*What type of environment does the fertile crescent lie?*Why would Mesopotamia be a reasonable

civilization to rise?*According to the map, what geographic

challenges did early Sumerians face?

*Introduction

*Fertile Crescent*Is a region of the Middle east named for its

rich soils and golden wheat fields*Over time, this place was often invaded,

traders were able to easily overcome the regions few natural barriers*This area was a cross road where different

people mingled.

*Geography Influences Fertile

Crescent

*Mesopotamia *It lies within the Fertile Crescent *It is the area of land between the Tigris and

Euphrates rivers*It is where the worlds first civilization began

(3300 BC) (Sumer region in south eastern Mesopotamia)


Crescent

*Organizing for Floods and Irrigation*Controlling the Tigris and Euphrates river

was key to development*There were many floods that washed away

topsoil and homes*The Epic of Gilgamesh * It is a story that speaks about a great flood

that destroys the world* Archaeologists and historians have found

evidence of these type of floods in that area


Crescent

*Organizing for Floods and Irrigation*Villagers had to build up the riverbanks*They had to channel water with canals as

well*This needed strong leadership


Crescent

*Sumerians Build Thriving Cities *They had few natural resources but they

made the most of what they had*They built with clay since there was no a lot of

stone* The Great cities of Ur and Uruk were made out of

mud bricks *They had a lot of water*Had trade

*Sumerian Civilization Takes

Shape

*Intro*Within a few

hundred years there were 12 separate city states*There were often

battles for territory

*Complex Government Unfolds*In each city state,

the ruler was responsible for maintaining the city walls and the irrigation systems*Led the military,

kept the law, made peace


Shape

*Sumerians Structure Their Society*Each city-state had a distinct social

hierarchy- system of ranking groups* In other words, a class system* Ruling Family* Priests* Leading officials


Shape

*Majority of people were peasant farmers *Few owned their own land

*There were slaves and artisans as well


Shape

*Role of Women*Changed over time*There were goddesses that were highly

honored in religious practices*This may be why women were held in higher

status then in later civilizations *Women never held legal rights equal to

men*Some of the ruler's wives' had power to

supervise

*Sumerians invent Writing

*Cuneiform*It means "wedge"*Wrote making wedge shaped marks on clay

tablets*Grew out of a system of pictographs that

were used to record goods brought to temple store houses


*Development *More symbols

became to be used for complicated thoughts

*Lasting Legacy

*Around 2500 BCE armies of conquering people invaded*They overwhelmed the Sumerian City-

states*By 1900 BCE the Sumerian Civilization was

replaced by others

*Lasting Legacy

*Their legacy was *Their writing*Astronomy*Mathematics *Poetry*Language

*Invaders, Traders, and

Empire BuildersSection 2

*Objectives

*Outline the achievements of the first empires that arose in Mesopotamia*Understand how conquests brought new

empires and ideas into the Middle East*Describe how the Persians established a

huge empire*Summarize the contributions the

Phoenicians made to the ancient Middle East

*First Empires Arise in

Mesopotamia

*Intro*People invaded, war, chaos, there was a

need for stability

*Sargon ( 2360 BCE)

• 2300 BCE Sargon, the Ruler of Akkad, invaded neighboring city states of Sumer• He expanded territory • Created an empire•After his death his land was invaded and conquered

*Hammurabi (1792 BCE-1750 BCE)

• 1790 BCE Hammurabi, king of Babylon, brought much of Mesopotamia under the control of his empire• Babylonian Empire

• Significance and lasting contribution• The Hammurabi Code

• It was a set of laws that had been around since Sumer but he made it the legal law of all of his Empire • It was the first attempt to

codify (arrange and set down in writing) all the laws that would govern a state


Mesopotamia

*Establishing Civil Law*Civil Law is the branch of law that deals

with private rights and matters such as property inheritance, contracts, taxes, marriage, etc.*Hammurabi's Code attempted this

*Babylonian Example*Husband was over his wife, but he had to

support her as well


Mesopotamia

*Defining Crime and Punishment *Criminal Law- The branch of law that deals with offenses against others, such as robbery, assault, and murder*Before Hammurabi Code*Victims of crime were allowed to take law in their own

hands*After Hammurabi Code*Limited personal vengeance and encouraged social order*An Eye for an Eye and a life for a life


Mesopotamia

*Other Accomplishments made by Hammurabi*Hammurabi united his empire by….*Improving Irrigation *Organizing an army*Repairing temples *Promoted Religious unity*He promoted Marduk the patron god of Babylon

*Conquests Bring New Empires and

Ideas

*Hittites Learn the Secret of Ironworking*Hittites were from the region of Asia Minor*Started to expand into Mesopotamia in 1400 BC

*They were able to create Iron which was harder and shaper then the weapons made from Bronze or Copper *There was a lot a lot of Iron, so they were able to arm many

people *They kept this a secret until their empire collapsed in 1200 BCE and their blacksmiths went elsewhere.


Ideas

*Assyrian Warriors Expand Ancient Knowledge *1350 BCE they began to expand and create an Empire across Mesopotamia *They originated North of the Tigris

*For over 500 years they were the most feared people in the World *They had a culture of warfare *They encouraged a well ordered society *They had trade*Well organized cities *They had and expanded Law *They even founded one of the worlds first libraries


Ideas

*Nebuchadnezzar Revives Babylon *After a great king of Assyria passed away, neighboring people joined forces to crust the once dreaded Assyrian armies*In 625 BCE Babylon reestablished itself

*Nebuchadnezzar 1225 BCE-1124 BCE

• He was a ruthless king• He stretched his empire

very far • Oversaw the rebuilding of

irrigation, temples, walls, and palaces• He built moats and public

works• The famous Hanging

Gardens as well

*The Persians Establish a Huge

Empire

*Intro *Have students do the Map Skills on pg. 41*The Babylonians eventually fallto another

empire- the Persians*The Persians were tolerant and respected

people's cultures and customs

*Darius I

• Ruled from 522 BCE-486 BCE

• He set up a bureaucracy• A system of government

through departments and subdivisions administered by officials who follow set rules• This became a model for

other rulers• Adapted laws from the

peoples he conquered • Built roads to unite the

territory


Empire

*Darius Unites Many Peoples*Improving Economic Life*Darius *set up a common set of weights and measure to improve trade*He also encouraged the use of coins

*Barter Economy- a trade system in which one person exchanges goods or services for another *This was the Most common

*Money Economy- goods and services are paid for through the exchange of some token of an agreed value, such as a coin or a bill*This began to grow* Darius made a Persian coin


Empire

*New Religion takes Hold *Zoroaster- he was a Persian thinker who helped unite the empire*Lived somewhere from 1700 BCE- 1000 BCE*His Ideas began to take root during the period of the Darius

*Zoroastrianism

• The World was broken up between two powers• Ahura Mazda (the all

powerful wise God)• Ahriman (the Prince of Evil

• Every person serves one or the other• At the end of time, all

people will be judged by there deeds

*Contributions of Phoenician Sea

Traders

*Intro*There were huge empires who were led by

great rulers, but don't count out the little guy*There were city states that contributed to

History


Traders

*Expanding Manufacturing and Trade *The Phoenicians became best known for

this*They made glass from coastal sand *Set up Colonies in other areas*Colony- is a territory settled and ruled by

people from another land


Traders

*Establishing an Alphabet*Phoenicians were "carriers of Civilization"*The spread Middle Eastern ideas around the

Mediterranean*They developed the Alphabet*Alphabet- is a writing system in which each symbol

represents a single basic sound, such as a consonant or vowel*This is unlike cuneiform in which symbols represent

words*There were 22 symbols for the alphabet

*Kingdom on the NileSection 3

*Geography Helps Shape Egypt

*Intro*The Nile is surrounded by rich and fertile land*Not far past that though are never ending deserts.

*Yearly Floods Bring Benefits*There was predictable flooding every spring*It fed the land with water and created rich deposits

of salt *People built dikes, reservoirs, and irrigation ditches

to channel the rising water during the dry season

*Geography Helps Shape Egypt

*Uniting Two Regions*Upper Egypt*Stretched from the Nile's first cataract- waterfall- to the

Mediterranean*Also included the delta- a triangular area of marshland

formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of some rivers*Southern Kingdom

*King in the North *In 3100 BCE he united the Upper Egypt with the South*Founded Egypt's first capital at Memphis

*Menes (3100 BCE)

*The Old Kingdom Forms

*Intro*There are three main periods of ancient

Egyptian history*Old Kingdom (2575 BCE-2130 BCE)*Middle Kingdom (1938 BCE-1630 BCE)*New Kingdom (1539 BCE-1075 BCE)

*Dynasty*Ruling family


*A Strong Government Takes Hold*Kings were called pharaohs *They organized a strong centralized state*Had absolute power*Were believed to be Gods


*Old Kingdom ruled by bureaucracy- a system of government that includes departments and levels of authority*Each Pharaoh has vizier- chief minister*He supervised the government* Taxes* Farming* Irrigation system

*There were aristocrats and nobles *They were powerful locally

*Merchants *They were a small middle class


*The Great Pyramids are built *These were necropolises - cemeteries*They were considered homes for the

deceased

*The Turbulent Middle Kingdom

*Issues with the Old Kingdom*Crop failures*Building cost of the Pyramids*Disunity

*Middle Kingdom was full of hardship*Nile did not flood regularly *Corruption in government*Rebellions

*The Turbulent Middle Kingdom

*Invasion of Hyksos (1700 BCE)*They occupied Northern Egypt *The people liked them*They brought chariots and horses*Egyptians mastered it in little time

*Hyksos adopted Egyptian customs *Ruled for 100 years

*The New Kingdom of Egypt

*Intro*There arose powerful and ambitious

pharaohs which created an empire

*She ruled from 1472-1458 BCE*Encouraged trade with eastern Mediterranean lands along the coast of Africa*Hatshepsut

(1508 BC-1458 BC)

*He was a great military general and stretched Egypt's borders to their greatest extent evet*Thutmose III

(1481 BCE-1425 BCE)

*Ramses II (1303 BCE-1213 BCE)

*Ruled between 1279 BCE to 1213 BCE*Pushed Egyptian control northward again as far as Syria*He was famous for many battles.


*Egypt Battles With its Neighbors *During Ramses II*Egypt fought fierce battles against the Hittites*Signed a peace treaty*It is the first peace treaty every signed

that actually survived


*Egypt Declines *After 1100 BCE Egypt declines*Other Empires begin to attack it* Assyrians and Persians conquered the Nile Region

*In 332 BCE the last Egyptian dynasty ended when the Greeks conquered it*Romans then conquered it

*Egyptian Civilization

Section 3

*Religion Shapes Life in Ancient

Egypt

*Intro*It is important to know that Religion was

one of the foundations of Egyptian society

*Re• During the Old

Kingdom•He was the head god •He was the Sun God

• During the Middle Kingdom•He was known by Amon-Re•He was the great god and lord of all gods•Gave the right of Pharaohs to rule


Egypt

*Osiris and Isis *This god and goddess is what most people related to *According to myth*Osiris ruled Egypt until his younger brother Set became

jealous and killed him*He was cut into pieces and tossed all over Egypt*Isis saved him and brought him back to life*Osiris became the god of the dead*He was also the god of the Nile* Remember what the Nile represented?

*Isis had special appeal for women*Taught women how to grind corn, spin flax, etc.

*Osiris


Egypt

*A Pharaoh Tries to Reshape Religion*Amenhotep IV (1380 BCE)*He devoted his life to worship Aton a minor

god*He took the name of Akhenaton and ordered

priests to worship only Anton *He was radical but he was very hated

*Akhenaton

*How Egyptians Viewed the

Afterlife

*Intro*Osiris and Isis were very important because

they promised an afterlife


Afterlife

*Proving Oneself to Osiris*Each soul had to pass a test to win eternal

life*They would cross a lake of fire to the Hall of

Osiris * If they were deemed worthy they would pass

into the afterlife, if not, the Eater of the Dead would take their souls!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH


Afterlife

*Preparing the Dead for the Afterlife *What do you think the Egyptians believed

about the afterlife?*They thought it would be much like Earth*This is why they would burry their dead with

everything they would need for eternity*Mummification- the preservation of dead

bodies by embalming them and wrapping them in cloth


Afterlife

*Evidence Found in the Tomb of Tutankhamen*During the New Kingdom*Many Pharaohs were buried in a desolate

valley known as the Valley of the Kings*Tombs were filled with riches

*Tutankhamen

The son in law of Akhenaton was left untouched for more then 3,000 years, its treasures provided a lot of information.

*Egyptians Organize Their

Society

*Introduction*Egypt has their own class system*Pharaoh*Royal Family*Government official and priests*Merchants, scribes, artisans*Peasants


Society

*Most people were farmers*For the majority of the year, most people

farmed the land*On off seasons, peasants were expected to

serve the pharaoh to build palaces, temples, and tombs


Society

*Changes in Social Structure*New Kingdom*Social classes changed during the time of

trade and warfare*Trade* Offered a growing merchant class

*War* Brought riches from foreign places


Society

*Egyptian women enjoyed higher status*Women could inherit property, enter

buisness deals, buy and sell goods, go to court, obtain divorces *Women work was not confined to the home*They could produce perfume*Become doctors

*Egyptians Make Advances in

Learning

*Keeping Written Records *They had multiple writing systems*Hieroglyphics* A system in which symbols or pictures represent

objects, concepts or sounds* It was used to record important information

*Development of papyrus- a plant that grow along the banks of the Nile. *Paper was not discovered until 100AD in China


Learning

*Clues of the Rosetta Stone*After ancient Egypt's decline the meaning of

ancient hieroglyphs were lost*Jean Champollion*Discovered the Rosetta Stone- a flat black stone that

presents the same passed carved in hieroglyphics, demotic script and Greek

*He was able to decipher- figure out the meaning- or passages


Learning

*Furthering Science and Mathematics *There was a deep belief in magic, but what do you

think happened because of Mummification?*They learned a lot about anatomy.

*Doctors were skilled professionals*They knew about symptoms*Prescribed medicine

*Astronomy*They studied the heavens and mapped out constellations*They developed a 12 month calandar that added 5 days

to the end of the year*Math*This developed due to practical problems*They developed Geometry

*Egyptians Make Advances in Art and Literature

*Egyptian Arts*There is a rich legacy of Egyptian Art*Statues*Tombs*Temple Carvings

*Sculptures often remained unchanged or undamaged

*Egyptian Literature*Includes hymns and prayers to gods, proverbs and

love poems*Victories in battle as well

*The Roots of Judaism

Section 5

*Why is Studying Judaism

important or not Important

*Open the smart board

*Introduction

*About 4000 years ago the ancient Israelites developed the religion of Judaism

*Ancient Israelites shape a Unique Belief System

*Monotheism*Belief in one God

*While the surrounding peoples worshiped many gods, the belief in a one and ultimate God emerged*Each event that happened to the Israelites was reflected a a divine plan*Torah- the sacred text of the Hebrew Bible. It is the first 5 books

*The Ancient Israelites

*Intro*Abraham*According to the Torah, a man named

Abraham lived near Ur in Mesopotamia. About 2000 BC he left with his family and herd.


*God Makes a Covenant with the Israelites*A Covenant is a promise or agreement*The Covenant included two things*There would be a special relationship that God

would have with Abraham and his Descendants.

*Canaan would one day belong to the Israelites* This became known as the promised land


*Moses*Later renewed God's covenant*Freed the Israelite slaves from the

Egyptians


*The Kingdom of Israel Established*In 1000 BC David united the tribes under

one banner and was a wise second king of Judaism. *Solomon was David's son

*Built the 1st holy temple in Jerusalem

*Ancient Israelites

*Israel Suffers Division and Conquest*After Solomon died, people revolted*There was high labor and high taxes

*The Split*The North Kingdom of Israel'*Conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE

*The South Kingdom of Judah *Conquered by the Babylonians in 536 BCE * The Babylonians carried them off to their home (Babylonian

Captivity)* Eventually they were allowed to leave after 50 years

*Judaism Teaches about Law and

Morality

*Intro*Law was always central to the ancient

Israelites *There was no separation between religious

law and civil law*Society was patriarchal*Men held the greatest legal and moral

authority


Morality

*The Ten Commandments as a guide*What are the tend commandments?

*Teaching an Ethical Worldview*Spiritual leaders emerged to interpret God's will*Prophets*Were these spiritual leaders

*They taught morality, social justice, protection for the weak and poor*Kings were also not above the law


Morality

*Jews maintain their beliefs over time and place *Diaspora*The scattering of Jews across the world

*After the Babylonian captivity, many went abroad*They developed close communities that stuck out in

society*They stayed relatively pure and not influenced by other

traditions


Morality

*Why is Judaism important to study at least a little*It is a major religion because it is

fundamental to both Christianity and Islam*It has changed the world

ancient middle east and egypt

Education