Chapter 1.2Western Asia & Egypt
I. City-States of Ancient Mesopotamia
II. Empires of Ancient Mesopotamia
III. The Code of Hammurabi
IV. The Creativity of the Sumerians
V. The Course of Egyptian History
VI. Society in Ancient Egypt
VII. Writing, Art, & Science
VIII.New Centers of Civilization: The Israelites
IX. The Rise of the New Empires
The City-States of Ancient
Mesopotamia

The valley between the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers is part of the Fertile
Crescent, an arc of land extending from
the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf
– Through a large-scale system of water
control, crops could be grown on a regular
basis, enabling large numbers of people to
live together in cities.
The City-States of Ancient
Mesopotamia

The first city-states in Mesopotamia were
created by the Sumerians
– These states controlled the surrounding countryside
politically and economically
– The most prominent building in a Sumerian city was
the temple
– The people devoted much of their wealth to
 building temples
 providing elaborate houses for the priests and priestesses
– Power passed from religious leaders to kings
– Kings led armies and organized the water control
projects necessary to sustain farming
Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia

City-states fought for control of land and
water
– The flat land of Mesopotamia encouraged
invasion by outside groups
– Sargon, leader of the Akkadians, overran the
Sumerian city-states in 2340 B.C. and set up
the first empire in history
– An empire is a large political unit that
controls many peoples and territories
– In 1792 B.C., Hammurabi of Babylon
established a new empire over much of Akkad
and Sumeria
The Code of Hammurabi

Hammurabi is known for his law code, a
collection of 282 laws
– Penalties were severe
 They varied according to social status
 based on the principle of retaliation.
 The law code contained consumer protection laws to
encourage the
proper performance of work
– The largest group of laws dealt with marriage and the
family
 Parents arranged marriages, and the two parties signed a
marriage contract
– The law code expressed the patriarchal nature of
Mesopotamian society
 Women had fewer privileges and rights than men
 The code also enforced the obedience of children to parents
The Creativity of the Sumerians

The Sumerians created a system of writing
called cuneiform (wedge-shaped)
– They used a reed stylus to make wedge-shaped
marks on clay tablets, which were then baked in the
sun

Writing was used to keep records and to pass on
knowledge
– It allowed people to communicate in new ways
– The Epic of Gilgamesh is an important Mesopotamian
epic poem
The Creativity of the Sumerians

The Sumerians invented important
items
–
–
–
–
–
the wagon wheel
the potter’s wheel
the sundial
the arch
bronze
The Sumerians developed a number
system based on 60.
 Geometry was used to measure
fields, and the Sumerians charted the
constellations

The Course of Egyptian History

The Nile is the longest river in the
world
– The area where the Nile splits in two,
before it empties into the Mediterranean, is
called the Nile delta, also called Lower
Egypt
– The land upstream is Upper Egypt

Egyptian history is divided into three
major periods of stability, peace, and
cultural activity:
– the Old Kingdom
– the Middle Kingdom
– the New Kingdom

Between the periods of stability were
ages of political chaos and invasion
The Course of Egyptian History

Egyptian history began around 3100 B.C.
when King Menes united Upper and
Lower Egypt into a single kingdom
– He created the first dynasty in Egypt
 A dynasty is a family of rulers whose right to rule
is passed on within the family

During the prosperous Old Kingdom,
2700–2200 B.C., Egyptian rulers became
known as pharaohs, which means “great
house” or “palace.”
The Course of Egyptian History

The pyramids were built during the
Old Kingdom
– Pyramids were tombs for the mummified
bodies of the pharaohs
– Priests performed the process of
mummification, which could last 70 days

The largest pyramid is the Great
Pyramid of King Khufu at Giza
– Built around 2540 B.C.
– it stands next to a huge statue with the
body of a lion and the head of a man
 Known as the Great Sphinx, it is believed to
bear the likeness of Khufu’s son Khafre
The Course of Egyptian History

The Middle Kingdom, 2050–1652 B.C., was later
portrayed by Egyptians as a golden age of stability
– pharaohs displayed a new concern for the people
– pharaohs undertook public works such as draining
swampland to provide more farming land

The Middle Kingdom came to an end when the
Hyksos invaded from western Asia
– The Hyksos had horse-drawn chariots and superior
bronze weapons
The Course of Egyptian History

The conquered Egyptians eventually
drove out the Hyksos and established
the New Kingdom from 1567–1085
B.C.
– Egypt became a militaristic and powerful
state
– Massive wealth was used to enhance the
prestige and power of the pharaohs
– Many new temples were constructed.
Invasions by a group known as the
“Sea Peoples” eventually caused the
loss of the Egyptian Empire.
 For the next thousand years, Libyans,
Nubians, Persians, and Macedonians
dominated Egypt.

Society in Ancient Egypt

Egyptian society was organized like a pyramid
– The pharaoh was at the top
– He was surrounded by a ruling class of nobles and
priests
 They ran the government and managed their own estates
– Below the upper class were merchants, artisans,
scribes, and tax collectors
 Artisans created beautiful goods that merchants sold
– The largest number of people in Egypt were peasants
who worked the land, paid taxes, and provided military
service and labor
Writing, Art, and Science
Writing emerged in Egypt around 3000 B.C
 Egyptians used a system called hieroglyphics.

– It used pictures and abstract forms and was written on
temple walls and tombs
– A simplified version, written on papyrus, is called
hieratic script
 used for business transactions and the general needs of
everyday life
Writing, Art, and Science

Pyramids, temples, and other monuments
exemplify the architectural and artistic
achievements of the Egyptians
– Artists followed a distinctive style
 the human body was often shown as a combination of profile,
semi-profile, and frontal view in order to accurately represent
each part
– To erect their monumental building projects and
accurately survey their flooded land, Egyptians made
important advances in geometry
 They were able to calculate area and volume
New Centers of Civilization:
The Israelites

As Mesopotamian and
Egyptian civilizations
declined, smaller states
emerged
– The Israelites were a Semitic
people who lived in Palestine
 emerged as a distinct group
between 1200–1000 B.C. who
established a united kingdom
known as Israel
New Centers of Civilization:
The Israelites

King Solomon, who
ruled from about 970
to 930 B.C., expanded
the government,
army, and trade.
– He built a temple in
Jerusalem
– Under Solomon,
ancient Israel was at
the height of its power.
New Centers of Civilization: The Israelites

After Solomon’s death,
Israel divided into two
kingdoms
– The northern kingdom was
Israel
– the southern kingdom was
Judah
 This kingdom gave its name
to the religion of the
Israelites, Judaism
 The Jews were
monotheistic
 They worshipped one god,
Yahweh
New Centers of Civilization:
The Israelites

The covenant, law, and prophets were three
aspects of Jewish religion
– The covenant, or contract, was the agreement between
God and his people:
 Yahweh promised to guide them if they obeyed the law of God
stated in the Ten Commandments
– Prophets were sent by God to serve as his voice to the
people
 expressed concern for all humanity and the hope that all people
would someday follow the God of Israel, and peace would be
established
– Prophets were concerned for social justice
 They called on the Jews to act justly, share with neighbors,
care for the poor and unfortunate, and act with compassion
The Rise of New Empires
The independent state of Israel was conquered
by larger empires
 Through the use of iron weapons and military
conquest, the Assyrians established an empire
by 700 B.C.

– used terror as an instrument of warfare
– regularly destroyed the land in which they were
fighting
– Internal strife and resentment of Assyrian rule
brought about the collapse of the empire in 612 B.C.
The Rise of New Empires

The Persians were a nomadic, Indo-European
people living in what today is southwestern Iran
– One family unified the various groups
– One member, Cyrus, created a powerful Persian state
from Asia Minor to western India.
 Cyrus ruled from 559 to 530 B.C.
 He captured Babylon, treating his subjects with wisdom and
restraint, and he allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem
The Rise of New Empires


Darius, who ruled from 521 to 486 B.C., extended the
empire into India and Europe, creating the largest
empire the world had yet seen
Efficient communication was necessary to sustain the
Persian Empire.
– The Royal Road, stretching from Lydia to Susa, linked the
empire
– The Persians set up way stations providing rest, shelter, and
fresh horses for the king’s messengers.


After Darius, the Persian kings became more isolated in
their luxurious courts.
Struggles over power weakened the empire until it was
conquered by Alexander the Great during the 330s B.C.
Washington Monument
Great Pyramid of
King Khufu
Click the mouse button or press the
Space Bar to display the answers.
415 feet or 127
meters