Sumeria and Egypt (2500 B.C.)
The Near East (2200 B.C.)
Map of Palestine and her Neighbors (2000 B.C.)
Map of Palestine and her neighbors at the time of the Amorite invasion (2000 B.C.)
Right around the turn of the second millennium B.C. the Amorites came and swallowed up every kingdom and city
in the Middle East that they attacked. They built new cities on the mounds of the destroyed kingdoms which later
became the Canaanite cities of the Bible. They spoke a west-Semitic dialect and were called the Amurru (people of
the west) by the Akkadian peoples of Mesopotamia. The story of Sinuhe describes the land of Canaan almost
identical to the Promised Land of the Bible.
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The Assyrian Empire (1750 B.C.)
Map of the Egyptian Empire (1450 B.C.)
Map of the Egyptian Empire with the Conquest of Canaan by Thutmose III
(1450 B.C.)
The18th dynasty was established in Egypt during the middle of the 16th
century B.C. by Ahmose (Aahmes). At this time Egypt's New Kingdom
took complete control over the land of Canaan, the kingdom lasted over
400 years. It was around this time that the term "Land of Canaan" makes
its first appearance in ancient historical records. The term had originated
on the Phoenician coastline and certain inscriptions mention them as a
class of wealthy merchants. Later the king of Babylon used it to designate
the entire Egyptian province of Canaan when he wrote to Pharaoh:
"Canaan is thy land and its kings are thy servants" (El-Amarna 8, 25)
Age of the Great Kings (1350 B.C.)
The First Israeli Invasions (1250 B.C.)
Extent of Israeli Invasions (1180 B.C.)
The Kingdom of Saul (1010 B.C.)
Greece Before the Invasions of the Persians (650 B.C.)
Map of the New Assyrian Empire - 650 B.C.
Map of the New Assyrian Empire in 650 B.C.
This map reveals how vast the Assyrian Empires territory
had extended, which covered lands from the Persian Gulf
to Egypt to present day Turkey. The Assyrians were
remarkable warriors and had been for some time. Their
tactically organized and well-equipped army was able to
storm enemy cities like a mighty machine, on foot, on
their swift horses and their war chariots. Once the
Assyrian troops had battered down a city gate, they
showed no mercy. They ruthlessly murdered, tortured,
and enslaved their enemies. Their practice of relocating
rebellious peoples made them very despised. Any
conquered people would forever hate the cruel Assyrians.
Their extreme measures of exacting tribute have been
some of the most brutal scenes of human cruelty that the
world has ever known as seen from archaeological finds.
One of the ancient monuments discovered in the ruins of
ancient Assyria has this inscription by King Asshurizirpal
of a conquered city:
"Their men, young and old, I took as prisoners. Of some I
cut off the feet and hands; of others I cut off the noses,
ears, and lips; of the young men's ears I made a heap; of
the old men's heads I built a minaret." - (Asshurizirpal
Inscription)
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End of the Assyrian Empire (612 B.C.)
Map of the Babylonian Empire - 550 B.C.
Map of the Babylonian Empire in 550 B.C.
The Babylonians were great conquerors, as the Assyrians
were. They were also great traders as revealed through
archaeology, and thousands of cuneiform tablets have
been found telling of their complex trade networks. They
traded with Lebanon, Egypt and Greece. In order to
protect their trade routes, they marched their armies west
with the mighty king Nebuchadnezzar leading them. He
captured major cities like the Phoenician city of Tyre and
it was he who conquered Jerusalem. He also drove out the
Egyptians from Syria and Phoenicia which enabled him
to secure a rich trade gateway to the Mediterranean Sea.
Babylon also collected a bitter tribute from the conquered
cities and many rebellions were put down.
In 612 B.C. while the Assyrian stranglehold had been
extinguished and Nebuchadnezzar has successfully
contended with Egypt for the Assyrian Empire, the
kingdom of Judah rebelled. In 597 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar
took Jerusalem and their Jewish nobles, armies and
craftsmen into captivity in Babylon. When King Zedekiah
of Judah aided a second Egyptian attack, his sons were
killed in his sight and he was blinded and carried into
exile with his people.
The empire of Babylon was at its greatest extent in 546
B.C. when Cyrus of Persia cunningly took Babylon by
surprise.
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Invasion of the Mediterranean by the Persians (480 B.C.)
Persian Empire (550 B.C.)
Roman Empire (270 BC)
Roman Empire (74 BC)
Roman Empire (47 A.D.)
Roman Empire (476 A.D.)
The Dark Ages (760 A.D.)
Middle Ages (1160 A.D.)
The Renaissance Era (1570 A.D.)
The Enlightenment (1815 AD)
The Industrial Age (1871)
World War I (1914)
World War II (1944)
Creation of the Israeli Estate (1949)
Map of the Middle East TODAY