1. Ancient Eastern Mediterranean
Civilizations
• Standard: Analyze the origins, structures, and
interactions of complex societies in the
ancient Eastern Mediterranean from 3500 BCE
to 500 BCE.
• Essential Question: What were the origins,
structures, and interactions of complex
societies in the ancient Eastern Mediterranean
from 3500 BCE to 500 BCE?
Egypt
Phoenicia
Persia
You are here
Mesopotamia
Israel
Mesopotamia
• Element: Describe the developments of
Mesopotamian societies including the
religious, cultural, economic, and political
facets of society.
• Vocabulary: Mesopotamia, city-state,
polytheism, ziggurat, Fertile Crescent,
Hammurabi
Geography
• Greek word meaning: “between the
rivers”
• Fertile Crescent
– Valley between the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers
– Extended from the Mediterranean Sea to
the Persian Gulf
– Modern Day Iraq
Economics
• based on agriculture
• large-scale system of
water control, crops
could be grown on a
regular basis
• traded for stone, wood,
and metal from other
societies to build
empires
Culture
• cities formed
• invented wagon wheel, potter’s wheel, the
sun dial, the arch and bronze
• created system of writing (cuneiform)
• developed a number system based on 60
• Geometry to measure fields
• charted constellations
Culture
• as societies became advanced, social classes
developed
• broken into social classes
– highest were rulers and priest
– Middle class were merchants
– Lower class were laborers and slaves
Religion
• Polytheism
– poly = many
– theism = god belief
– believed many gods controlled different forces of
nature
• believed gods to do what humans do
• Worship in ziggurats
– Mesopotamian temple
– pyramid-shaped monument
Religions
• wealth devoted to building temples
• houses for the priests and priestesses
• believed success of crops depended on the
gods
• believed Priest to be representative to the
gods
City-States
• city and the surrounding countryside under one
political and economic control
• Sumerians created first city-states in Mesopotamia
• Power passed from religious leaders to kings
• Kings led armies and organized the water control
projects necessary to sustain farming
City-States
• Role of the city:
– Religious center (ziggurat)
– Political center (palace)
– Trading center (market)
– Storage for surplus food
– Walls served as defense for citizens
Empire
• a large political unit that controls many
peoples and territories
• Several city-states brought together
• the Akkadian Empire lead by Sargon became
the first in history
Hammurabi
•
•
•
•
•
Babylonian Empire
1792 B.C.
ruled for 43 years
a skilled warrior
a clever administrator and a diplomat
Hammurabi’s Law Code
• 282 laws
• inscribed on an 8-foothigh stele (stone slab)
Hammurabi’s Law Code
• engraving of King Hammurabi receiving the laws
from Shamash
– Babylonian Sun-God
– believed to oversee justice in human affairs
• based on the principle of retaliation
– conditional sentence
– if you do this, you will receive this punishment
Purpose for the Code
• “to promote the welfare of the people, make
justice visible in the land, destroy the wicked
person and the evil, in order that the strong
might not injure the weak.”
• placed all groups in the empire under one law
Purpose for the Code
• deals with many aspects of daily life: property
rights, trade(business), family issues,
professional services, and crime
• contained consumer protection laws to
encourage the proper performance of work
• largest group of laws dealt with marriage and
the family
Marriage & Family Laws
• Parents arranged marriages, and the two
parties signed a marriage contract
• protected women and children
• Women still had fewer privileges and rights
than men
• expressed the patriarchal nature of
Mesopotamian society
• enforced the obedience of children to parents
Purpose for the Code
• Penalties were severe
• punished the rich and poor differently
• Main Idea = governments job to look after its
people
Ancient Egypt
• Element: Describe the relationship of religion
and political authority in Ancient Egypt.
• Vocabulary: Ancient Egypt, pharaoh, pyramid,
theocracy, mummification
Geography
Geography
• “The Gift of the Nile”
• Nile is the longest river in the world
• Lower Egypt or the Nile delta = the area where
the Nile splits in two, before it empties into
the Mediterranean
• Upper Egypt = the land upstream
Egypt Unified
•
•
•
•
began around 3100 B.C.
King Menes united Upper and Lower Egypt
created the first dynasty in Egypt
dynasty = a family of rulers whose right to rule is
passed on within the family
Ancient Egypt
•
Separated into 3 political periods
1. Old Kingdom
2. Middle Kingdom
3. New Kingdom
The Old Kingdom
• 2700–2200 B.C.
• rulers became known as pharaohs
– the political and religious leader of the people
– thought to be a god-king
– Theocracy based on Pharaoh worship
The Old Kingdom
• began to build pyramids
• began practicing
mummification
• began using papyrus
and hieroglyphics for
record keeping and
telling stories
The Rosetta Stone
A stone tablet found by French soldiers of
Napoleon’s army. It is the key to
translating Egyptian Hieroglyphics.
Old Kingdom Vocabulary
• theocracy - government in which the ruler is
considered to be a divine figure
• pharaoh - Egyptian ruler thought of as a god
• mummification - process by which a body is
preserved after death
• ka - Pharaoh’s eternal life force
• hieroglyphics - Egyptian writing system (sacred
carvings)
• pyramid - resting place for Egyptian kings after
death
The Middle Kingdom
•
•
•
•
2180 BCE invaders end the Old Kingdom
2050–1652 B.C.
golden age of stability
pharaohs displayed a new concern for the
people
• undertook public works such as draining
swampland to provide more farming land
• the Hyksos invaded from western Asia
• had horse-drawn chariots and superior bronze
weapons
The New Kingdom
•
•
•
•
1567-1085 B.C.
Hyksos driven out
a militaristic and powerful state
massive wealth was used to enhance the prestige
and power of the pharaohs
– Hebrews come in
– many new temples were constructed
• invasions by a group known as the “Sea Peoples”
eventually caused the loss of the Egyptian Empire
• Egypt dominated by Libyans, Nubians, Persians, and
Macedonians
Ramses II: the great builder
The Valley of the Kings was a tomb for
the Great Ramses to buried.
Society
• organized like a pyramid
• pharaoh at the top
• surrounded by a ruling class of nobles and
priests who ran the government and managed
their own estates
• below the upper class were merchants,
artisans, scribes, and tax collectors
• largest number of people was peasants who
worked the land, paid taxes, and provided
military service and labor
Advancements
• Pyramids, temples, and other monuments
exemplify the architectural and artistic
achievements
• advances in geometry, able to calculate area
and volume
• hieroglyphics, or ‘sacred carvings’
• practice of medicine
Ancient Middle East
• Element: Explain the development of
monotheism to include the concepts
developed by the ancient Hebrews and
Zoroastrianism.
• Vocabulary: monotheism, ancient Hebrews,
Zoroastrianism
Israelites
• Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations
declined
• emerged between 1200–1000 B.C
• Semitic people (language)
• lived in Palestine
King Solomon
•
•
•
•
ruled from 970–930 B.C.
expanded the government, army, and trade
built a temple in Jerusalem
ancient Israel reached the height of its power
Israel Divided
•
•
•
•
after Solomon’s death
into two kingdoms
northern kingdom = Israel
southern kingdom = Judah
Assyrians
•
•
•
•
•
•
an empire established by 700 B.C.
conquered Israel
iron weapons, and military conquest
used terror as an instrument of warfare
destroyed the land in which they were fighting
605 B.C. collapse of empire because of
internal strife and resentment
Judaism
• Founder: Abraham
• Homeland: Ur (Mesopotamia)
• God: Yahweh
Sacred Writings
• The Hebrew Bible: Torah, Prophetic writings
and other writings
• Talmud: Mishnah (oral laws of Jews) and
Gemara (interpretations of the Mishnah)
Ceremonies
•
•
•
•
•
Passover
Pentecost
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Hanukkah
Key Beliefs
•
•
•
•
monotheism
Star of David(shield of David) is their symbol
temple = synagogue
covenant - agreement between God and his
people, could be fulfilled by obedience to the
law of God
Key Beliefs
• Prophets - sent by God to serve as his voice to
the people
– expressed concern for all humanity
– hoped that all people would someday follow the
God of Israel
– concerned for social justice
– called Jews to act justly, share with neighbors,
care for the poor and unfortunate, and act with
compassion
Persian History
• nomadic
• Indo-European people
Cyrus
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ruled from 559–530 B.C.
from Asia Minor to western India
captured Babylon
treated his subjects with wisdom and restraint
allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem
Cyrus’s successors extended the empire
Cambyses invaded Egypt
Darius
• ruled from 521–486 B.C.
• extended into India and Europe
• created the largest empire the world had yet
seen
• Royal Road created to link the empire stretching from Lydia to Susa
• set up way stations providing rest, shelter, and
fresh horses for the king’s messengers
After Darius
• 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.
Zoroastrianism
•
•
•
•
•
Founder: Zoroaster
Homeland: Persia (Iran)
God: Ahura Mazda
Sacred Writings: Avesta
Ceremonies: Fire-worship ritual
Key Beliefs
• concept of Satan (Angra Mainyu)
• belief of Angels
• the final judgment and people have a free will
to choose good or evil
Key Beliefs
• Humata: “Good Thoughts,” the intention or
moral resolution to abide by Asha, the right
order of things
• Hukhata: “Good Words,” the communication
of that intention
• Havarashta: “Good Deeds,” the realization in
action of that intention
Phoenicians
• Element: Describe early trading networks in the
Eastern Mediterranean to include the impact
Phoenicians had on the Mediterranean World.
• Vocabulary: Phoenicians
Phoenicians
• modern day Lebanon
• Accomplishments:
– city-states
– trade network
– writing system
City-States
• never unified politically but wealthy
• people were connected by culture (common
language, writing, and trade practices)
• ports 30 miles apart (the length you could sail
in a day)
• had to conquer every Phoenician city-state
because they were independent
City-States
• colonies along North Africa, Spain, Sicily & Sardinia
• Carthage:
– greatest colony
– set-up by the people of Tyre about 814 BCE
• Important trade centers:
– Byblos traded papyrus
– Tyre produced and traded red-purple dye
– Sidon produced and traded red-purple dye
Trade Networks
• known for ship building and seafarers
• controlled trade throughout the Mediterranean Sea and into
the Atlantic Ocean
• first Mediterranean people to go out past the Straight of
Gibraltar
• connected cultures throughout the region
• traded what they retrieved from other lands
–
–
–
–
–
wine
weapons
precious metals
ivory
slaves
Writing
• Element: Explain the development and importance
of writing to include cuneiform, hieroglyphics, and
the Phoenician alphabet.
• Vocabulary: Cuneiform, hieroglyphics, Phoenician
alphabet, papyrus
Cuneiform: Development
• created by Sumerians
• wedge-shaped
• form of pictograph = the use of pictures that
represent a word or phrase
• used a reed stylus to make wedge-shaped
marks on clay tablets, which were then baked
in the sun
Cuneiform: Importance
• used to keep records and to pass on
knowledge
• allowed people to communicate in new ways
• The Epic of Gilgamesh is an important
Mesopotamian epic poem
Hieroglyphics: Development
• created by Egypt around 3000 B.C.
• “sacred carvings”
• form of pictograph =used pictures and
abstract forms
• written on temple walls and tombs
• hieratic script - a simplified version, written on
papyrus
Hieroglyphics: Importance
• used for:
– business transactions
– the general needs of everyday life
Phoenician Alphabet: Development
• developed by the Phoenicians
• form of phonetics = used symbols to represent
sounds
Phoenician Alphabet: Importance
• introduced writing systems to trade partners
• influenced the Greeks to use this system of
writing as well