Chapter 4
Warriors and Deities in the
Near East
Assyrian Empire
900-612 BCE
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By 800 BCE had conquered much of Tigris-Euphrates region
Great talent in military affairs
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Army was large, seemingly invincible
Horse and chariot were chief force in warfare
Used tightly-knit infantry formations
Also experts in siege warfare
Perhaps the most hated conquerors in ancient history
Empire reached from upper Tigris to central Egypt
Conquered peoples finally united, overthrew Assyrians
Had sophisticated appreciation for all art forms
Phoenicians
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Lived along coastal strip (now Lebanon)
Great colonists, traders in luxury wares
Spread art of iron making
Established colonies throughout western
Mediterranean
Most notable contribution was phonetic
alphabet, about 1000 BCE
• System of 22 marks
• Definite advance – simplicity, accessibility
• Greeks later added signs for vowels
Persians
500 BCE – 500 CE
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Most powerful of peoples of western
Asia
• Indo-European language
• Highly skilled cavalry
• Eventually became sedentary
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Persian Empire
• Cyrus the Great
United Persians in mid-sixth century BCE
 Extended domain from India to
Mediterranean, Arabia to lower Nile Valley
 Main cities were in Iran, not Mesopotamia
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Persian Empire
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His government was umbrella
sheltering many different peoples
• Subjects allowed to keep customs, laws
• Local authorities stayed in power
• Religion was totally free
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Darius I
• During his reign, empire reached largest
size
• Uniform coinage, calendar
• Advanced law code
Hebrews
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Most knowledge comes from Old Testament
Story of Abraham leading people into desert is
probably true
Established in Canaan by 1500s, came under
control of Egypt
Exodus
• Exact reasons are not clear
• Under Moses, Hebrews resolved to return to Canaan
• Wandered across Sinai Peninsula, met Canaanites,
Philistines
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By about 1000 BCE had set up own kingdom in
Canaan, Saul as king
David conquered Jerusalem, which became
capital city
Hebrews
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Solomon
• Hebrews were trading intermediaries between
Mesopotamia, Egypt
• Temple of Jerusalem was built – one of wonders of
ancient world
• His successor split kingdom into Judea and Samaria
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In time, Judeans (Jews) and Samaritans saw
themselves as separate peoples
Diaspora
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People scattered after Assyrian conquest
Ten Lost Tribes of Israel
Judeans conquered by Babylonians
Babylonian Captivity 586-539 BCE
After their return, Judea remained under Persian rule
until Alexander the Great conquered the area
Jewish Religious Belief and its
Evolution
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Yahweh became the only deity of the Jews
Zarathustra’s dualism doctrine had considerable
influence
Covenant – sacred contract to keep the faith,
triumph over enemies
Ten Commandments – rigid set of rules, moral
regulations
One of earliest attempts to link ethics, worship
• Yahweh as enforcer of correct ethical actions
• This belief was not unusual
• What was different was idea that good would be
rewarded
Economic Change and Social
Customs
Jews were mostly minor players in
regional affairs, politics
 Made transition from nomadic
herders to town life
 Social tension between rich and poor
then appeared
 Jews divided all humanity into “we”
and “them”, segregated themselves
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Economic Change and Social
Customs
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Women
• Typical nomadic custom of subordinating
women, considering them as possessions
• Marriage, divorce reflected patriarchy
• Wife married into husband’s family, moved into
his house
• Divorce was easy for husband, very unusual
for wife
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Children were the whole reason for
marriage
• Boys shared inheritance, girls did not
• Education carried out within family
A Changing Theology
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Concept of Yahweh changed over time
Long spiritual crisis during Babylonian
Captivity
New interpretation of the Covenant (the
Talmud)
Yahweh was not the universal god of all
He was just and merciful, omnipotent and
omniscient
Granted Man free will, thus allowing
principle of evil to appear
A Changing Theology
Last Judgement concept
 Gradually Yahweh became a personal
deity
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• Could be prayed to directly
• Actions were not impulsive or
unpredictable
• Relationship between God and Man is
meant to be one of mutual love
Discussion Questions
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1. The Assyrians have sometimes been
called the “first terrorists”. Why? What
actions did they take that might be called
“terrorism” today? What comparisons and
contrasts do you see with modern
terrorism?
2. Judaism established not only
monotheism, but also the new idea of a
covenant between Man and God. Why
was this such a different idea? How did it
change over time? Did it strengthen or
weaken the spread of Judaism?