Chapter 2 Western Asia and Egypt Section

Chapter 2 Western Asia and Egypt

Section 1 - Mesopotamian Civilization The Impact of Geography n Mesopotamia means “land between 2 rivers”. n Tigris and Euphrates River that overflowed it’s banks. Floods were unpredictable. n Fertile Crescent is an area from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. n Civilizations began here because of the land with rich soil. n Created irrigation and drainage ditches. n Sumerians were creators of 1 st Mesopotamian civilization.

The City-States of Ancient Mesopotamia n Southern city-states: Eridu, Uruk. n City-states – basic units of Sumerian civilization. n Used mud bricks for walls for houses, buildings and protection. n Temple was most important. On top of ziggurat. n Priests and priestesses had a great deal of power. n Believed that gods ruled the cities, theocracy. Kings got their power from the gods.

Most Sumerians were farmers, but some learned how to make metal goods, pottery, and wool cloth. n Social Hierarchy 1 st- Nobles- kings, priests and their families. 2 nd- Commoners- farmers, fishers, merchants, craftspeople. 3 rd- Slaves- owned by palace and temple officials. n

Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia n The land of Mesopotamia was very flat, so it was easy to invade. n City-states fought each other for land water. n Akkadians overran the Sumerian city-states. n Led by Sargon, they created 1 st empire in history. Ended about 2100 B. C. n New empire developed out of Babylon. n Hammurabi gained control of Sumer and Akkad.

The Code of Hammurabi n One of most important contribution was a collection of laws called the Code of Hammurabi. n Penalties were severe and different for each class. Lower classes punished more. Covered almost every aspect of people’s lives. n The principle of retribution was a basis for most laws. “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”. n Patriarchal- men dominated it and ruled their wives and children.

The Importance of Religion n Climate was harsh with heavy rains, scorching winds, and famines. n Believed supernatural forces controlled their world. n Polytheistic with almost 3, 000 gods and goddesses.

The Creativity of the Sumerians n Invented many things that still affects our lives today. n Writing- cuneiform means “wedge-shaped”. Made wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets. Used to keep records. Taught in schools that trained scribes, who would become leaders of their cities, temples, and armies. Allowed to pass knowledge. n Wagon Wheel- transport goods easily. n Potter’s wheel n Sundial n Arch n First people to make bronze out of copper and tin.

Section 2 - Egyptian Civilization The Impact of Geography n Nile is the longest river in the world. Begins in Africa and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Splits into 2 branches forming a delta. n Nile Delta is called Lower Egypt. The land south is called Upper Egypt. n Yearly flooding was predictable and called the “miracle”.

n n n Farmers were able to grow surplus of food that made Egypt prosperous. Nile made it easy to travel throughout the land. Natural barriers to protect them from invasion. Deserts in the west and east; Red Sea to the east; Cataracts to the south; and the Mediterranean Sea to the north.

The Importance of Religion n Polytheistic. Most important gods were sun gods and land gods. n Sun god was known as Atum and Re. Rulers had the title of Son of Re, believed to be earthly form of Re. n River and land gods were Osiris and Isis. Osiris was the symbol of resurrection (coming back to life)

The Course of Egyptian History n Divided up into 3 periods: Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom. n Between periods were times of chaos and invasion. n 3100 B. C. King Menes unites upper and lower Egypt into one kingdom. n Creates a dynasty- is a family or rulers whose right to rule is passed on within the family.

Old Kingdom n 2700 -2200 B. C. n Time of prosperity and splendor. n Monarchs were powerful rulers. Known as Pharaohs meaning “great house” or “palace”. Believed they were gods. Developed a bureaucracy to help them rule. A vizier meaning “steward of the whole land” reported directly to the Pharaoh and was in charge of the bureaucracy.

n n n 1 of greatest achievement was building pyramids. They served as tombs for the bodies of dead pharaohs. Egyptians believed that they had 2 bodies, a physical and a spiritual one (ka). If the physical body was preserved (mummification) after death and the tomb stocked with food and supplies, the ka could return. Largest pyramid built was in Giza around 2540 B. C. by King Khufu called the Great Pyramid. Took 20 years and 100, 000 Egyptians to build. Guarded by the Great Sphinx- body of lion with human head. Old Kingdom ends. 150 years of chaos follows.

Middle Kingdom n 2050 -1652 B. C. n Time of stability. n Egypt conquered Nubia and sent armies to Syria and Palestine. n Drained swampland to give people land. n Dug canal to connect Nile and the Red Sea to aid trade and transportation. n Hyksos invaded using horse-drawn chariots. n Egyptians learned how to make bronze tools and weapons as well as how to use chariots.

New Kingdom n 1567 -1085 B. C. n Egypt created an empire and became the most powerful state in SW Asia. n Built new temples. n Hatshepsut reigns. 1 st woman Pharaoh. n Amenhotep IV forces only worship of 1 god, Aton. Changed his name to Akehenaton meaning “It is well with Aton”. n Tutankhamen restored the old gods.

n n Ramses II tried to regain control of their earlier empire, but they were only partly successful. 1 st century B. C. , Cleopatra tried to regain Egypt’s independence, but was defeated by the Romans who made them a part of the Roman Empire.

Society in Ancient Egypt n Society was organized like a pyramid. n Top: Pharaoh n Small Upper Class: Nobles and Priests n Middle Class: Merchants, Artisans, Scribes, and Tax Collectors n Lower Class: Most people: peasants who farmed the land, paid taxes from the crops they grew, lived in small villages, served in the military, and were forced to work on building projects.

Daily Life in Ancient Egypt n Married at a young age. Normally had only 1 wife. If it ended in divorce, the wife was compensated. Men were masters of the house; Women were respected, took care of the home, educated the children, could operate businesses. n Parents arranged marriages for their children. Main purpose: to produce children, especially males.

Writing and Education n Began around 3000 B. C. n Hieroglyphics means “priest-carvings” or “sacred writings”. Pictures and abstract forms. Complex and took a long time to learn. n Hieratic Script- a simpler version of Hieroglyphics. Used for business and daily life. n First written on stone and then papyrus.

Achievements in Art and Science n Used geometry and learned how to calculate area and volume. n Developed 365 day calendar. n Became experts in human anatomy. n Used splints, bandages, and compresses to treat fractures, wounds, and disease.

Section 3 – New Centers of Civilization n n Pastoral nomads domesticated animals for food and clothing. Indo-Europeans combined with the native peoples of Asia Minor and Anatolia to form the Hittite kingdom. 2000 -1200 B. C. 1 st to use iron. Made stronger and cheaper weapons

The Phoenicians n Lived in area around Palestine, along the Mediterranean coast. n Trade was the basis of their economy. n Improved their ships & became a trade empire. n Carthage was located on N. African coast. n Developed a system of writing that used 22 different signs to represent the sounds of their language. n Roman alphabet is from this.

The “Children of Israel” n Israelites lived south of the Phoenicians, came from Mesopotamia and Palestine. n Followed Judaism, which would influence the religions of Christianity and Islam. n Wandered the desert for many years until they returned to Palestine. n Tribes united and formed Israel. n King Solomon ruled from 970 -930 B. C. He expanded the government and army, encouraged trade with other countries, and built the temple of Jerusalem.

n n n After Solomon’s death, Israel split into 2 kingdoms: Kingdom of Israel with Samaria as their capital and the Kingdom of Judah with Jerusalem as their capital. The Assyrians conquered Israel. Judah survived but was conquered by the Chaldeans and sent to Babylon as captives. Later, allowed to leave. Became known as Jews, and their religion became known as Judaism.

n n Judaism is monotheistic. Their god was called Yahweh. He was the creator of the world and everything in it. Believed Moses led them out of Egypt. God made a covenant or contract with them. To fulfill it, they must obey the law of God, called the Ten Commandments. Believed God sent prophets to teach and warn them. Prophets said God waned them to live justly and care for the poor. Ten Commandments is the basis for modern laws and ideals of social justice.

n n Judaism was unique from the other religions in western Asia because it was monotheistic. God’s wished had been written down. No single person alone could claimed to know God’s will. Anyone who could read Hebrew could unlock this knowledge. Jews refused to accept the gods of their conquerors.

Section 4 – The Rise of New Empires The Assyrian Empire n Assyria is located on the upper Tigris River. n Used iron weapons to conquer others and build an empire. n Well organized and developed a system of communication. Relay of horses. n Ashurbanipal, built one of the world’s first libraries at Nineveh. n Armies were well organized and used iron weapons. Treated conquered people cruelly.

The Persian Empire n The Chaldeans made Babylon the most important state in western Asia. n Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon and made it into one of the great cities in ancient world. n Babylon fell to the Persians. Empire stretched from Asia Minor to western India. n Cyrus ruled from 559 -530 B. C. He ruled with great wisdom and compassion. He had respect for other cultures.

n n Cambyses invaded Egypt. Darius added a province in India, moved into Europe and conquered Thrace. Persian Empire becomes largest the world has ever seen. Divided into 20 satrapies, ruled by a satrap or “protector of the kingdom”. They collect taxes, provided justice, and recruited soldiers. The Persian Empire depended upon the power of the military. Had a professional army. A cavalry and infantry of 10, 000 called the Immortals.

n n Persian kings had many wives and children. Son of the kings had no power but were always plotting to gain the throne and eventually weakened the monarchy. Believed in Zoroastrianism. Zoroaster’s teachings were written in in the Zen Avestia, the sacred book. Monotheistic. Ahuramazda or “Wise Lord” was their god and creator. Ahriman was an evil spirit who opposed him. He taught that humans could choose between good and evil and that in a struggle between good and evil, Ahuramazda would triumph.