Chapter 2 Ancient Middle East and Egypt

1. Chapter 2Ancient Middle East and Egypt 3200 B.C.- 500 B.C.

2. Fertile Crescent • From Persian Gulf to the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea • Mesopotamia= between two rivers • Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flow from modern day Turkey into Iraq • Catastrophic floods occurred in ancient Sumer • The Epic of Gilgamesh • Villagers had to work together to protect themselves and their farmland from the violent flooding

3. Building Cities • Lack natural resources like timber and stone • Made houses and other structures out of clay bricks • Merchants traveled far to sell their wares • Sumerians may have been the first people to use wheeled vehicles

4. Sumerian Civilization Takes Shape • 12 separate city-states • Rule by war leaders/hereditary rule • In charge of public works, warfare, enforced laws, employed scribes, chief servant of the gods • Hierarchy- system of ranking • Upper class- ruling family, leading officials, and high priests • Middle class- lesser priests, scribes, merchants and artisans • Lower class- peasants farmers and slaves

5. What were women’s roles in Sumerian society? • What was the Sumerian view of the afterlife?

6. Section 2Invaders, Traders, and Empire Builders • The Fertile Crescent was a very appealing place for nomadic peoples and ambitious warriors • Some came through Mesopotamia to pillage and some to settle

7. Sargon and the Akkadians • Ruler of Akkad 2300 B.C. • Invaded city-states of Sumer • Built first known empire • Only lasted until his death

8. Hammurabi and Babylon • 1790 B.C. • King of Babylon • Brought much of Mesopotamia under his empire • Code of Hammurabi • Law code • Codify- arrange and set down into writing • Most enduring legacy

9. Types of Law • Civil Law • Deals with private rights and matters • Business contracts • Property inheritance • Taxes • Marriage • Divorce • A Husband had legal authority over his wife, and a legal duty to support her • A Father had unlimited authority over his children

10. Criminal Law • Offenses against others • Robbery • Assault • Murder • “eye for an eye”

11. Other Accomplishments of Hammurabi • Public works such as irrigation, well-trained army, temple repairs • Unified his empire through religion • Marduk became the chief god of Babylon over all other Sumerian gods

12. Hittites • 1400 B.C. • Secret of ironworking • Empire collapsed around 1400 B.C. • Ironworking spread Refine the horse-drawn chariot p. 39

13. Assyrians • 1350 B.C. started their empire, 1100 B.C. spread across Mesopotamia • Feared warriors • City of Nineveh- world’s first library • King Assurbanipal • Collected cuneiform tablets from all over the Fertile Crescent

14. Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon • Revived Babylon • Stretched from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf • Hanging Gardens • Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

15. Persians • Babylon fell to Cyrus the Great • Asia minor to India- Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Afghanistan and Pakistan • Policy of tolerance • Darius I • Satraps and satrapy • Single law code • Traveled all over his empire • Produced common weights and measures • Barter economy vs. money economy

16. Zoroaster • 600 B.C • Rejected old Persian gods • One god, Ahura Mazda, ruled the world • He was in constant struggle with Ahriman, the prince of lies and evil • It was your job to decide with side to support • Zoroaster taught that in the end Ahura Mazda would win, and their would be a final judgment day

17. Phoenicians • Sailors and traders • String of cities along the eastern Mediterranean coast in modern day Lebanon and Syria • Some farming, but mostly relied manufacturing and trade • Set up colonies in North Africa, Sicily, and Spain • Some made it as far as Britain • “Carriers of civilization” • Alphabet • 22 symbols that stood for a consonant sound • Greeks added vowel sounds and symbols • This is where we get the words you are reading right now

18. Section 3Kingdom on the Nile • Geography • Nile- longest river in the world. Flows from south to north • Surrounded by dessert • Yearly flooding • Channeled water for the dry season • Upper Egypt- South • Lower Egypt- North • Cataract- waterfall • Delta- Triangular area of marshland • River used for trade and as a unifying force

19. Old Kingdom 2575 B.C.- 2130 B.C. • Pharaohs- Egyptians kings/gods • Strong centralized state • Bureaucracy- a system of gov’t that includes different job functions and levels of authority • Vizier- chief minister • Ptah-hotep • Vizier 2450 B.C. • Wrote Instructions of the Vizier Ptah-hotep

20. Great Pyramids are Built! • Necropolis=cemeteries • Take out your packet and read about the building of the pyramids!!

21. Middle Kingdom 1938 B.C.- 1630 B.C. • Turbulent period • Power struggles, crop failures, debt • Nile not as predictable • Took over Nubia • More contact with peoples of the Middle East and Crete • About 1700 B.C. Hyksos invaded • Read Hyksos and Horses

22. New Kingdom 1539 B.C.- 1075 B.C. • Age of conquest • Hatshepsut • Thutmose III • Ramses II • Ruled 66 years • Built many monuments to himself • Fought with the Hittites- first signed peace treaty

23. Decline • 1100 B.C. • Invaded by Assyrians and Persians • 332 B.C. Greeks took over • 30 B.C. Rome took it from the Greeks

38. Section 4Egyptian Civilization

39. Religion • Chief gods and goddesses • Sun god • Old Kingdom called Re • Middle Kingdom called Amon-Re • Pharaohs received their right to rule directly from Amon-Re

40. Osiris and Isis • Osiris • God of the Dead and the Nile River • Isis was ideal female and wife of Osiris

41. Akhenaton • In 1380 B.C., Amenhotep IV challenged the priests of Amon-Re • He worshipped only Aton, a minor god • Many did not following him • Changes did not last beyond his lifetime

42. Egyptian Views of the Afterlife • Pass a test to win eternal life • Osiris would judge the weight of your heart against that of a feather • If your heart was heavier then you would be fed to the Eater of the Dead • If your heart did not out-weight the feather then you could enter the Happy Field of Food • Book of the Dead was there as your guide

43. Mummification • Egyptians believed that the afterlife would be much like life on Earth • Buried the dead with everything they needed for eternity • Mummification was used to preserve the body • Just for rulers and nobles, but eventually ordinary Egyptians were mummified, including pets

44. Egyptian Society • Mostly farmers and slaves • In the off-season men were expected to serve the pharaoh • Women would tend to the children and household

45. Changes • Social classes more fluid because of warfare and trade • Women enjoyed a higher status • Inherit property • Enter business deals • Buy and sell goods • Got to court • Obtain a divorce

46. Advances in Learning • Hieroglyphics • Hieratic • Demotic • p. 54 in textbook • Rosetta Stone Knew about the human body b/c of mummification Modern-day calendar Geometry

47. Arts and Literature • Gods and pharaohs always larger than other figures in art • Stiff standard poses • Not life-like • Literature included hymns, prayers, proverbs, and love poems • The Tale of Sinuhe

48. Section 5The Roots of Judaism

49. Unique Belief System • Monotheistic • Torah- first 5 books of the Bible plus more • Talmud- laws and customs • Moses • David • Solomon • Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Captivity

50. Law and Morality • Society was patriarchal • Women had few legal rights • Ten Commandments • Prophets • Strong code of ethics