Transcript Civilizations and Empires in Southwest Asia

Civilizations and Empires in
Southwest Asia
World History
Mr. Dunham
Civilization Arose in the
Fertile Crescent
Why is it important for people (especially
farmers) to settle near rivers & streams?
Farmers need their villages near water
because they need it for their crops.
Mesopotamia
The region between
the Tigris River and
the Euphrates River
is known as
Mesopotamia.
One of the first
villages to emerge
was Sumer. The
villagers were called
Sumerians.
Sumer
Sumer was neither a city nor a country. Rather, it was a collection of
separate cities with a common way of life. They shared a common culture.
Historians believe that
Sumerians built the
world’s first
civilization.
Right: Artistic view of
what Sumer might have
looked like.
What defines the term “Civilization?”
Five Traits that are Essential for a Civilization
1. The Growth of Cities
•
Not Just Population growth, but also a center of trade
emerges for a larger area. Farmers, Merchants, Traders
bring goods to market in the cities.
2. Specialized Workers
•
Workers became skilled in one particular job.
–
–
Ex. Artisans: Workers who made goods by hand.
Farmers were able to produce more than what was needed for
themselves. They had a surplus of crops and were able to
trade their extra goods for a different good or service. (An
end to subsistence farming.)
3. Record Keeping/Writing
•
Enables people to make records of data. Merchants needed
accounts of debts and payments.
–
The Sumerians created Cuneiform, which is a system of
writing with wedge-shaped symbols. (Around 3,000 B.C.)
Cuneiform Tablet
Imprints of the
signs, called
cuneiform, were
made by pressing a
wedge-shaped stylus
into wet clay.
Cuneiform Tablet & Tools
Cuneiform Translation Table
Five Traits Essential for a
Civilization Cont.
4. Advanced Technology
• The Sumerians were skilled in
science & technology.
– Ex. Invention of the wheel,
plow, sailboat.
– Use of bronze (mixture of
copper & tin).—”Bronze Age”
5. Complex Institutions
• Having an organizational
system to run a city. (This is a
key trait that is essential for a
civilization.)
– Government is an example of
a complex institution.
Fertile Crescent Disadvantages
Sumerian Solutions
1. Water ProblemsUnpredictability of floods and
water dries up quickly.
1. Sumerians created irrigation
ditches.
2. Defense Problems- Very
flat land…there were no
natural defensive barriers to
prevent raids by nomads.
2. Sumerians built city walls with
mud bricks to discourage raids.
3. Limited Natural ResourcesLack of resources to create
tools. (Stone, Wood, Metal)
3. Sumerians created an
extensive trade network with the
surrounding people.
Sumerian Solutions are Still In Use Today!
Below: Irrigation
ditches are still used
today as a means of
getting water to crops.
Above: Mud brick homes are still built today
in the Middle East because of the lack of
timber.
Indo-Europeans
Tribes that invaded Mesopotamia
They spoke related languages
May have come from the steppes,
grasslands located North of the Black
Sea
Hittites
Iron Age Begins
Shift from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age
•The Hittites (People living
in Asia Minor) gradually
learned the complicated
process of smelting iron (this
takes place over the 1500 to
1200 B.C.).
•The Hittites developed a
three person chariot.
•One person drove
•One held a shield
•One fought
•Superior to the 2 person
models other groups used.
Iron Age Continued…
Why make the change from Bronze to
Iron?
Iron is a harder metal. An iron sword
could pierce through a bronze shield.
Iron is a more common metal. Easier for
people to obtain=cheaper too!
The development of Iron paved the way
for an “Age of Empires.”
Assyrian Empire Rises and Falls
(850-612 B.C.)
Iron Age enable the Assyrians to conquer and
rule a large empire.
Iron Swords and Iron Pointed Spears which made
for well equipped warriors.
The Assyrians were known for their military tactics
because they were the most disciplined army to
date.
The Assyrians had shown that it was possible to
build an empire based on fear and harsh
government.
The fall of the Assyrian Empire
Their empire grew too large to control
The Chaldeans and the Medes took this
opportunity to join forces
In 612 BC they captured and destroyed
the Assyrian capital of Ninevah
Phoenicians
Around 1100 B.C. the Phoenicians
were the most powerful traders
around the Mediterranean Sea.
300 Phoenician cities sprouted up around
Africa’s Mediterranean Sea
The highly prized purple dye for which
the Phoenicians were renowned was
extracted from a gland of the murex
snail. Each snail yielded only a drop of
yellow liquid which darkened on
exposure to light. Processing required
slow simmering for about two
weeks. Up to 60,000 snails were needed
for each pound of dye.
Phoenician Contribution:
Around 900 B.C. the
Phoenicians developed a
writing system with 22
symbols (versus the 600
symbols in Cuneiform).
The alphabet is born!!
What we covered recently?
5 Key traits that define “Civilization”
Rise of civilization in the Fertile Crescent
- Sumeria
Hittites – Rise to power (Advanced
Chariot)
Assyrians – War Tactics (Use of Iron &
Force)
Phoenecians – Alphabet