Transcript Chapter 2 - Ancient Mid East and Egypt

Chapter 2
Ancient Middle East and
Egypt
Chapter 2, Section 1
City – States of Ancient
Sumer
Geography Influences Fertile
Crescent
Fertile Crescent  land between Persian
Gulf and Mediterranean Sea
Within the Fertile Crescent lies a region
named “Mesopotamia”
– Area of land between the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers
– Flows from highlands of modern day Turkey
through Iraq into the Persian Gulf
Floods and Irrigation
Tigris and Euphrates rivers frequently rose
in terrifying floods that washed away
topsoil and destroyed mud – brick villages
– These floods occurred regularly during the
ancient days of the Fertile Crescent
Villagers who lived along the river worked
together building irrigation ditches
– These efforts were organized by priests and
royal officials
Sumerians Thriving Cities
Sumerians lacked resources such as
timber and stone
They built with clay and water
Clay would make bricks and they would
dry in the sun
Traders took great risk of traveling in
deserts to carry goods to Sumer
– Evidence that the first wheel was created by
Sumerians
Sumerian Civilization
Complex Government
– Each city state had a ruler who was responsible for
maintaining city walls and irrigation systems as well
as collecting taxes and keeping records
Structure of Society
– Distinct social hierarchy  system of ranking groups
– Highest class: ruling family, leading officials, high
priests
– Middle class: lesser priests, scribes, merchants and
artisans
– Lower class: majority of people  peasant farmers
Sumerian Civilization
Role of Women
– Sumerian women never held legal rights
– Some rulers’ wives had supervisory powers
– Rarely would women inherit land
Religion
– Polytheistic
– Many gods controlled all aspects of life
– It was believed that gods controlled violence
and suffering as well as justice
Sumerian Civilization
Religion (cont)
– Each city built a ziggurat  large stepped platform
built to show dedication to the city’s god or goddess
– Also believed in an afterlife
Writing
– Invented earliest known writing called cuneiform
(grew out of a system of pictographs)
– Symbols would represent complicated thoughts
– Recorded economic exchanges as well as myths,
prayers, laws, business contracts, etc.
Ziggurat
Legacy of Sumer
Sumerian people left a lasting legacy
Newcomers to their region adopted many
new ideas and innovations
– Cuneiform adopted by Assyrians
– Sumerian scholars began developing
astronomy and mathematics
– Babylonians built upon the Sumerian
mathematics to develop algebra and
geometry
Review
1)
The area of land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers is known
as what?
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•
•
•
2)
A
B
C
D
Fertile Crescent
Wetlands
Dryland
Mesopotamia
Which of the following was the name of the writing system invented
by the Sumerians?
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–
–
–
A
B
C
D
English
Cuneiform
Spanish
Sumerian Language
Chapter 2, Section 2
Invaders, Traders, and
Empire Builders
First Empires in Mesopotamia
Sargon
– 2300 B.C. Akkad (ruler of Sargon) invaded and
conquered Sumer
– He continued to take over surrounding areas
– He built the first empire known in history
Hammurabi brings Babylonian to Power
– Sumerian city states revived and rebuilt power
– However, new leaders of Sargon followed Akkad’s
footsteps
– Hammurabi, King of Babylon, took over much of
Mesopotamia
First Empires in Mesopotamia
Hammurabi’s Code
– Published set of laws known as “Hammurabi’s
Code”
– First important attempt by a ruler to codify 
arrange and set laws in writing
– Much of Hammurabi’s code was established
to benefit the powerless (slaves, women)
Ex: One law allowed women to own land and pass
it on to her children
First Empires in Mesopotamia
Hammurabi (cont)
– Improved system of irrigation
– Organized a well trained army
– Ordered several temples to be repaired
– Addressed Criminal Law in his code
Dealt with offenses against others
Robbery
Assault
Murder
New Empires and Ideas
Hittites Secret of Iron
– Hittites were pushed out of Asia Minor and into
Mesopotamia in 1400 B.C.
– Brought the knowledge of creating tools and weapons from
iron
– Were able to arm more people at a cheap cost
Assyrian Warriors
– Established an Empire in Mesopotamia by 1350 B.C. and
by 1100 B.C. they expanded across all of Mesopotamia
– Earned a reputation for being among the most feared
warriors in history
New Empires and Ideas
Nebuchadnezzar revives Babylon
– By 625 B.C. Babylon reestablished power
under their aggressive leader
Nebuchadnezzar
– The new empire stretched from the Persian
Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea
He surrounded Babylon with a defensive moat
He built the most famous hanging gardens –
known as the seven wonders of the ancient world
Persians Establish Huge Empire
In 539 B.C. Babylon fell to the Persian
armies of Cyrus the Great
Cyrus and his successors built the largest
empire yet
– Persian kings pursued a policy of tolerance or
acceptance toward people they conquered
Respected their customs of the diverse groups
within their empire
Persians Establish Huge Empire
Darius Unites Many Peoples
– Ruled from 522 B.C. to 486 B.C.  real unification of
Persia took place
– Set up a bureaucracy who followed set rules
– Darius divided the empire into provinces
– He adapted laws from conquered people and made
his own code to rule the empire
Improving Economic Life
– Darius set up a common set of weights and measures
– Encouraged use of coins (first money economy)
Persians Establish Huge Empire
New Religion
– Religious beliefs by Zoroaster helped unite
the empire
– Rejected the old Persian gods and taught one
single god (Ahura Mazda) ruled the world
– However, Ahura Mazda was in battle with
Ahriman (prince of lies and evil)
– People had to choose which side to support
– Zoroaster taught that Ahura Mazda would
prevail over Ahriman
Phoenician Sea Traders
Expanding Manufacturing and Trade
– Phoenicians made glass from coastal sand
– They traded with people around
Mediterranean Sea
To promote trade they set up colonies around
North Africa
Establishing Alphabet
– Writing system in which each symbol
represents a single basic sound
– Most significant Phoenician contribution
Review
1)
Hammurabi’s Code of laws was established to benefit which of the
following groups of people?
A
B
C
D
2)
Powerful
Power seeking
Powerless
Power dominated
The ruler, Darius, accomplished all of the following except?
A
B
C
D
Set up a bureaucracy who followed set rules
Divided the empire into provinces
Encouraged use of coins
Created the first football game
Chapter 2, Section 3
Kingdom of the Nile
Geography Shapes Egypt
“Egypt is wholly the gift of the Nile.” –
Herodotus (Greek Historian)
People settled and established farming
villages along the Nile
Egyptians depended on annual floods to
soak the land and deposit a layer of silt, or
rich soil
– People had to build dikes, reservoirs, and
irrigation ditches to store water for dry season
Uniting Two Regions
Ancient Egypt had two distinct regions...Upper
and Lower
– Upper stretched from the first cataract (waterfall),
north to within 100 miles of the Mediterranean Sea
– Lower covered the delta region of the Nile
The two areas were united about 3100 B.C.
– Traffic moved along the Nile via barges, sailboats
etc...
– The Nile helped make Egypt one of the world’s first
unified states
– Later saw trade with the Middle East
Three Kingdoms
We can describe the history of Ancient
Egypt using three main periods:
– The Old Kingdom (2700-2200 B.C.)
– The Middle Kingdom (2050-1800 B.C.)
– The New Kingdom (1550-1100 B.C.)
The Old Kingdom
Pharaohs  organized a strong central state, were
absolute rulers, and were considered gods
– Used vizier (chief minister) to supervise governments
– Various departments under vizier (tax collection, farming,
irrigation system)
People expected Pharaohs to act morally and judged
them for their deeds
Great Pyramids were built to preserve the bodies of the
deceased
– Power struggles, crop failures, and cost of pyramids
contributed to the collapse of the Old Kingdom
The Middle Kingdom
The Nile did not rise regularly as it had before
Large drainage project created arable farmland
Traders had contacts with Middle East and Crete
Corruption and rebellions were common
Hyksos invaded and occupied the delta region
– Used chariots...eventually used by Egyptians
Chariots are horse drawn war vehicles
– Hyksos were impressed by Egyptian civilization and
later adopted customs and beliefs
The_Nile__Where_Egypt_Began.asf
The New Kingdom
Egypt reaches its greatest power at this time
– Reached the Euphrates River
Hatshepsut... First female pharaoh
– Encouraged trade with the Middle East and the Mediterranean
lands
Thutmose III… Hatshepsut’s step son took
power once he reached adulthood
– Stretched Egypt’s borders to greatest extent
Ramses II…expanded Egypt north and battled
the Hittites
– Signed a peace treaty with Hittites...first such
document
Chapter 2, Section 4
Egyptian Civilization
Religion Shapes Life in Ancient Egypt
Chief Gods and Goddesses
– Chief God in Egypt was the Sun God
– Re  Sun God worshipped during Old
Kingdom
– Amon – Re  Great lord of the gods
(worshipped during Middle Kingdom)
– Pharaohs received right to rule from Amon –
Re
Osiris and Isis
Most Egyptians related to the God Osiris and the
Goddesses Isis (story of the these two gods
touched human emotions such as love and
jealousy)
Osiris ruled the underworld and was also known
as the god of the Nile – he controlled the annual
flooding
Isis appealed to women
– It was said she first taught women to care for children
– She promised the faithful they would have life after
death
The Afterlife
Affected the highest noble and lowest
peasant
People buried their dead with everything
they would need for eternity (afterlife was
supposed to similar to life on earth)
– Mummification: process of wrapping the
dead in cloth in order to preserve the bodies
– All Egyptians used this process (even their
pets were mummified)
Tomb of “King Tut”
In 1922, British archaeologist Howard
Carter discovered the tomb of
Tutankhamen (son in law of Akhenaton)
The tomb had remained untouched for
3,000 years
Buried in the tomb was weapons, chariots,
furniture, jewelry, toys, games, etc.
This gave historians a wealth of
knowledge
Egyptians Organize Society
Most people were farmers during the Old
and Middle Kingdoms
During the New Kingdom social classes
became more and more prevalent
Trade and warfare were increasing
– Trade offered opportunities for people to gain
wealth
– Foreign conquests brought more riches to
Egypt (What else could happen?)
Egyptians Organize Society
Women enjoy higher status
– Inherit property
– Enter into business deals
– Buy and sell goods
– Go to court
– Obtain a divorce
Despite these opportunities, few women learned to
read and write
Advances in Learning
Egyptians developed multiple writing
systems
Hieroglyphics was the first system
invented
– Symbols to represent ideas or themes
Hieratic was also developed by scribes for
everyday use
– Form of writing which simplified the objects
used in hieroglyphics
Math and Science Advances
Doctors learned a great deal about the
human body from mummification
– They could observe symptoms
– Diagnose illnesses
– Find cures
Math was developed to solve everyday
problems
– Boundaries were re - drawn because of floods
– Geometry used to build pyramids and temples
Arts and Literature
Egyptian Arts
– Showed everyday scenes of farming, trade, etc.
– Painting and sculpture styles remained unchanged for
thousands of years
– Carvings in temples, wall paintings in tombs were
both common forms of art
Egyptian Literature
– Oldest literatures includes hymns, prayers to gods,
love poems
– Folk tales were told  The Tale of Sinuhe
Review
1) Egyptian women could do all of the following except?
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A
B
C
D
Go to court
Inherit property
Buy goods
Hold government jobs
2) Because of mummification doctors could now do all of
the following except?
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–
–
–
A
B
C
D
Diagnose illness
Find cures
Operate in the ER
Observe patient symptoms
Chapter 2, Section 5
Roots of Judaism
Ancient Israelites
Israelites (also called Hebrews) were
monotheistic  belief in only one god
At this time, all other peoples worshipped
many gods
Israelites believed in all – powerful God
who had plans for each person
– Each event that took place was part of God’s
plan
Ancient Israelites
Torah  most sacred text of the Israelites
– Text of recorded events and laws
Includes the first five (of 24 total) books of
the Hebrew Bible
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
God’s Covenant
Israelites believed God made a covenant,
or promise and agreement with Abraham
(the father of Israelite people)
– God declared he would have a special
relationship with Abraham and his
descendants
– God declared Canaan (promise land) would
one day belong to the Israelites
– Moses later renewed God’s covenant with the
Israelites
Kingdom of Israel
Israelites had set up the Kingdom of Israel
by 1000 B.C.
David, who was a strong ruler united 12
separate Israel tribes into one nation
Solomon, David’s son, followed his father
as king and began turning Jerusalem into
a capital city
– Solomon tried to increase Israel’s influence
around the region by negotiating with empires
in Egypt and Mesopotamia
Division and Conquest
Solomon’s building projects required
tremendous amounts of taxes and labor
– People began to revolt after he died (922 B.C)
– Kingdom was then split in two
– Israel in the North
– Judah in the South
– Israel would remain independent for about
200 years and then fall to more powerful
people
Division and Conquest
Israel is conquered by Assyrians in 722
B.C.
586 B.C. Babylonians captured Judah
– Nebuchadnezzar forced many people he
conquered into exile in Babylon
– This time period was called Babylonian
Captivity (lasted for 50 years)
539 B.C. Cyrus the Great conquers
Babylon and frees the Israelites
Law and Morality
Israelite society was patriarchal: men
held the greatest legal and moral authority
The oldest male relative in a family was
the head of the household and arranged
marriages for his daughters
– In the patriarchal society, women had fewer
legal rights than men
Law and Morality
The Jews used the Ten Commandments
as a guide for their lives
First four commandments stress religious
duties toward God
– Example: Keeping the Sabbath: holy day for
rest and worship
– The rest of the commandments stress
conduct toward others
Law and Morality
Prophets: spiritual leaders that interpret
God’s will emerged throughout Jewish
history to remind people of their duties
The prophets taught a strong code of
ethics  they urged personal morality and
social justice (rich and powerful must
protect the poor and weak)
– Two important prophets are Isaiah and
Jeremiah
Maintaining Beliefs Over Time
Throughout their history, Jews have been
exiled and persecuted, yet they still
maintain their beliefs today
Judaism is considered a major world
religion
Judaism has contributed to Christianity
and Islam
Review
1) Belief in only one god is known as what?
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–
–
A
B
C
D
Polytheism
Monotheism
One god system
Mesopotamia
2) People began revolting after Solomon’s death
because…
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–
–
–
A
B
C
D
His building projects required high taxes and labor
He was a terrible leader
He gave away too much money
He never asked anyone for help