Transcript First Age of Empires

First Age of Empires
1570 BC – 200 BC
Ch 4
The Egyptian and Nubian
Empires
When We Last Left Egypt
• Middle Kingdom (2080-1640 BC) enriched
Egypt through trade with Mesopotamia
and the Indus Valley Civilization
• Series of weak pharaohs weakened the
country and left them vulnerable
Foreign Invaders
• The weakened kingdom fell to Asiatic
invaders called Hyksos.
• The Hyksos used chariots which were
unknown to the Egyptians
Hebrews in Egypt
• Around 1650 BC, the Hebrews migrated
to Egypt
• Some scholars believe the Hyksos
encouraged them to move there because
they were racially similar
• The Egyptians resented the Hebrews
presence but were powerless to do
anything
Expulsion and Slavery
• Around 1600 BC a series of warlike rulers
began to push the Hyksos out of Egypt
• Queen Ahhotep and the next pharaoh,
Kamose scored huge victories over the
Hyksos and drove them across the Sinai
Peninsula
• According to some scholars the Hebrews
remained and were enslaved by the
Egyptians
The New Kingdom
• The New Kingdom – period of Egyptian
history following the expulsion of the
Hyksos, from 1570 – 1075 BC
• Using bronze weapons and chariots the
Egyptians became conquerors
Hatshepsut
• Hatshepsut- ruler of the New Kingdom
who made herself around 1472 BC.
• Strengthened the empire by encouraging
trade rather than just waging war
Thutmose III
• Thutmose III- much more warlike ruler
during the New Kingdom
• May have murdered Hatshepsut
• Led a number of invasions into Palestine
and Syria
• Pushed farther south into Nubia- area that
straddled the upper Nile River
An Age of Builders
• Built grand buildings but chose to hide
their tombs in the remote Valley of the
Kings near Thebes
King Tut
• Ruled 1333- 1324 BC
• Tomb discovered in
1922 by Howard
Carter
•
• original pics
family tree
more photos
animals
Ramses II
• Ramses II – great builder of the New
Kingdom
• Ruled from approximately 1290 BC to
1224 BC
• Temple to Amon-Re at Karnak
• Temple at Abu Simbel
• valley of the kings
Temple of Ramses II
Karnak
Abu Simbel
Empire Declines
• After Ramses II died the Mediterranean
region suffered a wave of invasions
• “Sea Peoples” may have been the
Philistines
• Tribes within the empire rebelled
Kushites Conquer the Nile
Region
• Kush- Nubian kingdom to the South of
Egypt along the Nile River
• During the height of the New Kingdom the
Egyptians forced their rule on Kush
• Around 1200 BC Kush gained its
independence as the New Kingdom began
to fade
Piankhi
• Piankhi- Kushite king who overthrew the
Libyan dynasty that had been ruling Egypt
in 751 BC
• In 671 BC the Kushites were pushed back
south by the Assyrians- invaders from
southwest Asia
Golden Age of Meroe
• After the loss to the Assyrians the Kushite royal
family moved south to the city of Meroe near the
Red Sea
• With their location near the Red Sea and
abundant natural resources like iron ore, Meroe
became a center for trade and manufacturing
• Meroe began to decline around 250 BC as other
African cities became the center of trade
The Assyrian Empire
Sec 2
Describe the geography of the
fertile crescent and explain
how it affected the lives of the
people who lived there.
Assyria
• Assyria- Southwest
Asian kingdom that
controlled a large
empire from 850 –
612 BC
• The empire was
accomplished mainly
through military
strength
Rise of a Warrior People
• Assyrians came from the flat, exposed
open land of northern Mesopotamia
• The Assyrians may have gained their
warlike ways in response to frequent
invasions from outsiders
Sennacherib
• SennacheribAssyrian king who
bragged that he
destroyed 89 cities
and 820 villages
Military Organization
• Society glorified military strength
• Advance planning and technical skill allowed
the Assyrians to siege enemy cities
• Used pontoons to move the army across rivers
• Dug beneath city walls to weaken them
• Use archers to support foot soldiers with ladders
going over city walls
• Used iron in their weapons and armor
• Used massive iron tipped battering rams
No Mercy
• Captives were often killed or enslaved
• Captives sometimes blinded
• Also forced defeated enemies to settle far
away in distant provinces to prevent
rebellion
• Took anything of value
Assyrian Rule
• At its peak in 650 BC it included almost all
of the old centers of civilization and power
in southwest Asia
• Assyrian kings controlled the empire by
choosing local leaders to lead the
provinces
• Military campaigns added territory to the
empire and the lands brought taxes and
tributes. If the conquered peoples refused
to pay they would be destroyed.
Assyrian Culture
• Some of Assyria’s fiercest warriors were
also great builders
• Sennacherib was known for establishing
the capital at Nineveh
• Nineveh was a walled city about 3 miles
long and 1 mile wide
• Nineveh was also home to a large library
containing more than 20,000 clay tablets
Empire Crumbles
• Ashurbanipal was the last of the mighty
Assyrian kings
• Power was spread too thin
• Brutality earned them many enemies
• Eventually defeated by the Chaldeans
Nebuchadnezzar
• Nebuchadnezzar- Chaldean ruler who
restored Babylon around 600 BC
• Famous for the hanging gardens
Persian Empire
Sec 3
Warm Up:
If you were the absolute ruler of
an empire how would you keep
order?
Rise of Persia
• In contrast to the Assyrians the Persians
based their empire on tolerance and
diplomacy
• The Persians relied on a strong military to
back up their policies
Cyrus the Great
• Cyrus- Persian king who established the
Persian Empire between 550 and 539 BC
• Empire spanned 2,000 miles
• Most enduring legacy was his method of
governing
– Prevented soldiers from looting and burning
– Honored local customs and religions
Persian Rule
• After Cyrus’s death in 530 BC his son
Cambyses expanded the empire by
defeating Egypt
• Did not follow his father’s example
Darius
• Darius- Persian ruler who was successor
to Cambyses, brought peace and stability
to the empire
• Extended the empire to the river valleys of
India
• Empire now stretched from India to Egypt
• Unable to conquer Greece
Provinces
• To rule the huge empire Darius divided the
empire into 20 provinces
• Each province lived by their own laws,
spoke their own languages and practiced
their own religions
Satraps
• Although he was tolerant, Darius still ruled
with absolute power
• Each province had a governor called a
satrap who ruled locally
• Darius sent our inspectors to be his eyes
and ears and make sure the satraps were
loyal to him
Royal Road
• The Royal Road ran 1677 miles from
Susa in Persia to Sardis in Anatolia
• Helped to hold the empire together by
allowing for quick communication
• Royal messengers could travel the length
of the road in 7 days
Trade
• Use of metal coins and trade also helped
to hold the empire together
• People no longer had to weigh and
measure odd pieces of gold and silver to
make purchases
Zoroaster
• Zoroaster- Persian prophet who lived
around 600 BC
• He taught that the world is a battleground
where a great struggle is fought between
the spirit of good and the spirit of evil
• Each person is expected to take part in the
struggle
Ahura Mazda
• Ahura Mazda- God of
Zoroastrianism that
will judge everyone
according to how well
they fought the battle
for good
Importance of Zoroastrianism
• Influence on Christianity, Judaism, and
Islam
• Monotheistic
• Concepts of Satan and angels
Zoroastrianism Today
• Stilled practiced in
several countries
including Iran and
India
• Followers are called
Parsis
The Unification of China
Sec 4
Warm Up:
What was the Mandate of
Heaven?
The Warring States Period
• The Warring States Period- period of
constant warfare between independent
kings that led to the decline of the Zhou
Dynasty
• Toward the end of the Zhou Dynasty
scholars looked for ways to restore the
ancient Chinese values of order, harmony,
and respect for authority
Confucius
• Confucius – influential Chinese scholar
who spent his life studying history, music,
and moral character
• Deep desire to restore the order and moral
living of earlier times
5 Basic Relationships
• Social order, harmony, and good
government could be restore if society
were organized around 5 relationships
• 1. Ruler and Subject
• 2. Father and Son
• 3. Husband and Wife
• 4. Older Brother and Younger Brother
• 5. Friend and Friend
Filial Piety
• Filial Piety- respect for parents and
ancestors
• To Confucius this meant devoting oneself
to one’s parents during their lifetime
• Also required honoring their memories
after death through rituals
Filial Piety
• “Nowadays people think they are dutiful
sons when they feed their parents. Yet
they also feed their dogs and horses.
Unless there is respect, where is the
difference?”
Analects
• Analects- book of teachings by Confucius
collected by his students
Confucius and Government
• Gentlemen have 4 virtues
• 1. In private conduct he is courteous
• 2. In serving his master he is punctilious
(precise)
• 3. In providing for the needs of the people
he gave them even more than their due
• 4. In exacting service from the people, he
is just
Not a Religion
• Confucianism is not a religion
• It is an ethical system, system based on
accepted principles of right and wrong
• Foundation for Chinese government and
social order
Other Ethical Systems
Daoism
• Daoism- philosophy of Laozi, emphasizing
oneness with nature
• A universal force, the Dao, meaning the
Way, guides all things.
• Of all the creatures of nature only humans
fail to follow the Dao
• Humans should be in balance with nature
and not overly concerned with worldly
things
Laozi
Legalists
• Legalism- Chinese political philosophy
based on the idea that a highly efficient
and powerful government is the key to
social order
• Rulers should give rich rewards to those
who serve them well
• The disobedient should be harshly
punished
• Believed in controlling ideas as well as
actions
Qin Dynasty
• Qin DynastyChinese dynasty that
replaced the Zhou
Dynasty in the 3rd
Century BC
Shi Huangdi
• Shi Huangdi- founder
of the Qin Dynasty
who used Legalist
ideas to unify his
country
• Obsessed with
immortality
Terracotta Army
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2000 soldiers between 6’ and 6’5”
100 chariots
400 horses
300 cavalry horses
• Terra Cotta Soldiers
Strengthen the Trunk and
Weaken the Branches
• Commanded all noble families to live in
the capital
• Murdered Confucian scholars
• Burned books
• Established an autocracy- government
that has unlimited power
Centralization
• Built an extensive highway network
• Standards for writing, law, currency,
weights and measures, and length of cart
axles
Great Wall of China
• Great Wall of Chinadefensive barrier to
protect China from
invaders from the
north (Mongolia)
• 1500 miles long
• Averages 25 ft in
height
• 15-30 ft thick at the
base
Fall of the Qin
• Peasants rebelled 3 years after Shi
Huangdi’s death
• His son was just as ruthless but not nearly
as good a leader
• By 202 BC the Han Dynasty took over