Download Trading Civilizations of the Mediterranean Notes

Trading Civilizations of the
Ancient Mediterranean
Minoans
Phoenicians
Hebrews
Minoans
• Trading culture on the island of Crete
• Peaceful—no fortifications around cities
• Athletic, artistic, religious, and prosperous
• Culture declined after the eruption of the
Island of Thera
• Influenced other Mediterranean cultures,
like the Greeks
Phoenicians
• Trading culture in the Eastern
Mediterranean, in present day Lebanon
• Excellent shipbuilders & sailors—first to
sail past the Strait of Gibraltar, trading
posts in Britain, sailed around Africa
• Traded purple dye (from Murex snails),
glass sculptures, and pottery
Hebrews
• Originated in Palestine (Eastern shore of
the Mediterranean), settled in an area of
Palestine called Canaan
• Followers of the first monotheistic religion,
Judaism
• Hebrew history, legends, & laws form the
foundation of our culture
Abraham & the Covenant
• Abraham, a shepherd from Ur, made a
promise to worship one and only one god
• In return God protects his descendants &
they create a powerful nation
• Abraham moved from Ur to Canaan
• Abraham’s descendants formed the 12
tribes of Israel
Monotheism
• The mutual promise between Abraham &
God is a covenant
• Hebrews call God “Yaweh”
• God is not a physical being, and there are
no images of him
Moses
• Hebrews moved to Egypt during a drought
& eventually were enslaved
• Moses was raised as a prince of Egypt and
then leads the Israelites out of slavery,
this is called the Exodus (Passover)
• He received the 10 Commandments on Mt.
Sinai forming a new covenant with God
Hebrew History & Laws
• The 12 tribes settled in Canaan and
formed self-governed territories
• Jewish Torah=the first five books of the
Christian Bible
• Goal of Judaism is to lead a moral life
following God’s laws
• Jewish ethnicity is passed through the
mother
Kingdom of Israel, 1022-920 BC
• Saul, David, & Solomon unite the tribes & form
•
•
the Kingdom of Israel
King Solomon (son of David & Bathsheba) ruled
over a powerful trading kingdom during it’s
golden age, including the building of a great
temple in Jerusalem
The expense of the building projects weakened
the kingdom & it fell apart after his death
Life After Solomon
• Israel divided into Israel to the north &
Judah to the south
• 738 BC both pay tribute to Assyria
• Both kingdoms fall to Assyria by 572 BC
• Solomon’s Temple is destroyed by King
Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC
Return to Canaan
• Israelites return to Canaan in 539 BC
when the Persian King Cyrus conquers
Assyria & frees the Israelites
• Israelites begin rebuilding the temple in
515 BC