Download Chapter 2: Early Societies in Southwest Asia and the

Sima Hasan
7-27-12
Period 4
Chapter 2: Early Societies in Southwest Asia and the
Indo-European Migrations pg.33-58
Thesis: Productive agrarian economies helped develop some of the world’s first complex
societies that many people lived in and extended their influence over large areas.
The Quest for Order
Over time, Mesopotamia developed methods of organizing their society. Because of this, they
were able to build large empires and gain control of neighboring territories.
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Human population increased rapidly in Mesopotamia
Through experimentation, eventually controlled their society
Built regional empires and extended their authority to neighboring peoples
Mesopotamia: “The Land between the Rivers”
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Mesopotamia: “the land between the rivers”
Has Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Small-scale irrigation after 6000 B.C.E.
Artificial irrigation increases food supplies
Migrants attracted from other regions
Humans increased in Sumer
5000 B.C.E. Sumerians constructed elaborate irrigation networks
Population of Sumer reaches 100,000
Sumerians become dominant people of Mesopotamia
Wealth of Sumer attracts migrants, many Semitic people
Sumerians built world’s first cities
Sumerian cities center of political and military authority
Marketplaces attracted buyers and sellers
Cities were cultural centers where religion and education occurred
Sumerian city-states dominated public affairs
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Government authorities organized work on projects as well as help keep the peace
Palaces, temples, etc. were built
Ziggurat= distinct stepped pyramids that housed temples and altars to local deity
Citizens helped expand and repair irrigation system
Many attacked Sumerian city-states because of their wealth
Cities built walls and organized military
By 3000 B.C.E all Sumerian city-states had kings
The Course of Empire
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Once states organized, conflicts began to occur between states
After 2350 B.C.E Mesopotamians began to build regional empires
Regional empires emerged as Semitic peoples overshadowed Sumerians
Sargon(minister to King of Kish) organized coup against king, recruited army,
and conquered city-states
Also seized control of trade routes and supplies
Transformed his capital into wealthiest and most powerful city in the world
His empire eventually controlled all of Mesopotamia
His empire maintained for decades until rebellion occurred
2000 B.C.E his empire collapses
Hammurabi dominated Mesopotamia until 1600 B.C.E.
Improved on Sargon’s techniques by relying on central bureaucratic rule and
regular taxation
Ruled from Babylon
Developed a more efficient and predictable government than predecessors
Sought to maintain empire with set of laws
Hammurabi’s laws established high standards of behavior and stern punishments
for violators
Relied on “eye for an eye” style punishments
Rich people could get away from punishment by paying in silver
Hammurabi’s laws established set of common standard that unified empire
Wealth of empire attracted invaders, especially Hittites
The Later Mesopotamian Empires
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Imperial rule returns to Mesopotamia with Assyrians
Assyrians built flourishing cities along trade routes
Built powerful army based on merit rather than social standing
After collapse of Babylonians. Assyrians among those wrestling for power
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After 1300 B.C.E gradually extended authority to southwest Asia
Used recently invented iron weapons
Assyrian empire at 8-7th centuries B.C.E. had Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine,
Anatolia, and Egypt
Followed laws similar to Hammurabi’s code
Assyrian rule largely unpopular
Empire brought down 612 B.C.E.
600-550 B.C.E.-Babylonians dominate Mesopotamia during New Babylonian
empire.
King Nebuchadnezzar lavished wealth and resources on his capital city
By this time, peoples beyond Mesopotamia acquire weapons and techniques
Foreign conquerors take over
The Formation of a Complex Society and Sophisticated Cultural Traditions
The Mesopotamian people began building a complex society with clearly defined social classes,
cultural traditions, and a writing system.
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Trade linked region with distant peoples
Clearly defined social classes emerged
Developed into a patriarchal society
Invented systems of writing
Economic Specialization and Trade
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Expanded stock of human skills
Techniques improved upon
Bronze metallurgy: most important development because of specialized labor.
Craftsmen discovered copper+tin=bronze. Stronger weapons and tools made.
Iron metallurgy: techniques of forging iron weapons and tools strengthened and
iron metallurgy spread.
The wheel: wheeled carts allowed people to haul heavy loads over long distances
Shipbuilding: built watercraft and ventured into Persian Gulf and beyond. Became
means of trade.
Trade networks: people traveled long distances to trade
The Emergence of a Stratified Patriarchal Society
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Agriculture allowed humans to accumulate wealth, social classes began to emerge
Cities provided even more opportunities to get wealth
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Early Mesopotamia, ruling classes consist of kings and nobles who got positions
from success as warriors
Originally kings elected, but soon became hereditary
Early kings seen as offspring of gods
Priests relatives of rulers
Main role of priests was to intervene with gods to ensure good fortune
Lived in temple communities and received food, drink, and clothing from city
inhabitants
Temples generated income from land they owned and large workshops
Temples=comfortable lives
Less privileged classes: free commoners, dependent clients, and slaves
Free commoners peasant cultivators, maybe craftsmen or professionals
Dependent clients less options than commoners, had no personal property, worked
as laborers
Both paid taxes
Slaves come from three sources: POWs, criminals, and people in debt
Some laborers, others work in households
Can be freed after several years
Built patriarchal society recognizing differences of wealth, rank, and social status
Vested authority over public and private affairs
Men decided work within household, marriage arrangements for children, and
dominated public life.
Men have dominance
Hammurabi’s laws focus on men as head of households
Some women had high roles, such as being High Priestess or influencing kings.
Some worked as scribes
Scribes- literate individuals who prepared administrative and legal documents
Men progressively tightened control over women
Women had social and sexual behaviors controlled
The Development of Written Cultural Traditions
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Earliest known writing came from Mesopotamia
Sumerians invented system of writing to keep track of monetary transactions
Was pictographic
Sumerians later developed flexible system that used symbols for sounds,
syllables, and ideas
Combined pictographs and other symbols
Stylus on wet clay- cuneiform
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Clay hardened to become permanent message
Later adapted into other culture’s systems
Education mostly to train for specific jobs and crafts
Also established schools to learn cuneiform
Formal education not common, but eventually literacy became essential to society
Mesopotamians relied on writing to communicate complex ideas
Literacy led to expansion of knowledge
Astronomy and mathematics became studied- important to agriculture
Writing used to communicate abstract ideas, investigate intellectual problems, and
reflect on human beings
Epic of Gilgamesh
The Broader Influence of Mesopotamian Society
Mesopotamians deeply influence peoples outside of Mesopotamia.
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Mesopotamians influence other peoples, and their ideas are adapted
Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews
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Best known early cases of Mesopotamian influence
All interacted with Mesopotamians
Earliest Hebrews pastoral nomads who inhabited lands between Mesopotamia and
Egypt
As Mesopotamia prospers, some Hebrews settle in region’s cities
According to Hebrew scriptures, Abraham from Sumerian city of Ur, but
migrated to Palestine
Abraham’s descendents still recognized Mesopotamian beliefs
Hebrew law borrowed “eye for an eye”
Some Hebrews migrated from Palestine to Egypt
Branch of Hebrews under Moses depart and head to Palestine
Make loose federation of 12 tribes, fight with Palestinians
Abandon tribal structure in favor of Mesopotamian style monarchy that united
tribes
During reigns of Kind David and King Solomon, Israelites dominate territory
between Syria and Sinai peninsula
Build elaborate city at Jerusalem
Enter relations with Mesopotamians, Egyptians, and Arabian peoples
Use iron technology to strengthen military
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After Moses, religion developed distinctively
Early Hebrews has recognized same gods as Mesopotamians
Moses embraced monotheism, taught that there was only one god known as
Yahweh.
Yahweh supremely powerful deity, creator and sustainer of world
All other gods false imposters
When Israelites established capital at Jerusalem, did not build a
ziggurat(associated with false gods) built a lavish temple in honor of Yahweh
Although omnipotent creator of universe, Yahweh was very personal god.
Expected followers to worship only him, and Ten Commandments
Religious leaders compiled teachings in Torah
Torah taught that Yahweh would reward followers and punish those who weren’t
After king Solomon’s reign, community divided into larger Israel and smaller
kingdom of Judea
Assyrians conquer Israel and deport inhabitants to other regions
Then the Babylonians come and conquered Judea after toppling Assyrians in
Israel
Prophets encourage return to Yahweh’s commandments
Exiles who returned to Judea after Babylonian conquest organized small Jewish
states
The Phoenicians
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Phoenicians occupied narrow coastal plain between Mediterranean Sea and
Lebanon Mountains.
Spoke Semitic language, referred to selves as Canaanites and to their land as
Canaan
Ancestors of Phoenicians migrated to Mediterranean coast and built first
settlements after 3000 B.C.E.
Did not establish unified monarchy- organized series of independent city-states
ruled by kings
Major cities had influence over smaller neighbors
Tyre dominated southern Phoenicia
Phoenicians often subject to imperial rule from Egypt or Mesopotamia
Had influence due to maritime trade and communication networks, not due to
numbers or power.
Phoenicians turned to trade and industry because they couldn’t become agrarian
Engaged in maritime trade
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Excellent sailors, built best ships of their times
Dominated Mediterranean trade between 1200 and 800 B.C.E.
Largely adapted Mesopotamian cultural traditions to their own needs
Used cuneiform at first, but then developed early alphabetic script
Because of this, more people became literate
Alphabetic writing spread as Phoenicians traveled and traded
The Indo-European Migrations
Most influential people in second and third millennia were those who spoke various IndoEuropean languages. They migrated throughout much of Eurasia and influenced historical
development.
Indo-European Origins
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Many languages have remarkable similarities
Linguists surmised that Indo-European languages were all descendants of
ancestors who spoke a common tongue.
Earliest Indo-European speakers built society in Ukraine and southern Russia
about 4500-2500 B.C.E.
Domesticated horses
Horses enabled them to develop transportation technologies
Considered themselves superior to other peoples
Indo-European Expansion and Its Effects
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Expanded far beyond homelands because of horses
Expanded region because of population boom
Not mass migrations
Hittites most influential migrants
Migrated to Anatolia, imposed language on inhabitants
Built powerful kingdom
Traded with Babylonians and Assyrians
Adapted cuneiform
Toppled Babylonian empire of Mesopotamia
Several centuries thereafter, were dominant power in southwest Asia
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Between 1450 and 1200 B.C.E., authority extended to eastern Anatolia, northern
Mesopotamia, and Syria down to Phoenicia
After 1200 B.C.E., unified Hittite state dissolved as invaders attacked
Hittite identity survived
Hittites responsible for war chariots and refinement of iron metallurgy
Used new spoked wheels, which were more practical
Chariot warfare became very effective
Refined technology of iron metallurgy
Clearly improved on existing technology
While Hittites were doing their own thing, other Indo-European speakers
migrated to different regions
Some to China, some west
Some made it to central Europe
These migrants depended on pastoral and agricultural economy, none built cities
or large states
Another wave of migration went south to Iran and India
Summary: Mesopotamians built societies much more powerful than their predecessors. They
constructed formal institutions of government, and several different social classes arose.
Specialized labor came about, and a writing system developed. Indo-Europeans migrated to
many places. The Jews came about with their monotheistic religion.