Download Civilizations in the Ancient Middle East Guided Notes

WH1-2: Civilizations in the Ancient Middle East
Sumerians
People/Brief History
• One of the oldest civilizations starting around ____________________________.
• No one knows where they came from, but are believed to be the ___________________________ to settle in the
_____________________________________
• Made up of numerous city-states that were constantly fighting over land.
• Their texts include the first mention of the ‘_________________________’ later talked about in the Torah and Bible.
Contributions to civilization
• ____________________________________ – One of the oldest systems of writing and later adopted by cultures
including the Akkadians and Hittites.
• Astronomy – Mapped _________________________ that are still used today
• Arithmetic – Invented math by combining and modifying different number systems from other civilizations
• Agriculture – First people to cultivate crop and animals on a grand scale; including _________________,
_________________________, and _____________________.
Akkadians
People/Brief History
• _______________________________________________ assumed power of and began conquering the area around
Mesopotamia creating the world's first empire (this included the Sumerians).
• Sargon’s Akkadian dynasty lasted around ____________ years before it fell.
• The “Curse of Akkad” is claimed to have destroyed this culture.
Babylonians
People/Brief History
• Invaders from the ______________________________________ entered Mesopotamia & seized the city-state of
_______________________________.
• ________________________________ became the king of Babylon
• Hammurabi took control of the city-states in lower Mesopotamia & established the Babylonian Empire
• The Babylonians adopted many Sumerian ways
Contributions to civilization
• _______________________________________
o Consisting of _______________________, the code affected all aspects of life, including farming, trade, wages
& punishments.
o Hammurabi claimed these laws came from the sun god
• The Babylonians believed in ___________________________, the idea that a person’s life is affected by the movement
& position of stars, planets & other heavenly bodies.
Hittites
People/Brief History
• __________________________ tribesmen from Asia Minor called Hittites swept into Mesopotamia & captured
_________________________.
• Being far from their homeland, the Hittites eventually withdrew from Babylonia, but continued to occupy the western part
of the ______________________________.
Contributions to civilization
• The Hittites were the 1st people to make widespread use of
_________________________________________________.
• They used _____________________________________ in battle
• A system of laws was set up with punishments that were ___________________________ than the Code of Hammurabi
Israelites/Hebrews
People/Brief History
• The ideas & beliefs of the Hebrews, or Jews, are known as ____________________________.
• The founder of Judaism was ________________________. He led his people out of Mesopotamia because the group’s
belief in ______________________ ran against the accepted practice of worshipping many gods.
• The Hebrews lived in _____________ for several hundred years, but were forced into __________________. According
to the Bible, _________________ began leading the Hebrews (or ______________________________) toward a new
homeland in _______________________ (also called “Palestine” & “Israel”.) On the way to Canaan, Moses went up
Mount Sinai & brought back the ______________________________________, laws of moral conduct revealed to him
by the Hebrew god.
• The Hebrews recorded their history & religious beliefs in the __________________________. The “Old Testament”,
which is the 1st part of the Christian Bible, tells how:
o _______________ united the _________ Hebrew tribes, defeated the rival Philistines & became the 1st Hebrew
king.
o _____________________ slew the Philistine warrior ____________________, became the 2nd king of Israel &
made ___________________________ his capital.
o ______________________ succeeded his father David, and was widely admired for his
___________________ & leadership; and built the magnificent Temple of Jehovah.
Contributions to civilization
• The Hebrews practiced ______________________; the worship of only one god, known as Yahweh in the beginning
o Also referred to as ___________ and ______________(The Name)
• ______________________, the Hebrew religion, stressed high moral conduct (as seen in the Ten Commandments)
• Judaism influenced ________________________ & __________________ through its emphasis on monotheism &
moral principles.
Phoenicians
People/Brief History
• The Phoenicians lived north of ____________________ along the Mediterranean Sea.
• They became skilled ___________________ & _________________, and traded throughout the Mediterranean world.
They were the greatest seafaring _______________ of ancient times.
• The Phoenicians established many _______________, including the great city of _________________ in North Africa.
Contributions to civilization
• Phoenician traders carried the products & cultures of the Middle East to
_______________________________________.
• The most notable contribution of these people was the _______________________. The Greeks & Romans later made
some changes that resulted in the alphabet we use today.
Assyrians
People/Brief History
• The Assyrians were ruthless _______________________who overran Phoenicia, Palestine, Babylonia & other parts of
the Middle East.
• Their _____________ was the largest one the world had seen at that time.
• In battle, the Assyrians used ______________ with iron-tipped arrows, iron spears & swords and battering rams to break
through brick walls that guarded cities. Their armies were the 1st to use
________________________________________________.
• The hated Assyrians terrorized the people with acts of ________________ & __________________.
• The Assyrian empire lasted for ______ years before being destroyed by the _______________ &
___________________.
Contributions to civilization
• The Assyrians were the 1st people to set up an effective system for
______________________________________________.
• A great _______________ was built in the capital city of ________________. It contained thousands of clay tablets
which enabled historians to learn about life in the ancient Middle East.
Chaldeans
People/Brief History
• The Chaldeans helped overthrow the _______________________.
• They took control of the __________________________ & established the 2nd Babylonian Empire.
• The Chaldeans were led by their strong king __________________________. He rebuilt Babylon, which became the
largest & most impressive city in the ancient world.
Contributions to civilization
• The Chaldeans built the beautiful ______________________________ on rooftops in Babylon. The Greeks called them
one of the ____________________________________.
• The field of ____________________ was further advanced by accurate observations of the sun, moon, planets & stars.
Persians
People/Brief History
• The Chaldean Empire declined after the death of _________________________________.
• The _________________________________________ extended for 3,000 miles from Egypt to India. It lasted for about
_________ years, reaching its height under King ____________________________.
Contributions to civilization
• A well-organized government was set up in which:
o The empire was divided into provinces, each direct by a ______________ (governor)
o ____________ were built to speed trade and the movement of the armies
o Conquered peoples were allowed to keep their ________________, ___________ &
_________________________
• _____________________________________, the exchange of ways of living, took place within various parts of the
empire.
• The Persians accepted the teachings of the prophet _______________________, who said that the world was a
struggle between good & evil.
• After death, people who lived good lives would go to _______________, while those who were evil would be sent to hell.
This idea of a ________________________________ is believed to have influenced Judaism & Christianity.