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Reading Essentials and Study Guide
Chapter 2, Section 3
For use with textbook pages 54-60
NEW CENTERS OF CIVILIZATION
KEY TERMS
pastoral nomads
monotheistic
nomads who domesticated animals for food and clothing (page 55)
the belief ip one god (page 59)
DRAWING FROM EXP.ERIENCE
What are the Ten Commandments? When do you think they were established? What do you think was their purpose? What purpose do you think
they have today?
In the last section, you learned about the civilization of Ancient Egypt. In
this section, you will learn about some other early civilizations, including the
Phoenicians and the Israelites. The·Ten Commandments were the basis of the
law of the Israelites.
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ORGANIZING YOUR THOUGHTS
Use the chart below to help you take notes. The achievements of the
Hittites, Phoenicians, and Israelites still affect our lives today. Identify at least
one achievement of each civilization that still affects us today.
Civilization
Achievement
Hittites
1.
Phoenicians
2.
Israelites
3.
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Reading Essentials and Study Guide
Chapter 2, Section 3
(continued)
READ TO LEARI\I
• The Role of Nomadic Peoples
(page 54)
On the fringes of the civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt, there were
still nomads who survived by hunting and gathering and herding animals.
Pastoral nomads domesticated animals for food and clothing. They moved
along regular routes to find food for their animals.
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The Indo-Europeans were one of the most important nomadic peoples.
They probably originated somewhere in the steppe region north of the Black
Sea or in Southwest Asia. Around 2000 B.C., they began to move into Europe,
India, and western Asia. One group of Indo-Emopeans combined with the
native peoples of Asia Minor and Anatolia to form the Hittite kingdom.
Between 1600 and 1200 B.C., the Hittites created their own empire. The
Hittites were the first of the Indo-Europeans to use iron. This allowed them to
use weapons that were stronger and cheaper to make. The Hittites even
threatened the power of the Egyptians. But around 1200 B.C., new invaders
called "the Sea Peoples" destroyed the Hittite Empire.
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4. What are pastoral nomads?
• The Phoenicians
(page 55)
The Phoenicians lived in the area of Palestine along the Mediterranean
coast. Because of their location, trade was the basis of their economy. After the
downfall of the Hittites and Egyptians, they were able to expand their trade.
They improved their ships and became a trade empire. They sailed into the
Atlantic Oceans and even went as far as Britain and the west coast of Africa.
They set up colonies in the Mediterranean. Their most famous colony was
Carthage, which was located on the North African coast.
The Phoenician culture is best known for its alphabet. Phoenicians developed a system of writing that used 22 "different signs to represent the sounds
of their language. These signs (letters) could be used to spell all of the words
in their language. This alphabet was passed on to the Greeks. The Roman
alphabet that we use today is derived from this alphabet.
5. What was the basis of the Phoenician economy?
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Chapter 2, Section 3
(continued)
• The "Children of Israel" (page 56)
Another group of people, the Israelites, lived to the south of the
Phoenicians. They played only a minor role in the politics of the region, but
their religion became a major world religion. This religion, known today as
Judaism, influenced the religions of Christianity and Islam. Much of the history and beliefs of the Israelites are recorded in what Christians call the Old
Testament.
According to their history, the Israelites came from Mesopotamia to
Palestine, which they called Canaan. Their lifestyle was based on grazing
flocks and herds. Because of a drought, they moved to Egypt. In Egypt they
became slaves until Moses led them out. They wandered in tlie desert for
many years and finally returned to Palestine. They were organized in tribes.
Between 1200 and 1000 B.C., the tribes formed a united kingdom known as
Israel.
By the time of King Solomon, the Israelites controlled all of Palestine and
made Jerusalem their capital. Solomon ruled from about 970 to 930 B.C. He
expanded the government and army and encouraged trade with other countries. He is best known for building a temple in Jerusalem.
After Solomon's death, the northern and southern tribes split into two separate kingdoms. The ten northern tribes became the Kingdom of Israel. Their
capital was at Samaria. The two southern tribes became the Kingdom of
Judah. Their capital was Jerusalem. In 722 B.c., the Assyrians attacked the
Kingdom of Israel. Many Israelites were sent to other parts of the Assyrian
Empire. These Israelites merged with other peoples and lost their identity.
They are called the "ten lost tribes."
The Kingdom of Judah survived the Assyrians. But the Chaldeans defeated
the Assyrians and then conquered the Kingdom of Judah. Jerusalem was
completely destroyed in 586 B.c. Many of the people of Judah were sent to
Babylonia as captives. Finally, the Persians conquered the Chaldeans and
allowed the people of Judah to return to Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Judah
stayed tmder Persian control until the fourth century B.c. The people of Judah
eventually became known as the Jews, and their religion became known as
Judaism.
The Jews were monotheistic. This means that they believed in one God.
They called him. Yahweh. He was the creator of the world and everything in
it. The stars, moon, rivers, wind, and other natural forces were not gods. The
Jews believed that when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, God made a
covenant, or contract, with them. To fulfill the covenant, they needed to obey
the law of God, called the Ten Commandments. The Jews also believed that
God sent prophets to his people to teach them and warn them. The prophets
said that God wanted people to live justly and care for the poor. The Ten
Commandments and the words of the prophets became the basis for modern
laws and ideas of social justice.
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Reading Essentials and Study Guide
Chapter 2, Section 3
(continued)
·The Jewish religion was unique among the religions of western Asia and
Egypt. The other religions were polytheistic, and only priests had access to the
gods and their wishes. In the Jewish tradition, God's wishes had been written
down. No single person could claim that he alone knew God's will. This
knowledge was open to anyone who could read Hebrew. Unlike most of the
other peoples of Southwest Asia, the Jews would not accept the gods of their
conquerors. To obey their God, they might even have to refuse to obey their
conquerors.
6. How was the Jewish religion different from other religions in western
Asia and Egypt?
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· Reading Essentials and Study Guide
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Chapter 2, Section 4
For use with textbook pages 61-64
THE RISE OIF NEW EMPIRES
KEY TERMS
a province in the Persian empire (page 63)
satrapy
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satrap ("protector of the kingdom") the governor of each province, who collected taxes, provided justice, and recruited soldiers (page 63)
monarchy
government·under the rule of a king or queen (page 64)
o·RA.WING PROM ~XPERIENCE
What do you tlunk of when you hear the word "empire"? Are there any
empires today? Are "superpowers" empires? Why or why not?
ill the last section, you learned about the civilizations of the Hittites,
Phoenicians, and Israelites. ill this section, you will learn about the empires
that conquered the Israelites
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·.ORGANIZING Y.OUR THOUGHTS.
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Use the time line below to help you take notes. List the major events in
J\ssyrian and Persian history.
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700 B.C.
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660 B.C.
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612 B.C.
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6.
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559 B.C.
539 B.C.
521 B.C.
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Reading Essentials and Study Guide
Chapter 2, Section 4
(continued)
~EAD TO LEARN
• The Assyrian Empire (page 61)
Assyria is located on the upper Tigris River. The Assyrians used iron
weapons to conquer other people and build an empire by 700 B.C. The
Assyrian Empire included Mesopotamia, parts of the Iranian Plateau, sections
of Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt.
The Assyrian Empire was well organized. The Assyrians developed a system of communication throughout the empire. Relays of horses carried
messages along a network of posts. A message could be sent to the king from
anywhere in the empire and receive an answer within a'week. Ashurbanipal,
one of the last Assyrian kings, built one of the world's first libraries at
Nineveh. The Assyrian army was large, well organized, and disciplined. It
was the first large army to use iron weapons. The Assyrians treated the people
they conquered cruelly.
The Assyrian Empire did not last long, however. In 612 B.C., it fell to the
Chaldeans and Medes, who were people who lived in the East.
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8. How did the Assyrians communicate throughout their empire?
• The Persian Empire (page 62)
After the fall of the Assyrian Empire, the Chaldeans made Babylonia the
most important state in western Asia. The king of the Chaldeans was
Nebuchadnezzar. He rebuilt Babylon as the center of his empire and made it
one of the great cities of the ancient world.
In 539 B.C., Babylon fell to the Persians. The Persians were an IndoEuropean people who lived in what is now southwestern Iran. The Persians
were nomads who were organized in groups. One family was able to unite the
groups. Cyrus, who was a member of that family, created a powerful Persian
empire that stretched from Asia Minor to western India.
Cyrus ruled from 559 to 530 B.C. The people of his time called Cyrus "the
Great." He was an unusual ruler, who ruled with great wisdom and compassion. He allowed the Jews, who had been brought to Babylon in the sixth
century B.c., to return to Jerusalem. He had a respect for other culh1res. When
he built his palaces, he used Assyrian, Babylonian, and Egyptian designs and
methods.
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Reading Essentials and Study Guide
Chapter 2, Section 4
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(continued)
The rulers after Cyrus added to the Persian Empire. His son Cambyses
invaded Egypt. Darius, who ruled from 521 to 486 B.C., added a province in
India. He then moved into Europe and conquered Thrace. The Persian Empire
became the largest empire that the world had ever seen.
Darius divided the empire into 20 provinces, called satrapies. A governor,
or satrap, ruled each province. Satrap means "protector of the kingdom." The
satraps collected taxes, proyided justice, and recruited soldiers. Like the
Assyrians, the Persians used a relay of horses to take messages throughout the
empire. The roads were well maintained. The Royal Road went from Lydia to
Susa, the chief capital of the empire.
The power of the Persian Empire depended upon the military. By the time
of Darius, the Persian kings had created an army of professional soldiers. It
had a cavalry of ten thousand and an infantry of ten thousand. These groups
were called the Immortals because there were always ten thousand in each
group. If one soldier died, he was immediately replaced.
Persians kings had many wives and children. For example, Artaxerxes II
had 115 sons. The sons of the kings had no real power, so they were always
plotting to gain the throne. Nine of the rulers after Darius were murdered. For
example, Xerxes II reigned for only 45 days before his half-brother murdered
him in bed. Over time, these struggles for the throne weakened the monarchy
(government under the rule of a king or queen). During the 330s B.c., the
Persian Empire fell to the Greek ruler Alexander the Great. ·
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The Persians' religion was called Zoroastrianism. According to Persian tradition, Zoroaster was born in 660 B.C. His teachings were written down in the
Zend Avesta, the sacred book of Zoroastrianism. The followers of Zoroaster
were monotheistic. Their god was called Ahuramazda (the "Wise Lord"). He
was the creator, but Ahriman, an evil spirit, opposed him. Zoroaster taught
that humans could choose betvyeen good and evil. He also taught that there
would be an end to the struggle between good and evil and that Ahuramazda
would triumph.
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9. Why was Cyrus called "the Great"?
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