Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
GVILIZATION in ESOPOTAMIA g k to Our World The Fertile Crescent starts on the eastern shore Why do people today try new of the Mediterranean Sea in Southwest Asia. Like ways of doing things? the shape of a quarter moon, it curves around the Syrian Desert, reaching south to the Persian Gulf. Focus on the Msin Ides By about 4000 B.C. many farming villages dotted As you read, think about the new the rich land of the Fertile Crescent. In the valley lifeways developed by societies of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers at the eastern living in ancient Mesopotamia. end of the Fertile Crescent, some farming vilPreview Vocsbulsry lages attracted thousands of new settlers. There civilization authority in the region called Mesopotamia, "the land technology surplus between the rivers," several villages grew into ziggurat merchant cities. The earliest cities rose up in a part of government social class Mesopotamia called Sumer. As people began city-state scribe to live and work together in these cities, they monarchy innovation formed a complex society, or civilization. A civilization is a culture with well-developed forms of government, religion, writing, and learning. City life brought new problems, however. The need arose to find creative ways to solve them. NEW INVENTIONS Farmers living in the region of Sumer used the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to water their crops. Yet these rivers were unpredictable. At times they flooded the land without warning. They carried away crops and sometimes whole villages. For people who subsisted on agriculture, a flood was the worst possible natural disaster. The loss of crops when farmland was flooded meant starvation. To control the water on which they depended, farmers in Sumer built dikes and dug canals. Dikes held the fl~~:~~gto rivers within their banks. Canals carried extra water d II Chapter 2 • 61 the rivers after floods. Building dikes and canals took special knowledge of making and using tools. The use of tools and skills to make a product or achieve a goal is called technology. The early settlers of Sumer developed the technology to carry out successful agriculture and to build cities. The technology of Sumer was greatly advanced by the invention of the wheel. Farmers in Sumer made wheels by attaching boards together and rounding them off. Later they covered the rims with pieces of copper. Wheel technology made possible other inventions, including the wheeled cart. With a wheeled cart, a domesticated animal such as an ox or a donkey could pull a heavy load. Wheeled carts were important in moving construction materials for houses and other buildings in Sumer' s growing cities. What two inventions helped early farmers deal with flooding? ARCHITECTURE AND RELIGIOUS BELIEFS The largest building in most Sumerian cities was a huge mud-brick temple called a ziggurat (ZIH•guh•rat). Some ziggurats stood as tall as a seven-story building. They towered above the houses like skyscrapers. Builde each one highestl for the ci There peoples in their 1 their go< return.F they tho angry at Sumerv and rain ~ Mediterranean Sea Syrian Desert • N W *E 0 - Border of Sumer - Border of Mesopotamia D Fertile Crescent ------ Ancient coastline 100 200 Miles 0 100 200 Kilometers l am bert Conformal Conic Projection HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS --- -- - Ancient ziggurats (left) towered above the land in ancient Mesopotamia about 5,000 years ago. Even after many years of erosion, the Ziggurat Assur (above) still stands in what is now Iraq. Builders constructed a ziggurat in layers, one smaller than the one below. On the level of each ziggurat stood a shrine the city's special god. The religious beliefs of the Sumerian showed the importance of agriculture in their lives. They believed that by pleasing gods, they would get large harvests in Floods and other natural disasters, thought, were signs that the gods were at them. Chief among the gods of were Enlil, the god of winds, storm, rain, and Ea, the god of the waters and In time a ziggurat became more than a for a god. The people in Sumer built ·buildings around the base of the -~ ........... Some of these buildings had ......,...... kinds of workshops where craftor skilled workers, made clothing metal goods. Others were temples in priests performea religious cereThe ziggurat with all its buildings, enCJlose~a within great walls, was the center activity in each city. How did religion in Sumer reflect the importance of agriculture? THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT Constructing dikes, canals, ziggurats, and other city buildings took large numbers of people. When large numbers of people live and work together, laws are needed to keep order. In societies as large as those in Sumer, this could be done only with a government. A government is an organized system that groups use to make laws and decisions. Sumer was made up of 12 independent city-states. A city-state included a city or village and the farmlands around it. Each city-state had its own leaders and its own government. In early days each government was run by a small group of leaders and a chief leader chosen by that group. Together they made laws and decided what work had to be done. The city-states of Sumer often waged wars to enlarge their farmland or to protect it from others who wanted to take it. In times of peril, the group of leaders could not always agree on what to do. To provide stronger leadership, each Sumerian city-state formed a new government. The new gove~~~~:was a monarchy, in which one perso~ II Chapter 2 • 6J adventures of Gilgamesh, a Sumerian ''big man." The story praises Gilgamesh as "he who knew everything." Gilgamesh was a real king who ruled over the Sumerian citystate of Uruk sometime between 2700 and 2500 B.c. Over time King Gilgamesh became a figure of legend. People described Gilgamesh as one-third man and two-thirds god. Stories of Gilgamesh and his adventures were probably passed on as oral tradition for centuries before being recorded in Mesopotamia put the stories of Gilgamesh into their most complete form by 1300 B.C. complete authority, or right, to rule in peacetime and to lead soldiers in time of war. Sumerians called the rulers of their citystates ''big men/' or kings, because the rulers were most often men. They were concerned with every part of Sumerian life. Because of the king's importance, the Sumerians believed their kings were almost like gods. One of the oldest stories in the world is a story poem from Sumerian times. It tells the M • Unit 1 What type of government did Sumerian city-states form to provide stronger leadership? CHANGING ECONOMY By about 3000 B.C. some Sumerian citystates had large populations, while others remained small. The city-state of Ur grew to have more than 30,000 people. Such population growth was possible only because of the success of agriculture. Sumerian farms produced enough food to create a surplus, or extra supply, to feed the people who came to settle in Sumer. Having a surplus meant that some people could spend their working hours doing things other than growing or finding food. As a result, a complex division of labor occurred. Some people became craftworkers in stone, clay, wool, leather, or metals such as copper. Others became managers.. skilled at directing the work of others. Some became merctiants';"Nople who bought and sold goods for a living. Sumerian merchants traded with merchants throughout,the Fertile Crescent as far away as the Mediterranean Sea. The Sumerians traded what they had in surpluswheat, barley, and coppertools such as axheads and plowheads. In return, they got what they wanted-wood, salt, precious stones, and raw copper. What effect did a surplus of food have on life in Sumer? DIVISIONS IN SOCIETY Because the work of some people came to be valued more than the work of others, Sumerian society became divided. This division< withdiffE Themt inSumer priests, a families. werere had theJJ Next<l workers, included doctors, whokne able skilJ includin read nor letters fc stories a middle! services vices an division created social classes, or groups with different levels of importance. The most important or highest social class in Sumer was made up of nobles-the king, priests, and other important leaders and their families. Nobles owned much of the land and were regarded as the privileged class. They had the most wealth and honor. Next came the class of merchants, craftworkers, and managers. This middle class included carpenters, potters, bricklayers, doctors, and scribes. A scribe was a person who knew how to write. Writing was a valuable skill in Sumer, where most peopleincluding kings and nobles-could neither read nor write. Scribes kept records, wrote letters for other people, and copied down stories and songs. Scribes and others in the middle social class of Sumer exchanged their services or the goods they made for the services and goods they needed. Laborers, or unskilled workers, and slaves made up the lowest class in Sumerian society. Most slaves were prisoners of war. Others were enslaved as punishment for crimes or to pay off debts. Slaves in Sumerian society were not enslaved for life. For example, those who owed a debt could gain their freedom when the debt was paid. In each Sumerian social class, a division existed between m~n and women. Men owned most of the property and held most leadership roles. Laws in Sumer allowed women to own property. However, most women did not. Women sometimes held positions of leadership, especially as priests. Ancient records also refer to women scribes and doctors. Most Sumerian women, however, did not hold positions of leadership in the community. What were Sumer's social classes? These gypsum statues (left) show how one early artist pictured the Sumerians. Below is a model of a Sumerian house. What social class do you think the owners of this house belonged to? Chapter 2 • 65 Head Bird ~< Grain LEARNING FROM TABLES Sumerian writing began with scribes (left) using picture symbols. • In what columns do the symbols most often look like what they stand for? INNOVATIONS The needs of a large complex society led to further innovations, or new ways of doing things. The need in Sumer to mark boundaries for farming led to a unit of land measurement the Sumerians called the iqu. Today we call it the acre. The need to measure the wheat and barley harvests established the quart as a basic unit of measurement. The need to carry trade goods up the river led people to build cargo boats with sails. The need to keep a record of ownership and trade led to one of the Sumerians' greatest innovations-writing. Scribes in Sumer marked picture symbols in pieces of wet clay. They attached these pieces to baskets as tags to identify the contents and the owner. Over time the Sumerians developed their symbols into a complete writing system. This system was based on cuneiform, (kyoo•NEE•uh•fawrm), or wedge-shaped, symbols. To make the cuneiform marks in soft clay tablets, Sumerian scribes used a pointed reed, or stylus. The clay tablets were then baked to harden them. Cuneiform tablets that have been found give a record of 66 • Unit 1 Sumer' s growing economic activity, way of life, and history. With the invention of writing, people began to record their own stories. 1 ~ 'I g What innovations did the Sumerians develop? soN 1 REVIEW Check Understanding 1. Recall the Facts What new type of government was formed in the Fertile Crescent? 2. Focus on the Main Idea How did the need for organization affect the development of city-states in Sumer? Think Critically 3. Cause and Effect What effect did a crop surplus have on early civilization? 4. Past to Present Which of the problems faced by people in Sumer are similar to problems in the United States today? Show What You Know News-Writing Activity Prepare a news story describing an important event that might have happened in Sumer when an innovation was introduced. FJEiiTiLE CRESCENT to Our World Why are laws important today? Focus on the Ma.in Idea. As you read, look for ways in which early civilizations protected themselves and kept order within their societies. As city-states all over the Fertile Crescent kept growing in area and population, conflict among them increased. City-states competed with one another to control fertile land and valuable water rights. As people began to conquer, or take over, the land of others, cries of war became a familiar sound. Preview Voca.bula.ry conquer empire emperor taxation Code of Hammurabi equal justice This Sumerian helmet was hammered from a single sheet of gold. About 4,500 years old, ·the helmet was uncovered in the royal cemetery of the ancient city of Ur. CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF CONFLICT Most wars among early agricultural societies such as those in the Fertile Crescent were fought to protect farmland and water rights. A Sumerian saying warned of how unsure ownership was: "You can go and carry off the enemy's land; the enemy comes and carries off your land." The land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers was flat. No natural boundaries such as mountains separated one city-state from another. With no natural boundaries, citystates put up pillars to mark their borders. When one citystate moved or destroyed another city-state's pillars, it "violated both the decree of the gods, and the word given by man to man." Such acts often led to war. As more disagreements about land and water arose, more wars were fought. With more wars, the need for weapons resulted in new technology. Craftworkers used what they had learned in making metal tools and improving the wheel to create such innovations as war chariots. A war chariot was a light, two-wheeled cart pulled by horses. From a fastmoving war chariot, a soldier could speed by and ~~A';t'h spears or shoot arrows at an enemy who was on foot~ II Chapter 2 • 67 stone artwork shows, war was often a part of day-to-day living for the ancient Mesopotamians. Sumerian ruler, possibly Sargon new technology for war, of course, more people died in battle. What was the major cause of wars among the people of the Fertile Crescent? SARGONTHE CONQUEROR The first known conqueror in the Fertile Crescent was a warrior named Sargon. He lived there in the city-state of Kish. As a young man he served as an official in the government of its king. Sargon later killed the king and took control of Kish. Gathering an army, Sargon then marched through Mesopotamia, establishing a vast empire. An empire is a conquered land of many 68 • Unit 1 people and places governed by one ruler. Sargon became the region's first emperor, or ruler of an empire. In the middle of his empire, Sargon built a capital city called Akkad. His empire and its people came to be known as Akkadian. As a sign of his conquest over the huge area, Sargon ordered every boundary pillar and city wall tom down. For the next 55 years, Sargon of Akkad ruled over his empire. He maintained his rule both by force and by good organization. Sargon was the first king in the Fertile Crescent to set up a standing army. Before this time people became soldiers only in time of war. Sargon also appointed loyal nobles as governors to maintain control of conquered cities. Sargon organized his empire so well that it lasted long after his death. By about 2300 B.C. the Akkadian Empire stretched the entire length of the Fertile Crescent and included all the Sumerian city-states. The Akkadian Empire, however, eventually weakened. When the Akkadian Empire ended, the city-states of the Fertile Crescent once again ruled themselves-until the next conqueror built another empire. Why did Sat;gon tear down boundary pillars and city walls? woul ' Per] contri1 that hE to foil of282 every< wered gories trade, a In th the cod didwr mightr ofcrim commii ments not be£ often to into the On this ste JIAMMURABI TilE LAWGIVER Between 1792 and 1750 B.C. Ha:mrllurabi, king of the city-state of Babylon, conquered and reunited most of Mesopotamia and the upper valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Like Sargon, Hammurabi was more than a military leader. He improved each citystate under his rule by promoting trade and by building and keeping up dikes and canals. To pay the expenses of his government, Hammurabi set up a system of taxation. That is, to support the government, people were required to pay taxes in crops or other goods they produced. Tax collectors went from house to house gathering money. If the tax collector could not get payment from a person, he had to pay it himself. In this way Hammurabi made certain that enough money would be collected for all his improvements. Perhaps Hammurabi' s most important contribution was a code, or collection, of laws that he wrote for all the people of his empire to follow. The Code of Hammurabi consisted of 282laws that dealt with almost every asp.e ct of life. The laws were divided into categories such as family, trade, and work. In the years before the code, people who did wrong might or might not be convicted of crimes they had committed. Punishments might or might not be fair. People often took the law into their own hands, On this stela, or stone marker, Hammurabi stands before the Babylonian sun god. Hammurabi's laws are carved at the base of the stela. punishing as they saw fit. So Hammurabi wrote laws about marriage and divorce, adoption, slaves, murder, stealing, military service, land and business practices, loans, prices, and wages. Based on older codes of Sumerian and Akkadian laws, the Code of Hammurabi followed the law of "an eye for an eye." The code said that whoever caused an injury should be punished by being given that same injury. If a person broke someone' s arm in a fight, that person was punished by having his or her arm broken. In describing the purpose of his code, Hammurabi explained that he wrote it ' 'To cause justice to prevail ... To destroy the wicked . . . To enlighten the land and to further the welfare of the people. ' ' Besides writing a code of laws, Hammurabi introduced equal justice, or fair treatment under the law. His equal justice, however, was limited to equality within each social class. Under the Code of Hammurabi, nobles and priests were often favored over people in the middle class. Middle-class people were favored over laborers and slaves. And men were favored over women. People believed that the Code of Hammurabi was a gift from the gods. According to them the sun god, Shamash, had given Hammurabi the authority to write down the laws. Backed by the authority of the gods and of the government, this code became a model for lawmaking in later civilizations in western Asia. I Chapter 2 • 69 EVENTS IN MESOPOTAMIA About 2350 B.c. Sargon establishes the Akkadian Empire About 2300 B.c. The Akkadian Empire stretches the length ofthe Fertile Crescent About 1792 B.C. Hammurabi becomes king of Babylon By about 1750 B.c. Hammurabi conquers and reunites most of Mesopotamia About 689 B.C. Sennacherib captures Babylon 721 B.C. Sennacherib captures the kingdom of Israel Code of Hammurabi LEARNING FROM TIME LINES Many rulers fought for control of ancient Mesopotamia between 2500 B.C. and 500 B.C. • Which of these rulers reigned longest ago? Hammurabi's code lasted over the years, but his empire did not. By 1600 B.c. the Babylonians, too, had been conquered. neighbors so they could gain this rich land. They went on taking land until their empire stretched across the Fertile Crescent. After (j from tl site. H ameac lntiJ brougf Medes What is an ''eye for an eye" law? This stela into battlt SENNACHERIB THE DESTROYER After the collapse of Hammurabi's empire, Mesopotamia was ruled by several different peoples. First, the Hittites from the area now . known as Turkey built an empire on the strength of their iron weapons. The Hittite weapons were the most advanced war technology of the time. Then another empire arose. This was Assyria. Assyria was a region of rolling hills between the Tigris River and the Zagros Mountains in northern Mesopotamia. Most Assyrians lived in cities, of which the most . important were Assur, Kalhu, and Nineveh. Surrounding each city were many small farming villages. In need of more fertile land to farm, the Assyrians looked to the plains of the Fertile Crescent. The land there was perfect for growing crops. Advancing in war chariots, the Assyrians began conquering their 70 • Unit 1 - Babylonian Empire, about 1750 B.c. LOCAnON Several empires rose and fell in Southwest Asia during ancient times. • What empire was Assur a part of in 1750 B.C.? in 650 B.C.? In 721 B.C. the Assyrian king Sennacherib (suh•NA•kuh·ruhb) stormed Israel, a kingdom in the western Fertile Crescent, near the Mediterranean Sea. Along the way his army attacked and destroyed 46 cities and forced more than 200,000 captives into slavery. In 689 B.C. he attacked and destroyed Babylon in Mesopotamia at the far-eastern end of the Fertile Crescent. Sennacherib bragged, "The city and · houses, from its foundation to its top, I destroyed, I devastated, I burned with fire." After destroying Babylon, he had canals dug from the Euphrates River and flooded the site. He wanted to tum the city, he said, into a meadow. In time the mighty Assyrian Empire was brought down by other people. In 612 B.C. the Medes attacked Nineveh and killed its king. A writer who may have lived near Nineveh described the fall of the city. The description shows how viol~nt the age of conquest was in the Fertile Crescent. This stela shows Assyrian warriors riding a chariot into battle. Check Understanding ' 'Woe to the bloody city! ... The noise of a whip and the noise of rattling wheels, And of the prancing horses, and of leaping chariots. The horseman lifts up the bright sword and glittering spear, And there is a multitude slain.... ' ' Why did the Assyrians attack their neighbors? g soN 2 REVIEW What collection of "an eye for an eye" laws developed in Babylon? 2. Focus on the Main Idea How did the people of the Fertile Crescent maintain order and protect themselves from outside threats? 1. Recall the Facts Think Critically Some people today would consider Hammurabi's punishments to be cruel. Why would others support these punishments for crimes today? 4. Past to Present What types of laws in your community do you consider the most important? Why? 5. Cause and Effect What was the effect of empire building on the ancient peoples of the Fertile Crescent? 3. Think More About It Show What You Know List-Making Activity Hammurabi wrote a code of laws that seemed fair for his time. In a group, write a short code of rules for the students in your school with consequences tbat seem fair for your time. Chapter 2 • 71 HOENICIANS andLY DIANS Dk to Our World What changes have individuals and groups brought about in your community? Focus on the Main Idea As you read, look for ways in which Israelites, Phoenicians, and Lydians contributed to change in the civilization of the Fertile Crescent. Preview Vocabulary monotheism covenant Ten Commandments Judaism Torah colony cultural diffusion barter money economy 72 • Unit 1 The groups of people who lived in the western end of the Fertile Crescent did not create large empires. Yet they contributed to world tory in important ways. Between about 2000 500 B.C., the Israelites, the Phoenicians, and the Lydians made important contributions in religion, language, and economics. ABRAHAM Many people all over the world trace their identity as a people to a man named Abram. Abram was born in the Sumerian city of Ur and lived most of his life in the city of Har(ln in northern Mesopotamia. The Mesopotamians, like most early people, worshipped many gods. They prayed to one god for water, another god for rain, and still another god for good harvests. There were gods also for clouds, mists, and almost every part of nature important to an agricultural society. Unlike their neighbors, Abram and his family worshipped one God. Belief in one supreme being is called monotheism. God, Abram believed, was all-powerful. According to Abram, God spoke to him one day,,_saying, "Leave your country, your people, and your father's house and go to the land I will show you." Abram obeyed God without question. He soon left Mesopotamia and traveled west with his wife Sarah and other family members. By about 2000 B.C. ~hey came to a region of hills, valleys, and coastal plains along the Mediterranean Sea. This region was known as Canaan. Abram and his family journeyed through Canaan until they reached a place called Shechem (SHEE•kuhm). It was there, according to the Bible, that Abram heard God say, "I will give this land to your children." Abram made a covenant, or agreement, with God. The covenant promised that in return for Abram's being faithful, God would give Abram's descendants the land of Canaan as a home country. As a sign of his promise, Abram changed his name to Abraham. The name means "father of many nations." Abraham became known as the father of the Jewish people through his son Isaac and the father of the Arab people through his son Ishmael. In what important way were Abraham's religious,beliefs different from the beliefs of the people of Mesopotamia? THE TEN COMMANDMENTS Abraham's son Isaac had a son who was named Jacob. Later, Jacob also became known as Israel, and his descendants were called Israelites. When famine came to Canaan, many Israelites left for Egypt. The Israelites who left Canaan found food and work during their early years in Egypt. Later, however, they were enslaved by Egyptian rulers. In about 1280 B.C. Moses, a leader of the Israelites, led his people back toward Canaan. The journey, which was filled with hardships, took many years. The Bible says that on a mountain in the Sinai desert, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, a set of laws for responsible behavior. The First Commandment means that there is only one God and that God alone should be worshipped. The The Ten Commandments are just one part of the Torah, writings holy to the Jewish religion. The Torah cover at left was made during the eighteenth century. Chapter 2 • 7J other commandments set down rules for living and for keeping families strong. The Ten Commandments helped Moses lead the Israelites during their long journey. These laws became an important part of Judaism-the religion of the Jewish people-and later of Christianity and of Islam. Judaism teaches belief in a God who cannot be pictured and whose qualities must be imitated. For example, God is fair, and people must deal fairly with their neighbors. After their return to Canaan, the Israelites set up their own country, which they called the Land of Israel. The first king of Israel was Saul. Saul was followed as king by David, who built a capital city at Jerusalem. David's son, Solomon, became one of Israel's most famous kings, known for his ability to make good decisions. "Solomon's wisdom D D D Israel at the beginnin~ of Solomon s rule Kingdom of Israel Kingdom of Judah Ol==;::=2~ 5 ;--_.:.'~50. Miles 0 25 50 Kilometers Transverse Cylindrical Projection Sea THE While of the According to the Bible, Moses was born in Egypt to Jewish parents who were enslaved there. At that time liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-.t the Egyptian leader, the pharaoh, had ordered that all the sons of Jews be killed . Moses' mother placed her baby son in a basket at the edge of the Nile River. The pharaoh's daughter found the basket and decided to raise Moses as her own son. Moses' mother became his nurse and told him of his true identity. Moses never forgot that he was a Jew. Later, as the Bible recour1\s, he obeyed God's call to lead the enslaved Jewish people out of Egypt to Canaan, the Promised Land. excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country," says the Bible. The stories of the Israelites are in the first five books of the Bible, or the Five Books of Moses. Jewish people refer to these five books as the Torah. After Solomon's rule the Land of Israel .> was divided into two parts-the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah. The kingdom of Israel lasted until 721 B.c., when it was conquered by the Assyrians. Judah lasted until 587 B.C., when it was captured by the Babylonians. Much later the region of Judah became known as Judaea under the cor:ttrol of a people called the Romans. Around 130 B.C. the Jews were forced to leave Judaea. The Romans changed the region's name to Palestine to remove all connection of the land with the Jews. What set of rules became an important part of three major religions? stops for sailors on long sea voyages and as trade links with other civilizations in Africa and Europe. The Phoenicians modeled their civilization after those of the many different peoples with whom they came into contact. They borrowed ideas from the Egyptians, the Babylonians, and other trading partners. Basing their work on the writing systems of the Egyptians and others, the Phoenicians developed the earliest alphabet. The Phoenician alphabet made writing easier. Earlier written language used wedge While Israel occupied the southern section of the narrow strip of the Fertile Crescent along the Mediterranean Sea, Phoenicia occupied the northern section. Phoenicia consisted of a loose union of city-states, each governed by a king. Phoenicia_had little land to farm and few important natural resources. The nearby Lebanon Mountains did have cedar trees, however. So the people of Phoenicia traded cedar trees to get the food and materials they needed. For hundreds of years the Phoenicians sailed the waters of the Mediterranean Sea in search of metals, ivory, and other goods they could not find at home. In the process, they developed the most advanced sailing technology among the ancient peoples. Between 1000 and 700 B.C., the Phoenicians began to establish colonies all over the J Mediterranean region. A colony is a settlement separated from, but under the control of, a home country. Phoenician colonies throughout the Mediterranean served as rest 8 d D at? '\ Phoenician Purple The Phoenicians are remembered not only for their alphabet but also for a color. In the coastal waters of Phoenicia lived a certain kind of mollusk, a sea animal with a hardshell. The early Phoenicians used this mollusk to make a purple dye called Tyrian purple. Kings often wore clothes dyed this beautiful color. Soon Tyrian purple came to be thought of as a royal color. Some leaders even ruled that only they could wear it. The Phoenicians' sea trade grew as more and more rulers demanded Tyrian purple. Over time the dye became very closely connected with the land where it was made. In fact, the name Phoenician comes from a Greek word for red-purple. 1 I, J L L M M C> 7 r p X + T T T y z z . ~ 0 <: I LEARNING FROM TABLES The Phoenician alphabet was an important step in the development of man :JJ present-day alphabets. • Which Phoenician letters look most like letters in our alphabet today? Chapter 2 • 75 • shapes, as in cuneiform, or pictures to stand for syllables in words. The Phoenician alphabet was made up of written symbols that stood for single sounds. The Phoenicians used their alphabet in their businesses to record trade agreements and to draw up bills. Phoenician colonies made it possible for knowledge of the alphabet to spread quickly among the Phoenicians' contacts. The spreading of new ideas to other places is called cultural diffusion. 1 ~ How did the Phoenician \ I people spread the use of their alphabet? COINED MONEY The Lydians also lived at the far-western end of the Fertile Crescent, along the eastern Mediterranean. Like the Phoenicians, the Lydians made a major contribution to the people of the Fertile Crescent. Theirs, too, was related to trade. In 600 B.c. the Lydians became the first people to use coined money put out by their government. Lydian coins, made around 600 B.C. As people around the Mediterranean and all over the Fertile Crescent began to trade with one another, they needed a kind of money. Its value had to be accepted, and it had to be light enough to be carried on ships without sinking them. The first coins were the size of red beans. They were made of a mixture of gold and silver. Each was stamped with the personal mark of the king of Lydia. Before the innova. tion of coined money, traders relied on barter, the exchange of one good or service another. The trouble with barter that two people could make a deal only if each had a good or a service that the other wanted. The use of money allowed traders to set prices for various goods and services. Societies could then develop a money economy, an economic system based on the use of money rather than on barter. Lydia remained an independent kingdom until 545 B.C. Though it never regained its nr1.onc•n it has long been remembered for its early coins. How did coined money change trade? Statue of the Phoen god Baal 76 • Unit 1 Syrian Desert 0 Israel, about 1000 B.C. Phoenicia, about 1200 B.C. 0 Lydia, about 600 B.C. The ideas of the Israelites, Phoenicians, and Lydians influenced the peoples around them. • Why do you think ideas traveled freely among people of the eastem Mediterranean? SON3REVIEW Check Understanding 1. Recall the Fads What did the Israelites, the Phoenicians, and the Lydians each give to the civilization of the Fertile Crescent? 2. Focus on the Main idea How were the contributions of the Israelites, the Phoenicians, and the Lydians helpful to the people of the Fertile Crescent? Think Critically J. Think More About It What were some of the advantages and the disadvantages of the use of a written alphabet and the use of coined money? 4. Past to Present How do the contributions made by the Israelites, the Phoenicians, and the Lydians affect our lives today? Show What You Know Speech Activity With a partner, prepare a speech to persuade a person who has never heard of it to adopt either the Phoenician alphabet or Lydian coined money. If time allows, practice your speech aloud. Chapter 2 • 77