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Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Graphic Organizer
Judaism
Islam
Christianity
Religions
Early History of
West Asia
Ancient
Civilizations
Sumerians
Babylonians
Phoenicians
Assyrians,
Chaldeans
Persians
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July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Big Ideas Card
Big Ideas of Lesson 2, Unit 3
1. Using the history theme of change and continuity gives structure to the study of
history.
2. A timeline is a tool that shows how important events are connected and how
things have changed.
3. Some of the earliest civilizations began in the region of West Asia.
4. Three of the major world religions began in the West Asia. These are Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam.
5. Studying the past of a region helps to understand the present issues there.
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July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Word Cards
Word Cards from previous lessons needed for this lesson:

region – Word Card #4 from Lesson 1
7. history
8. religion
a belief system
relating to a higher
power
the study of the past
Example: When you study history you study
about people and events of the past.
Example: Islam, Christianity, Judaism,
Buddhism, and Hinduism are all major world
religions.
(SS070302)
9. timeline
(SS070302)
10. Middle East
1998
2000
2005
a diagram that shows the order in which
events happened
a region of the countries of southwest
Asia and northeast Africa
Example: You can make a timeline of
important events in your life.
Example: The Middle East is the site of many
ancient civilizations.
(SS070302)
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(SS070302)
Page 3 of 17
July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Example of a Timeline
Events Leading to the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
Timeline from: <http://teacher.scholastic.com/pearl/timeline/navart/timeline.jpg>.
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July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Example of a Timeline
The Life of Leonhard Euler, Mathematician
Timeline from: <http://www.math.dartmouth.edu/~euler/historica/euler-timeline.html>.
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July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Illustrated Timeline
Of_________________________________, My Life
1.________________________________ 4._______________________________
2.________________________________ 5._______________________________
3.________________________________
Write the dates in order in the boxes. Draw or paste a picture of the event or
important invention in the long box next to it.
Date
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Event
Page 6 of 17
July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Early History of the Region of West Asia
Early civilizations formed around major rivers - the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia and the
Nile in northeastern Africa. Other smaller civilizations also settled near coastal areas.
The Sumerians of Mesopotamia
The first civilization in West Asia was formed along the great rivers that led to the Persian Gulf. The
people were called the Sumerians. Between the northern hills and the deserts of the Arabian
Peninsula is the plain of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It is a large stretch of farmable land called
the Fertile Crescent. The rivers rise in the spring, depositing fertile soil. Rainfall was scant in the
region, so as population increased, farming communities began to find ways to tame and use the
rivers through irrigation ditches. Construction of the ditches required improved tools that were not
available much before 4000 B.C.E. From that point onward developments in the region were swift.
Irrigation plus the fertility of the Tigris-Euphrates region gave substantial food surpluses. This led to
population growth and village expansion, as well as increasing trade and specialization. The region
was vulnerable because it was so flat that it was open to frequent invasion. By 3500 B.C.E.
farmers in Mesopotamia, as the Tigris-Euphrates region is also called, were benefiting not only
from rich agriculture, but also from pottery and tool production. The wheel had been introduced,
and people worked to steadily improve the irrigation network. They developed the Cuneiform
method of writing. By about 2000 B.C.E. they wrote down the world's oldest story, the Gilgamesh
epic. Gilgamesh, a real person who had ruled a city-state, became the first hero in world literature.
The Sumerian civilization lasted until about 2000 B.C.E.
The Jews or Hebrews
The most important of the smaller Middle Eastern groups were the Jews, also called the Hebrews.
They gave the world one of its most influential religions. They were influenced by Babylonian
civilization but also marked by a period of enslavement in Egypt. They settled in the southeast
corner of the Mediterranean around 1600 B.C.E., probably migrating from Mesopotamia. In the 13 th
century B.C.E., Moses led these Jews to Palestine, in search of a homeland promised by the
Jewish God, Yahweh. This was later held to be the central development in Jewish history. The
Jews began at this point to emerge as a people with their own culture and political identity. Most of
this time the Jewish state was small and relatively weak, retaining independence only while other
parts of the Middle East were disorganized. A few Jewish kings were able to unify their people.
Most of Palestine came under foreign (initially Assyrian) domination from 722 B.C.E. onward, but
the Jews were able to maintain their cultural identity and key religious traditions.
The Phoenicians
Another distinct society grew up in this region, in what is now the nation of Lebanon. Around 2000
B.C.E. a people called the Phoenicians settled on the Mediterranean coast. They quickly turned to
sailing and fishing because their land was limited. The Phoenicians used their elaborate trading
contacts to gain knowledge from the other major civilizations. Then they improved upon what they
learned. Around 1300 B.C.E. they devised a much simplified alphabet based on the Mesopotamian
cuneiform. The Phoenician alphabet had only 22 letters and so was learned relatively easily. It
served as the basis of the Greek and Latin lettering systems.
The Phoenicians were a merchant or trading people. They improved manufacturing techniques in
several areas, particularly the production of dyes for cloth. Above all, they set up colonies at a
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July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
number of points along the Mediterranean. Phoenician sailors moved steadily westward, setting up
a major trading city on the coast of North Africa at Carthage, and lesser centers in Italy, Spain, and
southern France. The Phoenicians even traded along the Atlantic coast of Europe, reaching Britain
where they sought a supply of tin. Ultimately Phoenicia collapsed in the wake of the Assyrian
invasions of the Middle East, though several of the colonial cities survived much longer.
The Babylonians
A new empire arose around 1800 B.C.E., for the first time unifying the whole of Mesopotamia. This
Babylonian Empire was headed by Hammurabi, one of the great rulers of early civilized history.
Hammurabi set up an extensive network of officials and judges, while maintaining a separate
priesthood. He also codified the laws of the region, to deal with a number of criminal, property, and
family issues. Large cities arose due to the wealth and power of this new empire. At the same time,
Sumerian cultural traditions were maintained and grew.
The Assyrians and Chaldeans
The area of Mesopotamia once ruled by the Sumerians continued to be ruled by one empire after
another. About 1100 B.C.E., this began to change, with the arrival of the Assyrian Empire. The
Assyrians brought with them iron weapons and a will to fight and win not seen before. The iron
weapons were particularly effective because iron was stronger than any other metal. They trained
their warriors to fight in divisions called infantries. The result was a well-trained fighting machine
armed with top-grade weapons. By 665, the Assyrians controlled most of Mesopotamia, Phoenicia,
and Canaan. The Assyrians had many kings; the most famous was Ashurbanipal, who started a
library that eventually contained 25,000 tablets of hymns, stories, and biographies. Among these
tablets was the story of Gilgamesh, one of the world's first epic adventure stories. In time, however,
the Assyrian Empire grew too large and was taken over bit by bit, mostly by a people called the
Chaldeans, who captured the Assyrian capital of Nineveh in 612 B.C.E. The Chaldeans' most
famous ruler was Nebuchadnezzar, who had built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the
Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. He also conquered Jerusalem and forced the Hebrews to
move to Babylon. The Chaldean Empire was one of several empires that had Babylon as its
capital. In time the Chaldeans called themselves the Babylonians. They were one of the first
people to come up with ideas that shaped our modern understanding of mathematics, and they
beliefs formed the basis of what we now call astronomy.
The Persians
The last of the great ancient Middle Eastern empires (and the largest) was Persia, with its capital of
Persepolis. Cyrus the Great was the first great Persian ruler. He ruled from 559 to 530 B.C.E. and
conquered Asia Minor and Mesopotamia. The Persians had a vast empire, and they built roads to
connect the different parts. Like the Roman roads, Persian roads allowed traders and troops to
move more quickly from one part of the empire to another. One road, the Royal Road, stretched
more than 1,600 miles, from Sardis in Asia Minor to Susa, near the Persian Gulf. They also built a
canal to connect the Nile River to the Red Sea.To avenge the loss of many Greeks during the
Persian Wars, Alexander the Great invaded and, finally, conquered the Persian Empire, in 330
B.C.E.
Read more in The Rise of Civilization in the Middle East and Africa. International History Project.
12 January 2009 < http://history-world.org/rise_of_civilization_in_the_midd.htm>.
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Page 8 of 17
July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Illustrated Timeline
West Asian Civilization_________________________________
1.________________________________ 4._______________________________
2.________________________________ 5._______________________________
3.__________________________________
Write the dates in order in the boxes. Draw or paste a picture of the event or
important invention in the long box next to it.
Date
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Event
Page 9 of 17
July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Map of West Asia
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July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Religion in the Middle East/West Asia
Religion has always been an important factor in the history of the Middle East. Jerusalem is holy to
the three largest monotheistic (having one god) religions in the world: Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam. Dominance over the region has shifted from one religious group to another over the years,
bringing battles, both political and religious, that continue to this day.
Judaism was the first of the three monotheistic religions to dominate the area. Judaism was
founded around the thirteenth century B.C.E. in the area of Palestine or Canaan, currently known
as Israel. According to the Torah, the holy book of Judaism, this area was promised to the
Hebrews by their God, Yahweh. The region was inhabited by Jews for many centuries until the
year 70 C.E. when the Romans under General Vespasian and his son Titus captured Jerusalem
and drove out the Jews. Jerusalem is considered to be the central city of the Jewish religion.
Christianity began around the year 30 C.E. in the region of Palestine. It was founded by Jesus of
Nazareth and spread by Paul of Tarsus. Many of the holiest places of Christianity are found in
present-day Israel. Christianity spread out towards Western Europe where the majority of
Christians lived by the Middle Ages. In 1095 C.E. Pope Urban II declared the First Crusade. The
goals of the Crusades were to liberate the "oppressed" Christians in the Middle East and to restore
possession of Jerusalem and other holy places. For the most part the Crusades were unsuccessful
with any claimed territory being lost again to the Muslims. Eventually, any territories still possessed
by the European Christians were abandoned because support and popularity of the Crusades
diminished. The Vatican City in Rome is now the center of Christianity and the holy book is the
bible.
Islam began when the Prophet Mohammed, born in 570 C.E., united the inhabitants of the area
into a common belief that "there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is His prophet." Although
Mohammed encouraged the conversion of existing Christians and Jews in the area, he also
promoted tolerance. While Europe was in a period of declining growth during the seventh century,
the Middle East region was flourishing under the influence of Islam. Gradually, more and more
people converted to the new religion and by the ninth century, it was the dominant religion of the
region. The followers of Islam are called Muslims and their holy book is the Koran. Mecca in Saudi
Arabia is the holiest city for Muslims.
With the exception of the Crusades, the Middle East has been dominated by Muslims for almost
fourteen centuries. The disintegration of the Ottoman Turk Empire following World War I led to
conflict over Jewish claims to the region, specifically to the land of Palestine. The creation of the
State of Israel brought renewed religious tensions to the region, and the fight over who rightfully
owns the land continues.
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July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Graphic Organizer
Religion in the Middle East/West Asia
Compare and contrast the three major religions of West Asia
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Founder
Year Founded
Holy Book
Holy City
Name of
God
Major
Beliefs
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Page 12 of 17
July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Graphic Organizer
Religion in the Middle East/West Asia
Compare and contrast the three major religions of West Asia
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Founder
Abraham
Jesus Christ
Mohammed
Year Founded
About 1200
B.C.E.
30 C.E.
After 570 C.E.
Holy Book
Torah
Bible
Koran
(Quran)
Holy City
Jerusalem
Rome
Mecca
Yahweh
God
Allah
Jews believe
there is one God
who created and
rules the world.
This God is all
powerful, all
knowing, and in
all places at all
times. God is
also just and
merciful. It is
believed that
each person is
created in the
image of one
God. Therefore,
all people are
created equal
Christians believe
that there is only
one God with
three entities- God
the Father, God
the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit.
There are many
forms of
Christianity such
as Catholic,
Baptist, and
Lutheran.
Muslims believe
Islam is God's
final message to
humankind, a
reconfirmation
and perfection of
the messages that
God has revealed
through earlier
prophets.
Oneness with God
and others.
Name of
God
Major
Beliefs
(Answers will
vary.)
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July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Beliefs
Holy Book:
Judaism
Rituals
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Place of
Worship:
Traditions
Page 14 of 17
July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Beliefs
Holy Book:
Christianity
Rituals
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Place of
Worship:
Traditions
Page 15 of 17
July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Sample Completed Graphic Organizer
for Islam
Five
Pillars
Belief in one God
known as Allah
Beliefs
Holy Book:
Islam
Quran
Rituals
Place of
Worship:
Mosque
Traditions
Prayer five
times
a day
Washing
before entering
a mosque
Fasting during
Ramadan
A celebration at
the end of
Ramadan
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July 9, 2009
Seventh Grade Social Studies
Unit 3: West Asia: People, Places, and Issues
SS070302
Lesson 2
Essay/Discussion Topic
Why is the Study of the Ancient History and World Religions
Important to the Study of the Region of West Asia?
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July 9, 2009