Download Chpt 2 - Humble ISD

Chpt 2.1
Western Asia and Egypt
I The Impact of Geography
A. Mesopotamia is at the eastern end of the Fertile Crescent, an arc of land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian
Gulf
B. Mesopotamia (“between the rivers”) is the valley b/w the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. These rivers would overflow
& leave silt – makes soil rich to support agric econ  this Mesop civilz was one of history’s 1st impt early civilz to
grow in a river valley
C. Developing consistent agric required controlling the water supply – ppl in Mesopot dev’pd system of drainage
ditches & irrigation works the resulting large food supply allowed for significant population growth & emergence
of civilz in Mesop
D. Ancient Mesop covered 3 general areas: Assyria, Akkad, & Sumer – several peoples (groups) lived in these areas
E. Mesop civilz involved many ppl’s – the 1st civilz was the Sumerians
II The City-States of Ancient Mesopotamia
A. by 3000 BC, Sumerians had formed a number of city-states centered around cities such as Ur & Urak- these states
contr’ld the surrounding countryside politically & economically. City-states were basic political unit of Sumerian
civilz
B. Sumerians built largely w/ mud bricks  they used them to invent the arch & the dome, & built some of the largest
brick bldgs in world
C. Most impt bldgs in each city was temple – often it was built on top of a massive stepped tower called a ziggurat –
Sumerians believed gods & goddesses owned & ruled cities – Sumerian state was a theocracy – gov’t by divine
authority
D. Priests & priestesses were impt figures politically as well as religiously  eventually, ruling pwr passed more into
hands of kings, who traced authority back to the divine
E. Sumerian econ based principally on agric, but industry (metalwork & woolen textiles) & trade were impt 
invention of wheel 3000 BC facilitated trade
F. Sumerian city-states had 3 classes: nobles, commoners, & slaves. Nobles – royal family, royal officials, priests, &
their families. Commoners- worked for large estates as farmers, merchants, fishers, & craftspeople – 90% of ppl
were farmers
G. Slaves – worked on large bldg projects, wove cloth, & worked the farms of the nobles
III Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia
A. Akkadians- lived N of Sumerian city-states  they are a Semitic ppl b/c they spoke a Semitic language
B. Around 2340 BC, leader of Akkadians, Sargon, conquered the Sumerian city-states & set up 1st empire
C. empire – a large political unit that controls many ppls & territories – the rise & fall of empires is an impt part of
history
D. 1792 BC – Hammurabi of Babylon (city-state south of Akkad) est new empire over much of both Akkad & Sumer
IV Code of Hammurabi
A. Code of Hammurabi- one of the world’s most impt early systems of law  called for harsh punishments for
criminals & the 1st consumer protection laws. Principle of retaliation (“eye for an eye”) is fundamental in this code
B. Punishments – varied according to social status  a crime agst a noble brought a harsher punishment than the same
crime agst a commoner
C. Hammurabi’s code – also punished public officials who failed in their duties or were corrupt and provided for
protection for consumers to protect agst shoddy workmanship of builders
D. Largest group of laws in the code – cover’s marriage & family  parents arranged marriages & brides and grooms
signed a marriage contract to be officially married
E. This code – expresses the patriarchal nature of Mesopotamian society women had fewer privileges & rights than
men. It also enforced obedience of children to parents.
V The Importance of Religion
A. Due to the harsh physical environment & famines, Mesopotamians believed that the world was contr’ld by often
destructive supernatural forces & deities
B. Mesopotamians – were polytheistic  identified 3,000 gods
C. Humans – to obey & serve gods/goddesses – Sumerians believed humans were created to do manual labor gods did
not want to do, and so as inferior beings, ppl could never be sure just what gods could do to help or hurt them
VI Creativity of the Sumerians
A. this group – impt inventors – one such invention was a form of writing called cuneiform (wedge-shaped) – were they
used a reed stylus to make wedge-shaped markings on clay tablets which were baked in the sun
B. writing – used for record keeping, teaching, & law. This became such a critical need that a new class of scribes
(writers & copyists) arose. This became key to success for upper-class Mesopotamian boys – writing also passed on
cultural knowledge from generation to generation, sometimes in new ways
C. The Epic of Gilgamesh- most impt piece of Mesopotamian literature, teaches the lesson that only the gods are
immortal in man’s search for immortality
D. Sumerians – invented impt technologies  wagon wheel – in mathematics  invented a number system based on
60- made advances in applying geometry to engineering
E. In astronomy – Sumerians charted the constellations using their number system 60
2.2
I The Impact of Geography
A. Running over 4,000 miles, the Nile is the longest river in the world  it begins in heart of Af & runs N to
Mediterranean – NOTE: northern part is Lower Egypt and southern part is Upper Egypt
B. Most impt fact of Nile  it floods each year, enriching the soil around it  fertile soil causing surplus food to be
grown  causing Egyptian farmers to be prosperous – Nile also a highway that enhanced transp & commun, making
the Nile a unifying influence on Egypt
C. Unlike Mesopotamia, Egypt had geographical barriers that protected it from invasion: deserts to the west & east, the
Red Sea to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the north, & rapids in the southern Nile
D. Geog gave ppl sense of confidence & added to the noteworthy continuity of Egyptian civilz for thousands of yrs
II The Importance of Religion
A. Religion gave Egyptians sense of security & timelessness ( life would continue forever, undisturbed) – geog
contrib’d to relig  polytheism, w/ 2 groups of gods – land gods & sun gods most impt
B. Sun was worshipped as source of life  sun god was Atum or Re – the Egyptian ruler was called Son of Re, or the
sun in earthly form
C. 2 impt river & land gods  Osiris and Isis, husband & wife – Isis brought Osiris back to life so he thus was symb of
rebirth for either physical death or through rebirth of land when flooded by Nile
III The Course of Egyptian History
A. Egyptian history – divided into 3 main periods of stability, peace, & cultural flourishing: Old Kingdom, Middle
Kingdom, & New Kingdom, w/ periods of chaos/upheaval b/w them.
B. Egyptian history began around 3100 BC when Menes created 1st royal dynasty (family of rulers) – their right to
rule is passed thru family
C. Old Kingdom - from 2700 to 2200 BC, and Egyptian rulers became known as pharaohs (“great house” or “palace”)
D. Egyptian pharaohs had absolute pwr – aided by families & large bureaucracy (administrative organization of
officials & regular procedures)  devl’pd during Old Kgdom
E. Vizier (“steward of the whole land”)  held most impt position next to pharaoh – headed bureaucracy & reported
directly to pharaoh – to manage, bureaucracy divided Egypt into 42 provinces, each w/ own governor
F. Pyramids built during Old Kgdom  where they served as tombs for pharaohs & families – contained food,
weapons, artwork, & household goods for person in afterlife  believed person could survive death if properly
preserved thru mummification
G. Mummification – body slowly dried to prevent rotting – done for wealthy families  process took about 70 days,
then mask put over head & shoulders & sealed in a case before placed in a tomb
H. Mummy of Ramses the Great – in tact for 3000 yrs
I. Largest pyramid  for King Khufu – built around 2540 BC in Giza  covers 13 acres – built w/precision
J. Also at Giza – Great Sphinx (belief it guards site????)
K. Middle Kingdom – b/w 2050 & 1652 BC  Egypt’s Golden Age b/c expanded into Nubia & traded w/Mesop &
Crete (Greece)
L. New concern for pharaohs – he was now portrayed as a shepherd to ppl  expected to build pub works & provide for
their welfare (Ex: swampland drained to build canal from Nile to Red Sea)
M. Invasion of Hyksos (W Asia) – ended in Mid Kgdom, but the Egyptian’s learned to use bronze & horse-drawn war
chariots from them
N. New Kingdom – from 1567 to 1085 BC  it is during this time that Egypt built an empire
O. During this period, pharaohs extremely wealthy  it is during this time we see 1st female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, who
built fabulous temples – hers is near Thebes
P. Akhenaton – tried to make Egypt monotheistic & only worship sun god – ppl afraid change upset cosmic order –
after death, the boy pharaoh, Tutankhamen restored old gods & polytheism
Q. Akhenaton’s relg reforms caused such upheaval, led to Egypt’s loss of empire
R. Ramses II – (1279 – 1213) regained some of empire – invasion of “Sea People’s” ended it finally in 1085 BC
S. 1000 yrs, Libyans, Nubians, Persians, & Macedonians dominated Egypt
T. pharaoh, Cleopatra VII – unsuccessfully tried to reassert Egypt’s indep – alliance w/ Rome, her undoing
IV Society in Ancient Egypt and Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
A. Egy society – organized like pyramid  Pharaoh, surrounded by ruling class of nobles & priests  managed land &
wealth and ran gov’t
B. Next, was merchant/artisan class – followed by last class of peasants who worked land of upper class & provided
revenues, milt serv, & forced labor for use by state
C. Egy married young – husband was master BUT wife ran household & educ children
***Note: women kept property, even in marriage & they could divorce & be compensated – they served as
merchants, priestesses, & even pharaohs
D. Parents arranged marriages, w/chief concerns being family & property, but caring a big part of family
V Writing and Education and Achievements in Art and Science
A. writing – emerged around 3000 BC w/system called hieroglyphics (“priest carvings”), using pictures & abstract
forms  later came the simplified version called hieratic script, written on papyrus
B. Hier script – used for record keeping, business transactions, & general needs of daily life  created occupation for
upper class boys who trained beginning at age 10 for many yrs
C. Pyramids, temples, & other monuments show architectural & artistic achievements of the Egyptians
D. Artists followed a distinctive style – showed all views of human body to get accurate picture
E. For monumental bldg projects & surveys of flooded plane, Egyptians made impt advances in geometry (area & vol)
F. B/C of mummification, Egyptians became experts in human anatomy (discoveries of medical applications)
2.3
I The Role of Nomadic Peoples
A. Another ancient civilization flourished in central Asia around 4000 yrs ago in present-day Turkmenistan &
Uzbekistan
B. They built mud-brick bldgs, used new bronze tools, built irrigation works, & probably had writing
C. Pastoral nomads – lived on fringes of these civilz  hunted & gathered, did small farming, and domesticated
animals
D. One of most impt groups of nomads  Indo-Europeans (ppl from same parent language)- include: Greek, Latin,
Sanskrit, & Germanic languages – One Indo-Eur group melded w/ natives in Anatolia (Turkey) to form the feared
Hittite kingdom
E. B/W 1600 and 1200 BC, Hittites created empire in W Asia  capital was Hattusha (Turkey) , and they were the 1st
Indo-Eur to use IRON!! (Yes, that is a very big deal)
F. When Hittite emp was destroyed, smaller city-states & kgdoms emerged in area of Syria & Palestine
II The Phoenicians
A. Phoenicians – were an impt group around Palestine who lived on a narrow strip of land along Mediterranean coast
B. After downfall of Hittites & Egyptians, Phoenicians began to assert pwr which was based on trade
C. Phoenicians prominent traders b/c of ships & seafaring skills
D. Trading took them to Britain & Af’s W coast where they set up colonies – one of most famous was Carthage in N
Af
E. One of most notable contributions  their alphabet w/ 22 characters – this was later passed on to the Greeks which
was then adopted by the Romans
III The “Children of Israel”
A. the Israelites – a Semitic ppl living in Palestine along eastern Mediterranean S – emerged as distinct group b/w 1200
and 1000 BC  est kingdom of Israel
B. main contribution to history  relg – Judaism – which still flourishes as a major relg that influenced Christianity &
Islam
C. they ruled Palestine, its capital being Jerusalem – King Solomon, who ruled from 970-930 BC, was 1st great king 
he was known for: his wisdom & building a temple in Jerusalem (viewed by Israelites as symbolic ctr of Israel &
relg)
D. after Solomon, kgdom divided into 2 parts: 2 of 12 tribes were in the south called Judah, and the 10 to the north were
called Israel  in 772 BC, Assyrians conquered and scattered the 10 N tribes which were called the “ten lost tribes”
which lost their Hebrew identity
E. Chaldeans – conquered Assyria & the kgdom of Judah, destroying the temple in Jerusalem in 586 BC many upperclass captives sent to Babylonia
F. After Persians conquered Chaldeans, ppl of Judah allowed to return to Jerusalem, where kgdom reborn & temple
rebuilt – ppl of Judah survived even conquest of Alexander the Grt, becoming known as Jews
G. Jewish belief  says there is one God, Yahweh – this belief is monotheism – God created nature but was not in
nature, & they believed natural phenomena were not divine (what most other groups believed)
H. 3 impt aspects of Jewish relg: covenant, the law, & the prophets
I. covenant – agreement b/w God & ppl – Jews could fulfill by obeying law of God stated in 10 commandments
J. Prophets – relg teachers sent by God who would speak of punishments for unjust acts
K. Prophets added element of hope – one such prophet that taught hope and compassion for others was Isaiah
L. Relg of Israel was unique to those of W Asia & Egypt – concepts were written down – ppl would not accept gods of
other lands
2.4
I The Assyrian Empire
A. Assyrians – upper Tigris R formed an empire by 700 BC  military might due to use of iron, large well-disciplined
army of: infantry, cavalry, & archers who rode on chariots  these things caused terror among subdued people esp
after Assyr destroyed land & tortured captives
B. ruled by a king w/ absolute pwr including well-organized empire w/local officials who reported directly to kg
C. Assyrians devl’pd efficient commun syst in order to admin emp  network of posts w/ horses carrying messages
D. Assyr kg, Ashurbanaipal, founded one of the world’s
II The Persian Empire
A. after Assyr emp collapsed, Chaldean kg Nebuchadnezzar made Babylonia leading state of W Asia – Babylon
became one of grtst cities of ancient world, but did not last long  conquered by Persians in 539 BC
B. Persians – a nomadic, Indo-Eur ppl living in what is SW Iran  one family did a grt deal to unify groups – one was
Cyrus who created a pwrful Persian state from Asia Minor to W India
C. He ruled from 559 to 530 BC – capt’d Babylon, but treated subjects w/ respect  he allowed Jews to return to Jerus
D. Sons extended Persian Emp – Cambyses successfully invaded Egy; Darius (521-486 BC), extended emp to India &
Eur - the largest emp the world had known!!!!!
E. Darius – strengthened Persian gov’t by dividing emp into 20 provinces called satrapies – a governor or satrap
collected taxes, handled legal matters, & recruited soldiers – their commun syst using horses & way stations was set
up along the Royal Road, from Lydia to emp’s chief capital at Susa
F. Per Emp’s pwr due to its military – had a standing army of professional soldiers from all over the empire – at core
was elite group called Immortals – b/c anyone killed was immediately replaced – made up of 10,000
G. Per Emp  for many reasons: kings became isolated at court surrounded by luxury; they levied high taxes to support
luxury; lost loyalty of ppl
H. at same time – factions struggling for control of throne – of 9 rulers after Darius, 6 were murdered  bloody
struggles weakened Per monarchy, & that left the door open for Alexander the Great to conquer Persia during 330s
I. most original Per cultural contribution was its relg of Zorastrianism
J. Zoraster taught monotheism – reinforced traits of good & evil and that ppl had free choice to choose b/w, but good
would eventually triumph over evil in final judgment of world