Ancient Middle East 1

Mesopotamia Traders, Invaders, and Empire Builders

The Epic of Gilgamesh “ Come to me Gilgamesh, and be my bridegroom. I will harness you a chariot of precious stones and gold, with wheels of gold and copper, and you shall have mighty demons of the storm for draft mules.” - Goddess Inanna to Gilgamesh What can we learn about Sumerian society by reading this primary source document?

The Ancient Fertile Crescent Area The Middle East: “The Cradle of Civilization”

Sumerian City-States
Ur, Uruk, Eridu, Lagash, Babylon, Kish
City-State: Urban areas that controlled surrounding agricultural regions and loosely connected with other city-states
Developed organized projects: irrigation systems, palaces, ziggurats, defensive walls, temples

Technology and Achievements Pottery Board Game Metallurgy skills Harp Statues The Wheel

Sumerian Religion - Polytheistic Enki, God of Water Innana, Goddess of Fertility Each Sumerian city-state had its own patron deity to whom the citizens paid homage. Temples, known as ziggurats, were often erected in the cities to honor each city's god. The city of Ur, for example, constructed a ziggurat for Nanna, the god of the moon. The Gods were Anthropomorphic.

Cuneiform: “Wedge-Shaped” Writing

Cuneiform Writing

Sumerian Scribes Sumerian school boys learn to read and write at a “Tablet House” to become scribes.

Mesopotamian Trade “ The Cuneiform World”

Indo-European Migrations: 4m-2m BCE The Middle East: “The Crossroads of Three Continents”

Sargon of Akkad: The World’s First Empire [Akkadians] 2370-2315 B. C. E.

The Babylonian Empires

Hammurabi, the Judge
“ King of the four quarters of the world”
Centralized bureaucratic government
System of taxation
First written code of laws
Why is it important to develop a written set of laws?

Hammurabi’s Code 1792-1750 B. C. E. “ to promote the welfare of the people… to cause justice to prevail in the land, to destroy the wicked and evil, so that the strong may not oppress the weak…” Obey these laws or I will make you all wear this awesome sweater!

Babylonian Achievements 12 Month Calendar Mathematics Babylonian Numbers

The Hittites About 2000 B.C. the Indo-European- speaking Hittites appeared in northern Asia Minor. In 1650 B.C. they extended their control in Asia Minor, seized northern Syria from the Egyptians, and expanded into northern Mesopotamia.

The Hittites Hittite culture was greatly influenced by the Babylonians. However, they learned to extract iron from ore and were the first to make tools and weapons of iron that were harder and had sharper edges than those made out of bronze or copper. Because iron was plentiful, the Hittites were able to arm more people at less expense. What does this relief tell us about Hittite culture?

The Hittites It is believed that trade with other countries was limited. This was because the kingdom so often found itself in a state of war. Hence, if the Hittites needed special natural resources, conquests were the solution, not foreign trade. Traders Empire Builders Invaders The Hittites Traders, Invaders, and Empire Builders? The Sumerians The Babylonians

The Assyrians After 1100 B.C. the Assyrians embarked on a policy of expansion. Having learned from the Hittites, the Assyrians were the first to outfit armies entirely with iron weapons. To besiege cities, they devised new military equipment - moveable towers and battering rams. For 500 years they terrorized the region, earning a lasting reputation as one of the most warlike people in history.

The Assyrians
Assyrian rulers encouraged a well-ordered society with their capital at Nineveh.. They were the first rulers to develop extensive laws regulating life within the royal household.
Riches from trade and war loot paid for the splendid palaces in well-planned cities.
The women of the palace were confined in secluded quarters and had to be veiled when they appeared in public.

Assyrian Achievements
Created a centralized bureaucratic government.
Built military roads to move troops quickly to any part of the empire.
King Assurbanipal founded one of the first libraries. He ordered his scribes to collect cuneiform tablets from all over the Fertile Crescent. Those tablets have given modern scholars a wealth of information about the ancient Middle East.
What factors do you think will lead to the downfall of the Assyrians?

The Persians The Persians created an empire, the largest yet seen in the ancient world, extending 3,000 miles. The empire flourished for 200 years. Persia is located in present-day Iran.

The Persians Persian emperor Darius, 522 B.C. to 486 B.C., Unified the Empire
Darius set up a Federal government that became a model for later rulers.
Each province had to pay taxes based on its resources and wealth.
Special officials, "the Eyes and Ears of the King," visited each province.
Like Hammurabi, Darius drew up a single code of laws for the empire.

The Persians To encourage unity, he had hundreds of miles of roads built or repaired. The Royal Road made it easier to communicate with different parts of the empire.
Trade improved:
Common set of weights & measures.
Use of coins, which the Lydians of Asia Minor had first introduced.
Replaced barter with the exchange of money. Single Persian coinage created economic links among his far-flung subjects.

Zoroastrianism the Persians were tolerant of the people they conquered. They respected the customs and religious traditions of the diverse groups in their empire.
Religious beliefs put forward by the Persian thinker Zoroaster
Zoroaster taught that:
The world was a battleground for the forces of good and evil.
All people must choose a side
Goodness will eventually prevail, and the world will achieve eternal peace.

The Phoenicians “ The Carriers of Civilization” Due to their sailing skills, the Phoenicians served as missionaries of civilization, bringing eastern Mediterranean products and culture to less advanced peoples.

Phoenicians Accomplishments
To promote trade, they set up colonies from North Africa to Sicily and Spain.
From a tiny sea snail, they produced a widely admired purple dye, called "Tyrian purple" after the city of Tyre, which became their trademark.
Phoenicians became best known for manufacturing and trade.
Phoenicians also used papyrus from Egypt to make scrolls, or rolls of paper, for books.
They made glass from coastal sand.

Phoenician Alphabet As merchants, the Phoenicians needed a simple alphabet to ease the burden of keeping records. They therefore replaced the cumbersome cuneiform alphabet of 550 characters with a phonetic alphabet, based on distinct sounds, consisting of 22 letters. After further alterations by the Greeks and Romans, this alphabet became the one we use today! Do you think they earned the title “Carriers of Civilization?”

The Hebrews According to the Torah, the Hebrews, led by Abraham, were nomads who migrated from Ur, herding their flocks of sheep and goats into a region known as Canaan (later called Palestine).

The Hebrews By 1300 B.C., Moses led Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt. After he died, they claimed land they believed God had promised them. Led by King David (1000-970 B.C) Strong, shrewd king who united the feuding Hebrew tribes into a single nation. Set up the kingdom with Jerusalem as capital. King Solomon (970-930 B.C) Turned Jerusalem into an impressive capital. Built a splendid temple dedicated to God, as well as an enormous palace for himself. Won praise for his wisdom and understanding.

Judaism Judaism is monotheistic, teaching a belief in one God. At the time, most other people worshipped many gods & goddesses. A few religious leaders, like Zoroaster in Persia and the Egyptian ruler Akhenaton, believed in a powerful diety. Major Beliefs Compiled their teachings in holy scriptures called the Torah. God would reward those who obeyed his will and punish those who did not. Abraham made a “covenant” with God and made them the Chosen people.

Judaism At the heart of Judaism are the Ten Commandments, laws that Jews believed God gave them through Moses. The laws set out both religious duties toward God and rules for moral conduct toward other people Phoenicians Traders, Invaders, and Empire Builders? Assyrians Persians Traders Empire Builders Invaders Hebrews Empire Builders

LAW CODES AND JUSTICE The two great law-givers of Mesopotamia: Hammurabi & Moses

The Babylonian ruler Hammurabi was the first one to organize a law code with punishments. His law code was developed and written down sometime around 1770 BCE. Consider: Why were formalized law codes not developed during hunter/gatherer days?

Moses: Probably the best known law-giver in the Western World. His law code is contained in the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures – commonly called the Pentateuch. Moses’ law code was developed about 3 to 5 hundred years after Hammurabi’s and borrowed extensively from Hammurabi’s code.

MESOPOTAMIAN RELIGION
The Mesopotamians created many of the religious categories we are familiar with today including fantastic beasts and divine messengers.
Mesopotamian gods with a Mesopotamian angel

What were the Mesopotamian Gods based on?
Most Mesopotamian gods were based on nature such as earth, water, storms, lightening, etc.
By the time of the Babylonian Empire the most important and powerful gods were associated with the stars and the planets and observed humans and the earth from above.
The most important role of the gods was to keep chaos from overtaking the earth. Chaos, usually associated with water and the sea, was kept at bay by the power of the gods. If humans disobeyed, the gods would allow the waters to once again inundate the land.

Flood Stories Stories about deluges were not uncommon in Mesopotamia and the surrounding areas. The two most famous flood stories are from the Hebrew scriptures and from the Epic of Gilgamesh.

The story most familiar to many people is the biblical account of Noah and his ark. Genesis tells how “God saw that the wickedness of man was great” and decided to destroy all of creation. Only Noah, “who found grace in the eyes of the Lord,” his family, and the animals aboard the ark survived to repopulate the planet. • Older than Genesis is the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh, a king who embarked on a journey to find the secret of immortality. Along the way, he met Utnapishtim, survivor of a great flood sent by the gods. Warned by Enki, the water god, Utnapishtim built a boat and saved his family and friends, along with artisans, animals, and precious metals.

Hebrew Chaldean Deity named God warns virtuous man/Noah of the flood. Deity named Kronos appears to virtuous man/Xisuthrus in a vision and warns him of a flood. Noah is the tenth patriarch. Xisuthrus is the tenth king. Noah is ordered to build an ark. Xisuthrus is ordered to build a vessel. Noah is ordered to load the ark with selected humans and pairs of animals. Xisuthrus is to load the vessel with selected humans and animals. As the flood recedes, three times birds are sent out to scout for land. As the flood recedes, three times birds are sent out to scout for land. The ark lands on a mountain, Mt. Ararat The vessel lands on a mountain. Noah builds an altar and offers sacrifices. Xisuthrus builds an altar and offers sacrifices.

The Ancient Hebrews
Originally a loosely organized group of nomads living in between the Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations and was influenced by both of these great civilizations.
Initially they were polytheistic and Yahweh was simply the chief god among many.
Emphasis was on the temple and its sacrificial system.
Babylonian captivity forced the Hebrews to totally rethink and reorganize their religion.
After coming into direct contact with Babylonian religion, the Hebrews made Yahweh not just the highest god, but the only one.
Because they were far away from their temple, the focus of the religion changed to the written word rather than the temple system.

The Hebrews made two important innovations to Mesopotamian culture:
The Hebrews created one of the first truly monotheistic religions that became the model for both Christianity and Islam.
The Hebrews also created the concept of linear history . In the Hebrew concept of history, the divine works out its plan through historical events. Therefore, history is not a continuous cycle of seasons and years, but contains important events that are leading to the end of history.

WAS THERE AN HISTORICAL EVENT BEHIND THESE FLOOD STORIES?

During the Ice Age the Black Sea was an isolated freshwater lake surrounded by farmland. • About 12,000 years ago, toward the end of the Ice Age, Earth began growing warmer. Vast sheets of ice that sprawled over the Northern Hemisphere began to melt. Oceans and seas grew deeper as a result. • About 7,000 years ago the Mediterranean Sea swelled. Seawater pushed northward, slicing through what is now Turkey. • Funneled through the narrow Bosporus, the water hit the Black Sea with 200 times the force of Niagara Falls. Each day the Black Sea rose about six inches (15 centimeters), and coastal farms were flooded. • Seared into the memories of terrified survivors, the tale of the flood was passed down through the generations and eventually became the Noah story.

Ancient Middle East 1

by Greg Sill

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