Simple slide show of key themes on Ancient Near East history for a World History Course. Can build on with images and maps.

1. Ancient Near East

2. Ancient Near East
Several agricultural societies emerging from 2000-
1800 BCE
 ‘Satellite’ or rain-watered
 Region of dynamic interchange and innovations.
 See vividly forces of:
 Empire building
 Trade
 Migrations

3. I. Empires
Impact
 Learn/Borrow from conquered cultures and diffuse
ideas (example – Hittites)
 Bring in new ideas/cultures - imposed/shared
(example – Assyrians)
 Tie together - standardized systems; infrastructure
= increased interchange (example – Persians –
Royal Road)

4. Persian Empire
Achievements:
• Effective bureaucracy
• Communication
• Cultural Tolerance
= Golden age; cosmopolitan culture
= Influence many later empires e.g. Rome, Islamic
Empires

5. II. Trade
Exchange of goods leads to exchange/changes :
Religious ideas
Languages
Technology
Culture (art, music, food etc.)
Diseases

6. Discussion Question:
* What are some of the benefits - and the costs
- of the *global* trade links we have in the
21st century?
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7. Phoenicians
 Small city states (Tyre, Byblos, Siddon) in modern day Lebanon;
flourished during Era of Small Kingdoms (1200 – 800 BCE)
 Limited agriculture (terrace farming) – thus turned to the sea
 Merchant marine – tying together Mediterranean and linked to the
Atlantic = intensified exchange and interchange
 Spread their goods (glass, timber, dyes); spread goods of others
(Byblos as center of paper distribution)
• Innovation of phonetic, letter alphabet; easier to master –
increased literacy

8. Phoenicians - Early Environmental
Lessons
• Famed for massive cedar forests
• Cut down– to build trading ships, export sales
• Early example of costs of deforestation – increased
aridity, soil erosion, desertification

9. III. Migrations
Causes?
Fleeing:
o Oppression (political/religious/cultural)
o Environmental disasters (floods, drought,
famine, diseases)
Seeking:
o Opportunities (land, mobility, jobs, freedom)
Forced:
o Expelled/ Enslaved

10. Discussion Question:
* What are some factors causing migrations of
peoples today? Can you think of examples?
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11. Migrations
Effects?
 Migrants bring in new ideas
 Migrant communities absorb new culture
= new cultural fusions/dynamism
_________________________________
Positive:
 Migrants bring in valuable/desired cultural elements
 Often important labor force
Negative:
 Societal turbulence: resentment; conflict

12. Migrations
* Indo Europeans
• Spread language through waves of migrating tribes
* Hebrews
• History of movement (migrations, expulsion, Diaspora)
• Complex land claims = roots of ongoing violence

13. Hebrews
Development and spread of ethical monotheism = Judaism
• Monotheistic religion
 Monotheism vs ancient norm of polytheism
 Ethical emphasis vs emphasis on ritual and sacrifice
 Universal god vs regional/nature site-based deity
 Sustained Jewish culture despite Diaspora
 Roots of later ethical monotheistic beliefs = Christianity
and Islam