Bell Ringer

1. Bell Ringer • Name one thing you have learned from the video “Engineering an Empire: Egypt”

2. Western Asia and Egypt Chapter 2

3. Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia • Mesopotamia is the land between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers • It was at the eastern edge of the Fertile Crescent • The Fertile Crescent is an arc of land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf • The soil and crops allowed for an early civilization to be sustained

4. Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia • Due to the lack of rain the crops had to depend on the silt to keep the crops healthy • The silt would only reach the farms if the two rivers flooded • In order to control the waters the Mesopotamians developed irrigation and drainage ditches • This made it possible for large numbers of people to live in cities which lead to the rise of the first civilization, Mesopotamia

5. Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia • When we speak of Mesopotamia, we are talking about general areas: Assyria, Akkad, and Sumer • City-States are the basic units of Sumerian civilization • These cities were surrounded by walls and their buildings were made of mud bricks • They eventually developed the arc and the dome

6. Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia • The ziggurat was the most prominent building in any Sumerian city • It was dedicated to the chief god or goddess • They devoted their wealth to building temples and elaborate homes for priests and priestesses who served the gods • The priests and priestesses had a lot of power since the Sumerians believed the gods ruled the city (making it a theocracy—a government by divine authority) • Eventually that power would be transferred to humans, or kings

7. Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia • Sumerians believed that kings had divine authority (power from gods) • Kings led armies, supervised buildings and public works, and organized workers for irrigation projects • The army, government and priests and priestesses all aided the king • The royal families lived in large palaces • The economy was based on farming, but trade and industry were important as well • The invention of the wheel in 3,000 BC made transportation of goods much easier • There were three main social groups: nobles, commoners and slaves • Nobles were royal and priestly officials and their families, commoners were the fishermen, farmers, etc and slaves belonged to palace officials

8. Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia • Sumerians began to have conflicts within their own city-states and with other groups such as the Akkadians (uh-KAY-dee-uhnz) • The Akkadians were Semitic (meaning the spoke a Semitic language) and lead by Sargon • Around 2340 BC they overran the Sumerian’s city-states and created the first empire • An empire is a large political unit or state, usually under a single leader that controls many peoples or territories • The rise and fall of empires is an important part of history

9. Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia • The Akkadian Empire fell around 2100BC which led to the rise of Babylon • Hammurabi led Babylon with the Code of Hammurabi, a collection of 282 laws that provided severe punishment based on class of the victim • “Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” was the primary basis for punishment • Officials were responsible for catching murders, thieves, etc or feared paying fines, replacing stolen goods or losing their jobs • The Code included consumer protection laws against builders: if a building collapsed and killed the owner, the builder was put to death, if it killed the owner’s son, the builder’s son was put to death, if it destroyed property, the builder had to replace it

10. Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia • The Code’s largest category of laws dealt with marriage and family • Parents arranged marriages, contracts were later signed by the couple so it could be called a legal marriage • Early society was patriarchal meaning it was dominated by men (women had fewer rights and privileges than men) • If women failed to fulfill their duties or tried to leave the home to conduct business, it was grounds for divorce, if she a “gadabout” (neglected her home; embarrassed her husband) she could be drowned • Men ruled their children the same (if a son hit his father, he had to cut off is own hand)

11. Quiz-Open Note • Neolithic is also known as the New Stone Age. • The period before writing was called prehistory. • A large political unit or state, usually under a single leader, that controls many peoples or territories is called a town. • A monarchy is a government ruled by divine authority. • Sumerians were the first Mesopotamian civilization. • Extra credit-What does Homo sapien mean?

12. Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia • The physical environment affected the way Mesopotamians viewed their surroundings • Floods, storms, humidity and famines made them believe in supernatural forces which made them feel helpless • Gods and goddesses were part of every aspect of their lives (at one point they had nearly 3000 gods and goddesses) meaning they were polytheistic—belief in many gods • They believed they were created to do the labor that the gods and goddesses didn’t want to do • Since humans were inferior to gods and goddesses they never knew what they might do to hurt or help them

13. Civilization Begins in Mesopotamia • Sumerians created many technological advances • Cuneiform, “wedge-shaped” system of writing • These writings were used to keep records and train new scribes • Writing also gave them the ability to communicate ideas in new ways such as epic poetry like The Epic of Gilgamesh which tells the story of a king who looks for immortality but doesn’t find it (the lesson is that immortality is reserved for the gods) • Other inventions include the wagon wheel, sundial, bronze, and a number system based on 60 (reason there is sixty minutes in an hour

14. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” • Egypt was settled around the Nile River (longest river in the world—flows north more than 4000 miles) • The most important part of the river was the consistence of the flooding (Sept.-Oct.) which left fertile soil on each side of the river • The surpluses of food made the Egyptians very prosperous • The Nile also allowed for quick travel which aided communication • Egypt was also blessed with natural barriers such as the deserts, the Red Sea and the cataracts (rapids on the Nile) which made it easy to defend against invaders

15. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” • Egyptians were polytheistic and divided gods into sun gods, land gods, and river gods • The sun god was the source of life and took on different forms and names such as Atum and Re • Egypt’s ruler took the name Son of Re • One myth was told about how Osiris, who brought civilization to Egypt, was brought back to life by his wife Isis after he had been thrown in the Nile after being chopped up • The flooding of the Nile and the new life it brought was the symbol of Isis bringing Osiris’s parts together and giving new life

16. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” • Historians have divided Egyptian History into three parts: Old, Middle and New Kingdom • Egypt began in 3100 BC when Menes (MEE-neez) united upper and lower Egypt into a single kingdom and began the first dynasty (family of rulers who passes rule within the family)

17. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” • The Old Kingdom • Lasted from 2700-2200BC • Prosperous • Pharaoh is what they called their rulers • People obeyed the pharaohs because they thought they were keeping the gods happy since pharaohs were part of the divine plan • Originally the pharaoh’s family helped rule until bureaucracy (administrative organization with officials and regular procedures) was developed • The vizier oversaw the bureaucracy then reported to the pharaoh

18. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” • Pyramids were buildings that were part of a larger “city” for the dead • The large pyramid was for the pharaoh, the smaller ones for his family and then mastabas (rectangular flat surfaces) built for his officials

19. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” • Egyptians believed that if the physical bodies was well preserved and had a well furnished tomb (with games, boats, chairs, dishes, etc.) the ka, or spiritual life could continue its life without a physical body • To preserve the physical body they practiced mummification, where they slowly dried a dead body to prevent it from rot • The process included removing the organs, even the brain (which came through the nose…gross!) then pouring salt to absorb the body’s moisture, then filling body with spices and wrapping it with resin (light fabric) and then place a life-like mask over the face and sealed the body in the tomb • Process took about 70 days

20. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” • The Great Pyramid was built at Giza around 2540BC for King Khufu (KOO-foo) • The base is over 13 acres • Some estimate that it took 100,000 Egyptians 20 years to build it • The Great Sphinx guards the Great Pyramid and some believe it to guard sacred sites • The Great Pyramid was not only the pharaoh’s tomb, but it could also be seen for miles, and thus served as the reminder of the ruler who was a god on Earth

21. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” • When the Old Kingdom collapsed, 150 years of chaos occurred until 2050 BC (beginning of the Middle Kingdom (ended in 1625 BC) • At that point a new dynasty was established, areas like Nubia were conquered • Kings become less god-like and more like a shepherd who’s job was to provide for the public welfare • Pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom had the Nile Delta drained to create more land for farming and also had a canal dug to connect the Nile to the Red Sea

22. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” • The Middle Kingdom ended by an invasion from Western Asians called the Hyksos (HIK-sahs) in 1652 • They taught Egyptians to use bronze in making tools and weapons as well as use horse-drawn war chariots • A new set of pharaohs drove out the Hyksos using the weapons and unified Egypt to create the most powerful state in Southwest Asia • Hatshepsut was the first woman pharaoh, she was succeeded by Thutmose

23. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” • Amenhotep IV introduced the worship of Aton, god of the sun disk, as the only god • Amenhotep renamed himself Akhenaton, meaning “It is well with Aton” • He closed the other temples to other gods which meant to Egyptians the end of Egypt • He was preceded by Tutankhamen who brought back the old gods • Eventually Egypt lost their borders which led to the New Kingdom’s collapse in 1085BC • Cleopatra VII tried to reestablish Egypt’s independence which lead to her suicide and Egypt becoming part of the Roman Empire during the first century B.C.

24. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” • Ancient Egyptian culture had similarities and differences to ours • Typically were monogamous in marriage • Husbands were masters the household, but women were well respected, lead the household and educated the children • Women kept their property and inheritance whether they were married or not • Women could become priestesses or pharaohs • They had arranged marriages but romance was evident in their writings • Marriage could end in divorce in which women were compensated

25. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” • Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphics, and then a later simplified version called hieratic script • They started by writing on walls and tombs, but moved on to write on papyrus, a type of paper • Egyptians scribes were also teachers • 10 year old males would begin leaning to scribe by copying texts • Discipline was strict— “A boy’s ears are on his back. He listens only when he is beaten.”

26. Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” • Egyptians architecture such as pyramids shows one of their many contributions to arts and sciences • Used geometry to survey flooded lands and calculate area and volume • Developed an accurate 365 day calendar based on the star Sirius • Archeologists have recovered splints, bandages, and compresses for treating medical issues

27. STOP

28. New Centers of Civilization • It is believed that another ancient civilization existed around 4000BC in modern day Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan • They build mud brick huts, raised sheep and goats, had bronze tools, and used irrigation to grow wheat and barley • Outside these civilizations lived nomadic people • Pastoral nomads, or nomads that domesticated animals and moved in a migratory pattern, were quite common

29. New Centers of Civilization • Civilized communities believed pastoral nomads were hostile and barbaric, however, the nomads often traded with them and provided transportation of goods to other civilized communities • However, when pastoral nomads faced a drought or other harsh conditions, they would attack civilized communities to relieve their burdens

30. New Centers of Civilization • Indo-Europeans were one of the more important groups of nomads • They used a language that derived from a single parent tongue (Greek, Latin, etc.) • One group settled in Anatolia (near the Black Sea) in 1750 BC and merged with the locals to form the Hittites • They were the first to use iron which allowed them to make better, cheaper weapons • They were a threat to Egyptians until 1200BC when “Sea Peoples” weakened their empire (occurred at the same time the Egyptians weakened) • With the weakening of the Hittites and Egyptians, many small kingdoms emerged including the Phoenicians

31. New Centers of Civilization • The Phoenicians lived near Palestine with trading ports (their main form of prosperity) in Byblos, Tyre, and Sidon—eastern Mediterranean ports • They were Semitic, meaning they spoke either Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic or Amharic • They established an empire around sea trade • They developed new ships, created new routes in the Mediterranean and Atlantic reaching Britain and North Africa (even developed colonies including Carthage in N. Africa) • They also established a 22 character alphabet that represented the sounds in their language (this was then passed onto the Greeks, then Romans which is where our alphabet comes from today)

32. New Centers of Civilization • To the south of the Phoenicians were the Israelites (also Semitic) • They had little influence in the local politics but their religion, Judaism, became a world religion that later influenced the religions of Christianity and Islam • Their history and religious beliefs were recorded in the Hebrew Bible (parts of which make up the Christian Old Testament) • The story of Moses comes from this time frame, but the exact truth is debated among historians—what is known is that from 1200-1000BC the Israelites emerged as a distinct group and established the united kingdom of Israel

33. New Centers of Civilization • King Solomon ruled Israel during the height of its power from 970-930BC • He had control over all of Palestine, and made Jerusalem its capital • He expanded the government and army and encouraged trade • He was best known for building the temple that was the symbolic center of their religion and the kingdom

34. New Centers of Civilization • After Solomon died, the kingdom split into the Kingdom of Israelites and the Kingdom of Judah • The Israelites were conquered by the Assyrians and scattered (they lost their identity) • The Kingdom of Judah was captured by the Chaldeans (kal-DEE-uhnz) who were then taken over by the Persians • The Persians remained in control until the 4th Century BC and allowed the people of Judah to rebuild Jerusalem • They became known as the Jews changed the idea that God was fixed to one particular land to a Creator and Lord of the whole world

35. New Centers of Civilization • Your book covers a more in depth idea of Jewish beliefs • Please read pages 58-60 on your own • Write a two paragraph summary about Jewish beliefs

36. The Rise of New Empires • The Assyrians were Semitic people who used iron weapons to establish an empire by 700BC • The empire included parts of Mesopotamia, Iranian Plateau, Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt down to the Thebes • They created the most efficient communication networks of their time (took less than a week to send and receive an answer to a message) • They established one of the first libraries under King Ashurbanipal • They also used terror as a way of warfare (making them good at capturing others)—they gouged out eyes, cut off parts, burned people etc.

37. The Rise of New Empires • Persians were originally nomadic until Cyrus unified and stretched their empire from Asia Minor to western India • He ruled from 559-530BC and was known as Cyrus the Great because of his merciful conquest and organization of the Persian Empire • He was succeeded by his son Cambyses and then Darius • Darius divided the empire into 20 provinces called satrapies (SAY-truh-pees), which was governed by a satrap which collected taxes, provided justice, and recruited soldiers for the royal army • Well maintained roads made communication easy; the Royal Road connected Lydia to Susa, the chief capital of the empire • Stations were setup along the way for travelers to stop and get food, shelter and fresh horses • The Great King held power of life and death

38. The Rise of New Empires • The Empire declined after Darius into a series of kings who raised taxes to gain more personal wealth • The kings also had multiple wives and children who fought over rights to the throne • This eventually lead to the weakened throne falling to Alexander the Great in 330s BC • Please read p. 64 “Persian Religion” • Write a one paragraph summary