The Fertile Crescent Preview What country is this

The Fertile Crescent

Preview • What country is this? – What significant features stand out to you? – What cues did you use from the photograph to determine the name of the country? • Is this a place you would consider visiting? Why or why not.

Processing • Phocenia wh/ = modern day Lebanon – What cues did you use from the photograph to determine the name of the country? • Is this a place you would consider visiting? • Why or why not do you think this city was and is important?

• The Fertile Crescent –Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq –Tigris & Euphrates • Mesopotamia: Land between the rivers

Civilization begins 1. Growth of cities – 3000 BCE approx. 12 cities – City=center of trade for lg area 2. Specialized labor – Everyone w/ own job – Artisan – Food=$ (how priest were paid)

3. Writing – Pictographs – Ideographs – Cuneiform= “wedge shaped” (pg 21) 4. Advanced Technology – Wheel, plow, sailboat (3000 BCE) – Bronze Age 2800 BCE – Combination of copper & tin

5. Complex Institutions – Long lasting patterns of organization – Gov’t marriage, religion, etc. Geographic Problems & Sumer (Sumerian) 3000 -2000 BCE 1. H 20: unknown when the rivers would flood; dried mud=desert – Created irrigation system

2. Defense – Sumer: size of Massachusetts – Major city; Ur – Reed huts; not natural barriers – Built walls wh/ = creation of bricks 3. Resource – Traded grain for metal

Religion Polytheistic: – Anu, Enlil, Ea w/ 3000 subgods – Gods were immortal: all powerful w/ human traits – Ziggurats were built for the priest – After-life called: land of no return – Priest: please gods, ran farms, collected taxes, declared war

4100 BCE in Iraq

Class Divisions • Priest & nobles • Merchants • Workmen (farmers/artisans) • Slaves

War determined leadership –Who was the best fighter=leader –Leader passes power down to his oldest son –Began the concept of “kingship” wh/ later=monarchy –War for 1000 years

Sumer defeated by Amorites 2000 -1800 BCE –Hammurabi –Babylon –Eventually conquered all st of Meso. Wh/ = 1 empire

Hammurabi’s Code ( 1792 -1750 BCE) • Babylon needed law –Carved on stone columns (stele) – 3500 cuneiform lines – 282 specific laws – 88 w/ marriage, family, property

Principles of the code (pg 33) • Retaliation • Double standard btwe. rich & poor; men & women • Gov’t responsible for society

• Babylon conquered by nomadic warriors circa 1550 BCE –Territory controlled by many little groups for 700 years • One of those little groups called the Phoenicians

Phoenicians 1000 -700 BCE • 100 BCE powerful traders & merchants • Tyre: snails=purple dye – 60, 000 sn. = 1 lb of dye • Trade due to lack of resources • Est. colonies in Africa including Carthage • Alphabet: reduced the 600 symbols system to 22 symbols

The Jews 2000 -586 BCE • 2000 BCE group of Jews left Sumerian st. • Abraham & Sarah led nomadic group to Canaan (Palestine) • Monotheism: Supreme being, Creator of all things, ruler f the universe –God went w/ them

• 1650 BCE famine & drought came to Canaan • Many people-including Jewsmigrated to Egypt • Honor to slaves • 1300 -1200 Jews fled: Moses –Sinai peninsula; Mt. Sinai = 10 commandments=Covenant=1 st ethical law

Making the Connection How are the Ten Commandments different from Hammurabi’s Code? Have the Ten Commandments influenced modern law in the US and other Western countries?

• Judaism recognized as new religion: Justice, Morality, Relationship • Again to Canaan=Promised Land – Israel: Jerusalem – Canaanites not happy – Kings needed: 1020 -922 1. Saul 2. David 3. Solomon

• Solomon –Ark of the covenant –Increased taxes – 922: Israel (N) Judah (S)

Iron Age: Bronze out Iron in • Assyrians 850 -612 BCE –Assurbanipal (Persian Gulf to Med. ) –Greatest power in SW Asia – 1 st trained army –Tortured, killed, enslaved, removed –Nineveh; library w/ over 25, 000 writings

Asshurbanipal on a chariot during a royal lion hunt.

Chaldeans 612 -564 BCE • Reestablished Babylon st • 1 empire • Nebuchadnezzar II (605 -562) –Hanging gardens (pump system) –Dies @ 43 end of Meso. empires

An engraving inside an onyxstone-eye in a Marduk statue that depicts Nebuchadnezzar II

• Stargazers –Ziggurats over 300 ft. high –Priest & stars –Months –Destiny –Zodiac: 12 constellations –Moon: months divided 4 week

Babylonian Captivity • Jerusalem conquered 586 BCE • Jews taken as slaves to Babylon • Monotheism spread

Making the Connection Why is the spread of monotheism an important event in the development of civilizations?

Persians 550 -350 BCE • Left local customs alone • Babylon welcomed Persians and Cyrus prayed to their gods • Jews back to Jerusalem – Torah in print • 20 provinces w/ multi nationalities • Satraps = governors in charge of ea. Province • Road & Coinage system: standard $

• Zoroaster –Ahura-Mazda (truth & light) –Ahriman (evil & darkness) –Humans knowingly picked a side st – 1 hopeful religion

Zoroaster: Iranian prophet and poet