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The Birth of Civilization in the The Birth of Civilization in the

Middle EastMiddle East

 

OVERVIEW

Civilization Complex social and economic structures Effective and lasting government Religious beliefs Scientific and technical achievements Literary and artistic styles Spread to less advanced civilizations

• By 1200 B.C. civilization spread beyond Mesopotamia and Egypt

Crisis• Internal problems and outside invasion• Emerged more advanced and more expansive

Phoenicians Assyrians Persians

Monotheism

The Prehistoric EraThe Origins and “Ages” of Human Beings Homo sapiens sapiens, “thinking thinking” human

being• Homo sapiens first appeared about 100,000 year ago• First hominids (humanlike creatures) appeared about

2,500,000 years ago• Brain size• Use of tools, a product of intelligence• Progress in technology

Old Stone (Paleolithic) Age• Progress speeded by Homo sapiens

New Stone (Neolithic) Age• Stone tools become stronger, sharper, and more

specialized Bronze Age (about 3000-1000 B.C) Iron Age (after 1000 B.C.)

Human originsEarliest humanlike species originated in East AfricaHomo erectus appeared in East Africa 1,5000,000 years agoBy 500,000 years ago Homo erectus had spread to much of Europe and southern AsiaHomo erectus evolved into the advanced species of Homo sapiens – then, later into Homo sapiens sapiensH. s. sapiens appeared 30,000 years ago, first in the Middle East and Europe and then across Africa and AsiaH. s. sapiens made their way across a “land bridge” that at the time linked the eastern tip of Asia with Alaska

Development of physical characteristics Skin color and physical characteristics

Hunters, fishers, and gatherers Small groups of 20 to 30 for purposes

of hunting, protection and childrearing

Role of womenLanguage Essential for communication and

creation of abstract ideas

New Stone (Neolithic) Age Period after 8000 B.C. Advances in tool making Shift from hunter-gatherers to settled

agrarian life Domestication of plants and animals Growth of organized community

relations

The New Stone Age: The Agricultural Revolution

Agricultural revolution

Begins in the Middle EastGlaciers had melted significantly by 8000 B.C.Europe left cold and rainy; North Africa, formerly cooled and watered by glacial influence, began to dry up; Middle East had fertile soil and good water supply

Beginning of farming

Wild grassesWomen collected and stored grains and observed growth of grains around storage containersGarden patchesWheat and barleyTools – stone-bladed hoes and flint-edged sickles

The Civilized World of the Middle East, 3000-1200 B.C.

Domestication of animals Wild dogs first to be tamed Sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle raised as a

source of food as well as for producing wool, skins and milk

Used strength of animals for transportation and tilling the ground

Wheel invented about 3500 B.C. Plow invented about 3500 B.C. New technologies affect field and pasture Bread, beer, wine, cheese, edible oils, woven

cloth, leather, fired-clay pottery for cooking and storage, clay bricks for house building

First agricultural villages appear abut 6000 B.C.

Social and intellectual consequences of the Agricultural Revolution Typical village: 200-300 inhabitants Authority in the hands of male elders

who elected a chief leader Farmlands were common property

and worked cooperatively Foundations of ethics and law created

Division of Labor Agriculture created the need for labor Impact on women: children and the

home Labor tasks

Religion Closely associated with food production Hunters: showed a respect for animal

spirits Farmers: worshipped the spirit of the

earth– “Great Mother” Other spirits worshipped: sun and moon

Calendar: for planting and harvesting 29 days for the moon to go through its

phases but does not divide into 365 days

Mesopotamia “the land between the rivers”

Vast plain between the Tigris and Euphrates RiversBy about 3500 B.C., many prosperous villagesCivilization begins where the two rivers run close together before entering the Persian Gulf Land was flat, marshy, and open to flooding Limited rainfall, but summers hot and humid Irrigation and seasonal flooding deposits rich

silt Colder and drier weather after 3500 B.C.

• Means easier to harness Tigris and Euphrates for irrigation

• Population growth – some cities near 40,000

Sumer (3500-2400 B.C.)Southern Mesopotamia: Sumerians Arrived about 3500 B.C., probably from central Asia Conquered or absorbed earlier inhabitants Controlled the south (some of the north) for over 1000 years Need for social direction, regulation, and discipline

Rise of a Complex Society Priesthood

• Communities devote resources to service of gods and goddesses

• Building of large temples• Craftsmen

Defense against bandits, and wandering people• Wars over territory and water

Emergence of military chieftains– by 2500 B.C.“kings”• Power both in peace and war • Positive relationship with priests

Control of the city and surrounding countrysideOwn government and armed forcesCultivators made up 90% of the population Farmland divided into one section for the

temple priests, another for the king, and the remainder for private owners

Most worked as tenant farmers Storehouses Commerce Debt slavery

Emergence of the city-state: government

Ranks of prestige, authority, and power

1. king, high priests, and their principal officers and agents

2. private landowners and merchants3. (biggest group) commoners:

farmers/peasants and free craftsmen

4. slaves – considered property of their owners

Women

Occupied some roles of authority and prestige

Role in religion Landowners No queens in Sumer Excluded from education and literary

culture

Technology

Wheel and plow by 3000 B.C. in SumerMetalworkingOre-bearing mountains fringe MesopotamiaSmelting copper and tin in kilnsBronzeBy 3000 B.C. bronze had spread to Sumer as well as the use of silver, gold, and lead

Writing

Dates from 3100 B.C. in SumerDevelops with increased prosperity (accounting records)Pictograms simplified so they could be easily and quickly “drawn” – develops into cuneiformSumerian “cuneiform” (wedge shape)Some symbols used as ideograms, others as phonograms for sounds of words or syllablesUse of tabletsBy 2600 B.C. the writing system could produce a visual statementWriting practiced only by professional scribes

Law

One of the fruits of writingStatements of customary rules and practicesShortcomings of law by interpretationCommoners insisted on protection afforded by written statements of rules

Religion

PolytheismAnthropomorphic – humanlike in character and appearancePriests and priestessesNo immortality nor rewards and punishments after deathEpic of Gilgamesh

Science

Response to the needs in cultivation, irrigation and commerceBasic arithmetic – multiplication, division, square and cube rootSixty-base system and ten-base (decimal) system Circle marked into three hundred and sixty

degrees Formula for computing the hypotenuse of a

right triangle devised Area of a triangle calculated

CalendarFew advances in medicine

Architecture

Displays the power of religion and kingsRaised platforms, temples and palaces built of mud brickZiggurat: Step-Pyramid structureZiggurat of Ur made of mud-brick: 50 feet high and 200 x 300 feet at the baseUse of the arch, vault, and domeStatues

Babylonia (2400 – 1200 B.C.)

Semitic speakers who migrated from ArabiaAbout 2350 B.C. led by Sargon who attacked the Sumerian cities and the rest of Mesopotamia.Order not restored until about 1900 B.C. by the Amorites (another group of Semites) who settled near the city-state of BabylonSumerian city-states frequently at warAbout 2400 B.C, invasion from Akkad, north of Sumer

Amorites

Hammurabi conquered Mesopotamia by 1700 B.C.Advances in arts, sciences, and commerceCode of Hammurabi – uniform standard of lawDeals with the administration of justice, social classes, property, trade and commerce, assaults, wages, and marriage and the family“Retaliation in kind” (lex talionis) “eye for an eye”

Tigris-Euphrates Valley Wealth of the Tigris-Euphrates valley attracted

less civilized people• By 1600 B.C. the non-Semetic Kassites conquered

most of Babylonia and adopted Babylonian culture, language, and religion. They dominated the region until 1200 B.C.

Hittites• Indo-Europeans in Asia Minor• Civilization adapted to land of mountains, forests

and high plateaus – copper, gold , and silver plentiful• Hittites won control of Asia Minor about 1600 B.C. • Army of charioteers and well-trained infantry

Fought against Egypt to control Syria and Palestine

• Translate tales of Gilgamesh

Land of the Pharaohs: Egypt

People entered Egypt from Arabia (to the east), Nubia (to the south), Libya (to the west), and Palestine and Syria (to the north) Egyptians were of black and white racial origin

For two thousand years continuity and stabilityThe Nile and the “Two Lands” Cycle of labor and life depends on the Nile’s flooding Two distinct geographical sections – upper Egypt (the

Valley) and Lower Egypt (the Delta) Lower Egypt: triangular area of rich soil (deposited by the

Nile River) Upper Egypt is long and narrow (no more than 12 miles

wide) Around 3100 B.C. the two lands unified under a single

king

Government by A God-King (3100-30 B.C.)

Pharaoh Son of the sun-god Re, king of all the other gods and

goddesses Incarnation of Horus, falcon-headed ruler of the sky

• When he died, he became one with Osiris who reigned as pharaoh of the underworld

• Appointed by the gods to conduct the rituals and sacrifices that won their favor

• Stability and harmony of Egypt part of the stability and harmony of the universe

• Universal stability and harmony called maat• Maat the responsibility of the pharaoh• Absolute authority• Vizier: chief deputy to the pharaoh

Class, Gender, & FamilyClasses Aristocracy (nobility) Commoner (peasants) No business class

Women Monogamy Could own property, bring lawsuits, and divorce their

husbands Upper-class women learned to read and write

Upper-classes households could have harems with a principal wife Principal wife was often the ruler’s own sister Queens and princesses often wielded real power

Rhythm of Egyptian history

Old Kingdom – begins about 2700 B.C. Period of pyramid building About 2200 B.C. : a series of weak pharaohs

Middle Kingdom – begins about 2050 B.C. Ends about 1800 B.C. with Semitic tribes moving into

Lower EgyptNew Kingdom –reestablished about 1600 B.C. Territorial expansion Valley of the Kings constructed near Thebes

After the New Kingdom, Egypt subject to power struggles in the Middle East and northern AfricaIn 525 B.C. Egypt became a province of PersiaFrom 333 B.C. ruled by Greeks and in 30 B.C. was conquered by the Romans

Religion: The Base of Pharaoh’s Authority

Explains creation, nature of the world, ethical principles, and life after deathPolytheisticAkhnaton identified the supreme God Aten as the single divine power and south to abolish the worship of other deitiesEthicsImmortalityOriginally conceived in the form of animals and later often bore animal heads or bodiesDeities did not have strong individual personalities

By 1800 B.C., the soul of deceased stands before Osiris, ruler of the underworldHeart (character) was weighed to measure the soul’s truthfulnessIf the soul passed, it was admitted to everlasting life in a garden of paradise; otherwise, it was cast into the crocodile jaws of a monster Ka (life force or soul) persists after the body

dies Use of mummification and comforts in the

tomb would aid the soul during its life to come

Egyptian Law & Writing

Law No developed

system of law Law, right, and

justice flowed from the pharaoh

Principal guide was custom and will of the ruler

Writing Hieroglyphs Hieratic (priestly)

script Demotic (popular)

script Alphabet Papyrus rolls National literature

generally served religious purposes

Science and Technology

Egyptians: no interest in mathematics Used a ten-base (decimal system) Solar calendar of 365 days – 12 months of 30

days and 5 free days; 3 weeks of 10 days and a 24 hour day

Scientific medicine Books on disease, established medical practices,

libraries and schools Waterborne parasites Demonic theory of sickness

Technology Boats with masts and sails Religious buildings

Architecture and the Arts

Pyramids Great Pyramid –476 feet high, 760 feet on each

side, 2,300,000 cut blocks weighing two and a half tons apiece, sides of polished marble

Great Sphinx

Obelisks, sacred to the sun-god ReReligious shrines Temple of Amon at Karnak (next slide) – 1220 feet

by 340 (about 10 acres)

Sculpture and painting Rigid posture and frontalism, face in profile, left

foot forward, no depth

The First Universal Empires: Assyria and Persia

Crisis and Recovery of the Civilized World (1200-900 B.C.) 1200 B.C.– the Hittite kingdom in Asia Minor

is invaded by newcomers Invaders proceed on to Syria, Palestine and

Egypt• Disrupted trade and commerce• Shortage of tin led metalworkers to use iron as

they developed new methods of smelting. Led to the Iron Age

• Used archers and spearmen riding horses The Kassite kingdom was overthrown by its

eastern neighbors

Mesopotamia: Sematic nomads (Aramaeans from Syria and Chaldeans from Arabia) took advantage of the Kassite collapse. Aramaeans conquered the north and the Chaldeans conquered the south

• The Aramaeans adopted the ways of the Mesopotamians and created a number of prosperous city-states that dominated land trade throughout the Middle East

Mediterranean coast: Phoenicians established seaborne trade

Merchant vessels and oar-powered warships with bronze-tipped ramsPhoenician merchants traveled Mediterranean Sea and into the Atlantic Created colonies in Africa and Spain – Carthage in

North AfricaAlphabet 30 signs developed in the Middle East as an

improvement to Egyptian hierglyphicsAfter 1200 B.C. Aramaeans brought the alphabet to MesopotamiaThe Phoenicians passed on alphabetic writing to less advanced western people

Assyria (900-600 B.C.)

• A Semitic people arriving from Arabia to the middle and upper Tigris River about 3000 B.C.

• Settled along trade and invasion routes

• Began as farmers, herders, and traders but became tough soldiers defending their land

The Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian Empires

• Went on the offensive after 1200 B.C. (took advantage of weak power centers in Middle East)

• Recognized the advantage of controlling the trade routes between Asia and the Mediterranean

• Created a universal empire beginning 900 B.C. with the defeat of the Aramaeans and by the seventh century B.C. reached Palestine and most of Egypt

• Fall of Assyria: destroyed by the Chaldeans and Medes by the end of the seventh century B.C.

The Assyrian State• First truly military state• All adult males were subject to military service• War was glorified• Mixed Force: chariots, light and heavy infantry,

cavalry, battering rams, and movable siege towers

• Assyrian state was too small to control their large territory and compensated with terror to enforce its rule

• Conquered lands organized into provinces with Assyrian nobles appointed as governors

Persia (550-330 B.C.)

• After the Chaldeans liberated Babylonia, there was a rebirth of industry and arts

• King Nebuchadrezzar• Media and Persia formed the western

part of a vast plateau in Asia Minor. • Rich in metals and agriculture• Medes helped the Chaldeans crush the

Assyrians

The Persian Empire

• Persian King Cyrus defeated the Medes in 550 B.C. and won their support for future expansion

• Within twenty years of the victory over the Medes, Cyrus controlled the Middle East from the Indus Valley to the Mediterranean

• By 525 B.C., Cyrus’ son Cambyses controlled Egypt and Libya

• Government Monarchy – absolute king

• Army – infantry operated with a bow-wielding cavalry and charioteers

• Fleet of warships Civil servants

• 20 provinces administered by governors (satraps)• Royal inspectors

• Royal Highway 1700 miles from Susa, near the Persian Gulf,

to Sardis near the Aegean Sea

• Zoroaster, 17th century B.C. State religion of Persia Rejects polytheism and taught the

monotheism of a god of goodness and light, Ahura Mazda

Rewards and punishments in life after death

• Astronomy Art and architecture Used cuneiform for inscriptions and Aramaic

language and alphabet for commerce Weakened by internal conflicts and declining

loyalty to the king, in 330 B.C. Alexander the Great brought down the failing empire

The Jews and Monotheism (1200-300B.C)

Belief in an eternal, almighty, all-knowing, creator of the universe, infinitely good

An opposing evil power gained dominion over the human race

Belief and obedience would end with a savior to crush the evil power

Humans must accept the one God who would be of help

The Israelites and Their Neighbors

The Rise and Fall of Israel, 1200-537 B.C.• After years of wanderings settled in Canaan

(Palestine) around 1200 B.C. Originated in Mesopotamia Led by Abraham Famine forces them to Egypt

• “Israel”• Worshipped the god Yahweh

Unique, mysterious, jealous, covenants• The prophets• Reigns of David and Solomon about 1000 B.C.

David extended the kingdom until it included most of the eastern coastlands of the Mediterranean

The Temple on Mount Zion Ark of the Covenant

• Split of Solomon’s kingdom• Israel in the north• Judah (including Jerusalem and the

Temple) in the south• In 722 B.C., Assyrians destroyed

Israel• Chaldeans of Babylonia captured

Jerusalem and destroyed• The Temple in 587 B.C.• Deportation of Hebrews and others

fleeing to Egypt

The Jews As A Scattered People, 537-330 B.C.• Persian defeated the Chaldeans and established a

religiously tolerant empire and permitted Hebrews to return to Palestine Temple rebuilt in 515 B.C. Territory consists only of Judah (Judaea) Ruled by the high priests of the Temple Diaspora Priestly status inherited and priests formed a powerful

aristocracy Jews became more devout in following the laws of

righteousness and ritual purity in the Torah• Judaism became more of a religious than national

group Impact of exile “Chosen People” Messiah, “Anointed One”

Discussion Questions

1. Define civilization. What are its characteristics and how do they contribute to the growth and development of humanity?

2. What are the four ages of human development noted by the textbook. How do they differ? In what way do they mark a change for humanity and civilization?

3. Compare and contrast the civilizations that develop in Mesopotamia and Egypt. How are they similar and how are they different? What accounts for their differences?

4. Evaluate the empires of Assyria and Persia. How did they develop and what contribution did they make to the development of civilization? What were their strengths and weaknesses?