ANCIENT MIDDLE EASTERN CIVILIZATION

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ANCIENT MIDDLE EASTERN CIVILIZATION
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MIDDLE EASTERN CIVILIZATION The
Middle East is often called the cradle of
civilization.
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Countries included in this area are
Israel, Syria, Lebanon, the Occupied Territories,
Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain,
Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, the United Arab
Emirates, Egypt, Turkey, and Sudan.
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Sumerian Achievements
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• First written language- cuneiform
• Wrote on clay tablets with stylus
• Best Sumerian work of literature- Gilgamesh Epic

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• Hammurabis code- contained 282 laws
• Developed the wheel c.3700
• Developed math based on 60 now serves as our
  model for time
• Elementary algebraic and geometric concepts
  developed

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ANCIENT BABYLONIA
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• Babylonia relied heavily on agriculture.
• Inherited a complex system of canals and
  irrigation methods from the Sumerians.

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Always in constant conflict and war with
neighboring countries/ regions.
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The Hittites
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• Ancient people of Asia Minor
• Lived in the land of Hatti the plateau of what
  is now Turkey
• Language called Hittite

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• Very tolerant religion
• Most of their gods were adopted from the
  Sumerians and Old Babylonians
• Adopted gods of the cultures they conquered

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Art
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• Agriculture foundation of the economy.
• Main crops wheat and barley
• Main livestock were cattle and sheep.

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• Did not trade very often were warlike, went to
  war to obtain land they wanted.

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HISTORY OF THE PHOENICIANS

• The Phoenicians descended from the Canaanites.
• They came from the iron age or the first
  millennium BC.

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• Adapted from Egyptian alphabet
• Aleph (ox) A on side 22 letters
• Phoenician alphabet ancestor of Arabic, Latin,
  Greek, Hebrew, Russian and our alphabet
• 1000 B.C. - Earliest surviving Phoenician
  inscriptions, in North Semitic Alphabet

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• Phoenicias alphabet influ-enced for many of
  todays alphabets
• The Bible refers to the Phoenician city of Byblos
• Jesus Christ visited Phoenicia his first
  followers were the Phoenicians

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• Phoenicians ruled the sea (back when the world
  was flat)
• Traded with Greece Greeks adopted Phoenician
  alphabet

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• 750 B.C. - Earliest examples of Greek writing
  (based on Phoenician writing system)

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• Greeks had 10 different versions of alphabet (500
  B.C.)
• No spaces between words, no punctuation

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• Phoenicians circumnavigated Africa
• Homer mentions Phoenicia in the Iliad the
  Odyssey

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THE PHOENICIAN EMPIRE

• Phoenicians were controlled by different groups
  including
• Hyksos (18th century BC)
• Egyptians of the New Kingdom (16th
• century BC)
• Hittites (14th century BC)

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THE PHOENICIAN EMPIRE
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Ancient Persia-Iran
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Empire of Persian Kings Persians (Iranians) were
Indo-European nomads, like Aryans, arrived in
Iran around 1,000 BC Power came from mounted
cavalry
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Cyrus the Great (r. 559-486 BC) created largest
known empire Cyrus ruled gently religious
tolerance, autonomy through satrapies Darius I
(r. 521-486 BC), adopted Zorastrianism
religion Zoraster preached new concept of
divinity and human life
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Historical Background

• Old Testament mentions Persia over 25 centuries
  ago
• 6th century B.C. Cyrus the Great establishes the
  Persian Empire

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Historical Background

• Darius (Grandson of Cyrus) conquers Babylonia,
  Egypt up to Asia Minor (Turkey)

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• Persian Empire shrinks over the next several
  centuries because of Greek and Roman conquest and
  internal decay

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• 7th Century A.D. Arab conquest establishment of
  Islam- Persians eventually overthrow Arab rule,
  but Islam remains

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• Modern history begins w/ nationalist protests
  (1905) which led to establishment of a parliament
  and constitution

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HELLENISTIC ERA
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• Hellenistic Era blending of Greek/ Middle
  Eastern culture after the death of Alexander
  cultural arts greatly influenced/ sup-ported by
  the wealth accumulated in previous years of
  conquest.

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• Sciences were influenced by the years of warfare
  dispute of Alexanders heirs, and later
  Romans.

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• Ample amounts of wealth from Alexanders
  conquests, fund the arts and sciences
• Huge library in Alexandria, the Ptolemies, was
  built for the aim of gathering all known written
  literature

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A museum was built, which is still in use as
place for scholars to produce encyclopedias of
knowledge
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• Achievements within the sciences were also made,
  such as the theory of Aristarchus of Samos in
  which the earth revolves around the sun and
  rotates on its axis

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• Euclid made a cumulative text book on all known
  geometric knowledge

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Examples of the Art Work
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Furthest Expansion of Alexanders Empire
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PRE-ROMAN WORLD
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THE ROMAN EMPIRE
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The territory of the Roman Empire eventually came
to include the region encircling the
Mediterranean Sea, including Spain, North Africa,
Greece, Asia Minor, and Egypt.
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In the centuries before 600 CE, the Roman Empire
was the most influential power in many regions
that would later become Islamic.
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Theodosius I (r. 379-395) was the last emperor to
rule over a united empire.
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The Byzantine Empire
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General Information

• Part of the Roman Empire
• Capital was Constantinople
• Greatest size during 500 AD
• Protected Europe from attacks of Barbarians

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General Information

• Preserved Greek literature and philosophy
• Preserved Roman governmental and legal traditions

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Byzantine Art

• Mosaics are tiled pictures that were applied to
  the surfaces of Byzantine churches in an
  established hierarchical order.
• Applied the encaustic technique in paintings,
  generally portraying Religious figures.

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Byzantine Art

• Enamel, ivory, metalwork objects of Byzantine
  workmanship were highly prized throughout the
  Middle Ages

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Art Gallery
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Economy and Government

• People lived as shepherds and gardeners Raised
  grapes, olives, wheat, and herded sheep
  Merchants/ craft workers practiced their trades
  in townsImported silk, spices, luxury goods,
  furs, slaves, and timber

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Economy and Government

• The emperor was the ruler and lawmaker
  government consisted of specialized departments
  with civilian and military officials
• Manufacturing and selling were regulated The
  govt had much influence over church officials
  and charged heavy taxes

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The Way of Life

• Majority of people were poor farmers who lived in
  small huts
• Most people wore tunics of wool or linen
• Diet consisted of bread, cheese, and vegetables
• Used public bathing facilities

• Chariot races were a favorite form of
  entertainment
• Women lived partly in seclusion and spent their
  lives doing household tasks
• Religion played important role in the lives of
  inhabitants