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The Empires of the Axial Age. Invaders, Traders and Empire Builders. Warm Up: Define the following empire monotheistic civil law rule of law. Definitions. Empire – Group of states or territories controlled by one ruler. Monotheism – Belief in one god.
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Invaders, Traders and Empire Builders • Warm Up: Define the following • empire • monotheistic • civil law • rule of law
Definitions Empire – Group of states or territories controlled by one ruler. Monotheism – Belief in one god. Civil law – Body of law dealing with the private lives of individuals. Rule of law - Government by law. The rule of law implies that government authority may only be exercised in accordance with written laws, which were adopted through an established procedure.
The First Empire Builder Invasion and conquest were prominent features of the ancient Middle East. About 2300 BC, Sargon, the ruler of neighboring Akkad, invaded and conquered the city-states of Sumer. He built the first empire known to history. Akkad (in green)
Sumerian Religion - Polytheistic Enki Innana Anthropomorphic Gods
Mesopotamian Trade “The Cuneiform World”
Sumerian Scribes “Tablet House”
Ziggurat at Ur • Temple • “Mountain of the Gods”
Successive Mesopotamian Empires • Babylonian Empire – ca. 1790 BC Hammurabi’s Code • Hittite Empire – ca. 1400 BC Ironworking Technology • Assyrian Empire – ca. 1000 BC Most extensive, except for the Persian Empire • Babylon Revisited – ca. 612 BC King Nebuchadnezzar builds the Hanging Gardens. Click here and on the picture for links to Hanging Gardens and Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Contributions of the Assyrians • Improved iron weaponry. • Warfare was central to the culture. • Encouraged a well-ordered society. • First rulers to develop extensive laws regulating life within the royal household. • At Nineveh, King Assurbanipal founded one of the first libraries, collecting cuneiform tablets from all over the empire.
Greek Civilization1750 BC – 133 BC Early Minoan civilization – the forerunner for Greece - began on the island of Crete, around 1700 BC. Evidence shows extensive trade and a very advanced culture, which was exported to mainland Greece at Mycenaea. Mycenaea How did the geography of Greece present obstacles to a unified Greek country? Click here for online information about Mycenaean culture.
Minoan Civilization • Minoan Civilization was one of the earliest examples of what has come to be called Greek civilization. • Minoans were trading at the same time as the Phoenicians, Egyptians and Babylonians. Very unequal social structure with a malnourished lower class. This led to constant revolts and an overthrow of the nobility.
Mycenaeans1600 BC – 1200 BC • Sea traders – beyond Aegean to Sicily, Italy, Egypt and Mesopotamia. • Warriors, living in several city states. • The Mycenaean city state became the mainland Greek civilization. • Best known for Trojan War. • 1200 BC Mycenaean Civilization collapsed because of sea invaders. Trade and culture are at a standstill for about 100 years. The Trojan War was fought in Troy, a trading city in Anatolia.
Phoenicians – ca. 1200 BC While powerful rulers subdued large empires, the Phoenicians gained fame as sailors, traders and colonizers. They occupied a string of cities along the coastal Mediterranean and traded as far away as Africa and India. Phoenician ships exhibited the highest technology of the time.
Contributions of the Phoenicians • Traded extensively in the Mediterranean. Trade goods included royal purple dye, glass, rare cedar wood, linen fabric, metal ware and papyrus • Introduced the Phoenician alphabet, which we use today.
Athens and Sparta(Click above for a web chart comparison of Athens and Sparta.)1200 – 0 BC • Greece itself was made up of separate city-states, which were constantly at war. • Define city-state • City-state definition: Political unit made up of a city and the surrounding lands. • Two major city-states: Athens and Sparta. • Create a chart on your own paper like the one which follows.
Athens Government: Limited democracy (only male citizens could participate), Council of 500 which made the laws, voting Assembly. Soldiers: Citizen soldiers – only during wartime Slaves: No political rights or freedoms. Owned by individuals Women: Cared for the home, limited political rights. Education: Upper class boys only. Military training and preparation for government involvement. Knowledge was important for a democratic government. Sparta Government: Two kings (military generals) and a council of elders. Citizens were male, native born, over 30. Soldiers: Military society, all males prepared to be soldiers from birth. Soldiers from age 7 – 30. Slaves Owned by the State Women: Prepared physically for fighting, right to inherit property, must obey men. Education: Boys only. Military based training from age 7. Taught to fight. Prohibition against trade, travel and mixing with other city-states.
Contributions of the Persians • Pursued a policy of tolerance in dealing with the extensive territories and cultures they conquered. • Introduced the idea of coinage/ money economy or metal disks representing money. • Created the first extensive, well built road to unite the empire. Known as the Royal Road.
Cyrus the Great • A tolerant ruler he allowed different cultures within his empire to keep their own institutions. • The Greeks called him a “Law-Giver.” • The Jews called him “the anointed of the Lord.” (In 537, he allowed over 40,000 to return to Palestine). 580 – 529 B. C. E.
Darius the Great(526 – 485 B. C. E.) • Built Persepolis. • He extended the Persian Empire to the Indus River in northern India. (2 mil. s.q. mi.) • Built a canal in Egypt.
Darius the Great(526 – 485 B. C. E.) • Established a tax-collecting system. • Divided the empire into districts called SATRAPIES. • Built the great Royal Road system. • Established a complex postal system. • Created a network of spies called “the King’s eyes and ears.”
Silk Road Traders Ancient trade was not limited to the Mediterranean region. The Chinese Emperor Wudi opened up a trade route, later called the Silk Road that linked China and the west for centuries. Silk Road trade goods included silk, whose production secrets were carefully guarded by the Chinese, jade, and porcelain in return for glassware, linen, fabric and cedar wood . Click here for British Museum Silk Road exhibition website.
The Hebrews: Empire Builders of Another Kind - Religion These words, the first of the Ten Commandments – set the Hebrews apart from all other people of the Fertile Crescent. Instead of worshipping many gods (polytheism)they prayed to one God (monotheism).The basis for their Code of Laws is known as “the Ten Commandments.” This is the root of Judaism. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Contributions of the Hebrews: Ethical Monotheism • Monotheism – belief in one God • Covenant – belief that they had made a binding agreement with God • Ethical Law Code – A law code sent by God himself based on personal morality: the Ten Commandments Click here and on the picture for links to a history of the Hebrews.
Zarathustra [Zoroaster], 6c BCE:Good Thoughts, Good Deed, Good Words “Tree of Life”
Dualistic Battle of Good vs. Evil Ahura Mazda“Holy Spirit” Ahriman“Destructive Spirit”
Zend-Avesta(The “Book of Law”) The “Sacred Fire” the force to fight evil.
Define the following: 1. civilization 2. democracy 3. republic 4. rule of law Empires of the Ancient World
Warm Up Definitions • Civilization – complex, highly organized social order. • Democracy – government in which the people hold ruling power. • Republic – system of government in which representatives are chosen by the people. It is a form of democracy • Rule of law - government by law. The rule of law implies that government authority may only be exercised in accordance with written laws, which were adopted through an established procedure.
Persian Wars490 – 479 BC The Greek city-states did not unite until faced with a common enemy: Persia
Delian League By 479 BC, the Greeks had defeated the Persians on land in Asia Minor and stopped their advance. Athens emerged from the war as the most powerful city-state in Greece. To continue the struggle against Persia, it organized the Delian League, an alliance with the other Greek city states. Athens dominated the Delian League and used its wealth to create an Athenian empire.
Athens – The City Pericles Built • Direct Democracy – Citizen assembly voted directly on laws • Huge construction projects – Acropolis and Parthenon rebuilt • Emphasis on arts, architecture, philosophy and medicine
Greek Philosophers (Lovers of Wisdom) Socrates • Socrates was born in the mid 400's B.C He taught philosophy and taught Plato. • Before 400 B.C., he began questioning Athenian values, laws, customs, and religion. • In 399, he was brought to trial and found guilty of treason to the gods. He was sentenced to death. His teachings were written down by his student, Plato. • He was the first to make a clear distinction between the body and soul, placing a higher value on the soul. He had a noble life, and his calm acceptance of death made him a model for other philosophers to follow.
