SOUTHWEST ASIA AND EGYPT

1. SOUTHWEST ASIA AND EGYPT The Ancient and Classical Periods

2. PERIODIZATIONS • Ancient Period, c. 4500 – 1500 BCE • Alternate name is Bronze Age • Bronze Age replaces stone, wood, bone tools • An age of many inventions, innovations • Begins from the rise of the first cities • Begins with the rise of writing, formal institutions • States were small, the focus was on the local • Minimal interactions – trade, war, migrations • Classical Period, c. 1500 BCE – 500 CE • Begins with the use of iron: called the Iron Age • Age saw the rise of the world’s core cultures • Interactions, exchanges increased significantly • Rise of cosmopolitan cultures across large regions • Dominated by large, multi-national empires • Society was increasingly hierarchical, patriarchal • Elites were usually warrior aristocracies • Civilization spread, diffused to a wider region

3. CYCLE OF CIVILIZATION • Stage 1 • Nomads overrun sedentary area • Nomads intermarry with locals • Stage 2 • Nomadic group becomes sedentary • Nomadic culture blends with sedentary culture • New culture rises to greater heights • Stage 3 • Culture begins to age, weakens • Government less effective, corruption, high taxes • Stage 4 • Culture overrun by new nomadic group • The Continuity of Civilizations • Despite new invasions, common Cuneiform civilization preserved • Despite changes in Dynasties, Egyptian culture continued

4. THE RISES AND FALLS

5. 1st STATE STRUCTURES • Sumerian City-states • Ruled city and immediate surrounding countryside • Small, independent but not totally autonomous • Local differences but much similarity • Run originally by priests, then warrior-kings • Aristocratic nobles assisted kings • Akkadian Empire • Conquest state – state rose through conquest • Tribute state • Akkad demanded tribute • Akkad permitted local autonomy if no revolts • Cuneiform culture of Sumer but Semitic

6. 2ndSTATE STRUCTURES • Ever larger conquest empires arose • Egypt • Three periods called Kingdoms • First two periods, Old and Middle are ancient • New Kingdom is an empire ruling into SW Asia • Pharaoh became increasingly “human” • Priests had enormous power in government • Babylonian and Assyrian Empires • Conquest, tribute empires • Old Babylonian Empire: Hammurabi’s Code • Assyrian Empire used terror, regular army

7. CATALYSTS FOR CHANGE • Hittites • Indo-European Chariot people • Settled in Anatolia around 1800 BCE • Adopted Sumerian cuneiform culture • Borrowed Mesopotamian gods • Codified their laws and history • The Hittite Empire • Arose around 1400 BCE • Conquered Anatolia, Upper Mesopotamia, Syria • Disintegrated around 1180 BCE • Numerous Neo-Hittite States • Some Key Differences • Introduced horses, chariots into region • Introduced ability to work, use iron tools, weapons • Their arrival begins Iron or Classical Age • Queens and women had many rights in Hittite society • Signed first historical peace treaty with Egypt after stalemated war

8. CLASSICAL EMPIRES

9. SOCIAL STRUCTURES • Ruling Classes • Aristocracy • Royalty • Nobility • Priestly and Military • Groups came out of aristocracy • Some talented commoners • Other Classes • “Free” classes • Merchants • Artisans • Intellectuals • Peasants • Slaves

10. GENDER STRUCTURES • Patriarchal • Males dominate society • Greatest influence of male is in public arena • Patrilocal • After marriage, wife lives with husband’s family • Wife “abandons” old family for husband’s family • Polygamous • Men could have more than one wife • Polygamy was an elite condition • Poor usually had one wife • Male Roles • Governmental and military • Most religious roles • Intellectual roles • Farmers and craftsmen • Female Roles: Public vs. Private • Women had no public role but predominates in raising family • Women tended however to dominate in cloth, textile making

11. CULTURAL • Religious • Polytheism • Previous animism replaced by written teachings about religion • Development of priests, formal structures, architecture • Anthropomorphism of nature • Priests hold great power, own land, temples • Divine Right vs. Theocracy • Intellectual • Cuneiform and Hieroglyphics • Early writing was extremely complex • Scribes or an elite class • They alone can write • Important to rulers, priests, merchants • Literatures: Gilgamesh, Book of the Dead • Arts and Architecture • Public Architecture, public art • Both symbolized power, influence of rulers • Also symbolized influence of a god or a state • Art Conventions very rigid

12. TECHNOLOGY • Man is a tool maker and user • The ability to make and use tools • Man innovates to meet needs, deficiencies • Sumer is major source of first inventions • 60 of the world’s first inventions • From writing to wheels to numbers to sails • Metallurgy • Sumer arose during Ancient or Bronze Age • Classical Age begins with the Iron Age • Mathematics and Sciences

13. COMPARE PYRAMIDS & ZIGGURATS

14. DEMOGRAPHY/ENVIRONMENT • Man alters his environment • More pronounced in Mesopotamia • Environment is unpredictable, harsher • Irrigation, dikes, dams, sluices • Agriculture alters environment • All societies were overwhelmingly agrarian • Heavy agriculture increases human population • Some crops really deplete soil • Cities are artificial and alter environment • Extreme concentration of humans in small space • Wastes, diseases concentrated

15. INTERACTIONS • Movement • Human migration: pastoralists, mass migration • Semites: Arabs, Jews, Hyksos, Phoenicians • Hamites: Kush, Axumites • Nilo-Saharans • Indo-Europeans: Hittites, Cimmerians • Indo-Iranians: Hurrians, Medes/Persians • Culture, social blending • Disruptions • War • Interaction increases as resources scarce • As technology improves, so does war • Diplomacy arises as conflicts increase • Exchanges such as Trade, Diseases • Goods and skills exchanged • Ideas, diseases exchanged • Diplomacy • 1st Treaty in history between Egypt, Hittites

16. SMALL GROUPS, BIG CONTRIBUTIONS • Hebrews • Origins • Semitic pastoralists on fringes of Fertile Crescent • Abraham is the patriarch or founding father • Ethical Monotheism • A Person’s actions dictate a person’s eternal reward • God made a contract (covenant) with the Jews • If the Jews would follow the code of conduct, they were saved • There is only one God – have no false gods before Me • Phoenicians • Semitic coastal dwellers along Lebanese mountains • Land could not support people through agriculture • Phoenicians become merchants, artisans: Cloth, Dye, Metallurgy • Created an Alphabet: Aleph and Beth to improve communication • Established trading colonies across Mediterranean

17. THE WORLD OF THE PHOENICIANS AND JEWS

18. AFRICAN BEGINNINGS • Kush-Meroe • Origins • Afro-Asiatic peoples on Upper Nile • Conquered by Egypt • Late migration of Nilo-Saharans into area • Later migration overwhelmed people • A Kingdom • After Old Kingdom, became independent • Had an Egyptian culture with local variations • Developed an iron based, gold rich trading, military state • Conquered Egypt but driven out by Assyrians • Continued to exist, trade with Persians, Greeks, Romans • Eventually converted to Christianity c. 300 CE • Axum • The Mystery of their Origins • Some think the culture migrated across the Red Sea from Yemen • Yemeni civilizations were Semitic trading states active in East Africa • Some think the culture arose independently from indigenous peoples • c. 300 CE • Arose as a trading state independent of Southern Arabia • Dominated trade in area and eventually became Christian

19. BUILDINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW Church at Lalibela, Axum Obelisk, Axum Pyramids of Kush-Meroe

20. WHO WERE THE NUBIANS? Egyptian tomb Painting showing Groups living in Region. Pharaoh Piye of Kush After he conquered Egypt, 26th Dynasty