Chapter 4 First Age of Empires 1570 BC – 200 BC
Egyptians & Nubians Nomadic Invaders Rule Egypt Hyksos ruled Egypt from 1640 to 1570 BC Had chariots Hebrews Migrate to Egypt Arrived around 1650 BC Expulsion Slavery By 1600 BC, the Egyptians grew strong Under Queen Ahhotep & Pharaoh Kamos Drove Hyksos out
The New Kingdom in Egypt 1570-1075 BC Built an empire: control of several peoples or states under one ruler Hatshepsut's Prosperous Rule began rule in 1472 BC Encouraged trade instead of war major trade expedition to Punt (Somalia) Thutmose the Empire Builder Stepson-may have murdered Hatshepsut Thutmose III armies took Syria & n part of Euphrates Pushed into Nubia Conquered an empire no longer isolated
The New Kingdom Egyptians & Hittites Age of Builders Conflict over Syria & Palestine Battle at Kadesh-1285 BC Peace treaty became allies Age of Builders Hidden tombs in desert cliffs Valley of Kings near Thebes Ramses built monumental statues/temples tomb found in 1995- 50 of his 52 sons buried with him
The Empire Declines Invasions by “Sea People”-1208 Empire Fades Palestinian revolts & Libyan invaders Empire Fades never recovered power/ prestige Libyans ruled- 950 to 730 BC Adopted Egyptian culture Nubians did too
Kushites Conquer Nile Egypt dominated Nubia & Kush for centuries Conquered Egypt Interaction of Nubia & Egypt Forced rule on Nubia during New Kingdom Heavily influenced Nubia Nubian princes lived in Egypt- adopted their culture Regained independence around 1200 BCE
Kushites Piankhi Captures Egypt-751 BCC overthrew Libyan pharaoh United Nile River valley Began 25th dynasty of Egypt Erected monument in Kush to celebrate Assyrians conquered Egypt- 671 BCE-ended dynasty
Golden Age of Meroë Kushite royal family moved to Meroë Wealth of Kush Traded with Africa, India, Arabia Plentiful rainfall & iron supplies The Decline of Meroë Declined around 250 to 150 BC Another city, Aksum, dominated their trade
The Assyrians Mighty Military Machine Learned to fight while defending their land Most feared/hated empire in region Foot soldiers, chariots, iron weapons, cavalry Treated People poorly Burned cities, tortured/killed captives, heavy taxes Deported entire populations One king, Sennacherib, claimed to destroy 89 cities and 820 villages Military Organization and Conquest Nineveh the capital Start conquering 900 BC Well equipped with iron weapons Tiglath-pileser & Ashurbanipal led campaigns
The Assyrians Empire Expands Conquered Syria, Palestine, Babylonia, Anatolia, and Egypt Assyrian Rule Peaked around 650 BC Royal Roads Divided empire into provinces w/ local rulers Well organized military State of the art technology Ruled through fear/terror Left markers so others wouldn’t revolt Destroyed cities-exiled people who refused to pay tribute Burned cities, hung skin on walls, piled skulls Built large library at Nineveh
Empire Crumbles Enemies formed alliance- conquered Nineveh in 612 BC Babylon reborn under Chaldeans Started a revival for Babylon Built into a monumental city Reached height under King Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562) Extended empire Deported Jews Built Hanging Gardens Loved astronomy & maps Poor harvest & slow trade hurt them
The Persians Rise of Persia Cyrus I. was founder Modern day Iran Cyrus I. was founder Conquered the Medes in 540s Swept down from mountains of Iran in 539 BC Cyrus II conquered Babylon Allowed Jews to return to homeland in 538 BCE-allowed to rebuild temple Eventually took over Mesopotamia, Syria, Canaan, Phoenicia, Lydia, and Greek city-states of Asia Minor (Ionia) Tolerant to others cultures Allowed to retain their own language, religions, and customs Killed in battle on eastern border
Persian Rule Cambyses and Darius Conquered Egypt in 525 BC Ruled harshly, unlike his father Died eight years later, revolts erupted Darius seized the throne with the help of the Ten Thousand Immortals in 522 BC Spent the next three years putting down revolts Then began conquering Afghanistan Empire went from the Nile to the Indus River, 3,000 miles with 50 million people
Persian Rule Divided it into provinces or satraps Military officials & tax collectors were “eyes & ears” of king People paid tribute & soldiers Crushed rebellion quickly Brought artisans from all over empire to build Persepolis Encouraged trade: used coins Royal Road- 1,677 miles - stops every 14 miles with food, water, horses Messengers could travel in 7 days
Persian Legacy: Zoroastrianism Before 500s BCE, polytheistic 570 BCE, Zoroaster reformed religion Strict moral code Struggle between good & evil-human choice Ahura Mazda: good, Ahriman: Bad achings linked to glorifying kings Pomp & pageantry Zoroaster influenced Judaism, Christianity, Islam: heaven, hell, Last Judgment Political Order Tolerance & good govt. brought order & stability to the region
Unification of China Confucius and the Social Order Born Kongfuzi in 551 BC Confucius Urges Harmony Good govt. & social harmony achieved if people used ethics Reciprocity Golden Rule Five Relationships For moral behavior Learn by example Stressed filial piety Family a mini society After his death, 479 BC, work collected into The Analects Confucian Ideas About Govt. Education could transform anyone into a gentleman Laid the groundwork for bureaucracy A trained civil service
Legalism Rejected Confucianism Strict laws/harsh punishments Hanfeizi Humans evil by nature Favored by Qin Emperor Helped unify China Too harsh, never used again
A. Confucius cont. Harmony w/ nature 4. Taoist Ideas 5. Yin and Yang Laozi, 500s BC Could be a Taoists and Confucianists Govt. vs. individual 5. Yin and Yang Two opposing forces Yin: cool, dark, female, submissive Yang: warm, light, male, aggressive Need balance
The Qin Dynasty Local lords revolted against the Zhou 1. A New Emperor By 221 BC, Qin wiped out the Zhou Qin Shi Huangdi United the area under a strong, central govt. Attacked invaders north of the Huang He and pushed as far south as Vietnam 36 Military districts, standardized coins, laws, and writing Commanded all nobles live in his capital Uprooted 120,000 families Forced labor for roads and canals Legalists murdered hundreds of Confucian scholars to prevent criticism Burned useless books
B. The Qin cont. 2. A Program of Centralization 3. Great Wall of China Built a network of 4,000 miles of roads Trade boomed Set standards throughout China for writing, law, currency, and weights and measures 3. Great Wall of China 300,000 troops worked to build the 4,000 mile wall Keep Mongolians out Thousands died 4. The Fall of the Qin Cruel tyrant 210 BC, Qin died, so did the dynasty Peasants rebelled against the son By 202 BC, the Han Dynasty replaced the Qin