The First Civilizations More on Mesopotamia

The Phoenicians 1.Bordered by the Mediterranean Sea and a Mountain Range, the Phoenicians became expert sailors and traders. 2.They sailed and traded as far away as West Africa and Britain. 3.Traded lumber, gold, silver, and beautiful metal works of art. 4.Manufactured cloth dyed Purple, which quickly became the color of royalty.

Cont. 5. They had colonies in Sicily, Sardinia, Malta, North Africa, and Spain. These cities became trading centers. 6. Their culture was a compilation of everything they admired from other cultures. 7. Developed the first written alphabet. This spread, through trade, and was eventually adopted and improved by the Greeks. English was originally derived from Greek.

The Lydians 1.Before the Lydians, everyone used a barter economy, which means trading goods or services for other goods or services. 2.The Lydians are the first people in history to coin money. 3.They weren’t militaristically powerful, but through trading were able to show other cultures that the Lydian system was superior. It was eventually adopted by the Greeks, who shared it with the rest of the world.

The Hebrews 1.Ancestors of the Modern Jewish People. 2.Migrated from Sumer to Canaan, which is located in modern Israel. 3.Then migrated to Goshen, which is east of the Nile Delta. 4.Some invaded Egypt with the Hyksos, and when the Hyksos were kicked out of power, those Hebrews were made slaves.

Cont. 5. Moses soon arose and led the Hebrews out of slavery. 6. According to legend, Moses climbed Mt. Sinai, spoke to Yahweh, and came down with the Ten Commandments. Whether or not you believe in them, they show historians the Hebrew belief system 7. Moses then announced he was leading the 12 Tribes of Hebrews to the Promised Land, which was Canaan.

More Hebrews 8. They conquered those living in Canaan, and drove out the Philistines. 9. The 12 tribes united under Saul, who was the first king of Israel. Saul was followed by David. 10. The next king was Solomon, but after the end of Solomon’s reign, the 10 Northern tribes split off and still called themselves Israel. The 2 Southern Tribes called themselves Judah and their capital was Jerusalem.

Continued. 11. They were decimated by the Assyrians and Chaldeans. 12.Their Beliefs: A: Prophets are people who can hear God. B: The Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, give Hebrew Law.

Why Study the Hebrews? 1.They brought Monotheism to the rest of the World. The Hebrew form of Monotheism, with its emphasis on living a good life, is known as Ethical Monotheism. 2.Now, many of the most important religions of the world are monotheistic.