By: Taylin Montague

 The Mesopotamians worshipped more than one god.  One was a god of water. Another was a god of good harvest. Yet another was a god for success in love in war.  They also believed that the Sun, Moon, and the winds were gods.  Abraham believed in one god.  The belief in one god is called Monotheism.  When famine came to Canaan, many Israelites traveled to Egypt for food. The Bible tells us that they lived peacefully there until a pharaoh enslaved them.  Moses then led a revolt against the pharaoh. He then led the Israelites on the Exodus.

 The Libyans lived in an area northwest of Phoenicia. This is now known as the Asia Minor.  The land had fertile soil and abundant minerals.  They were the first to make and use coined money put out by there government.  They had made a die that punched out coins of equal size and weight. The first coins were the size of a bean.  They were made of a natural mixture made of gold and silver called electrum.  The first known mark on coins was a lion’s head.  The coins made it easier for Libyan merchants to price there goods.  Then people would shave off electrum from the coins making them not worth there original value, but the merchants didn’t know this.

 Phoenicia was located between Egypt to the south and Mesopotamia to the east.  There location then made them the center for commerce.  They made a special die that was purple. This color became known as a royal color.  They also created one of the first alphabets.  This one was different from others because the symbols stood for sounds. The 22 letters could be combined to form any word. This made there writing system simpler than hieroglyphics or cuneiform.  This made it to were more than just scribes could read and write.  This also made it more organized in trade and easier to communicate.  The news of the alphabet spread quickly. Many people adopted the language. It now is modified into the present day alphabet.

 The person most responsible for building the Persian Empire is Cyrus.  The end of his rain came when he died in a battle.  Then his son Cambyses ruled 15 years until his death.  There was a struggle followed for the control of the empire. Then Darius heard the news and took over the empire.  The empire was divide into 20 territories or satrapies by Darius. Each one was governed by an official called a satrap. But the absolute authority was the emperor.  Each Satrap provide the emperor with tribute. Tribute was either solders or money.

 Cyrus the Great- he had built almost all of the Persian Empire and was an understanding ruler. He only lost one battle at which he died.  Cambyses- he was Cyrus’s son who ruled after his father’s death. He had conquered Egypt and died on the way back to Persia.  Darius- he ruled after Cambyses's death. Darius had organized the empire and died while preparing his army for another conquest.  Xerxes- he was the son of Darius and ruled after his father’s death. After Xerxes death the Persian Empire began to decline.  Moses- he led the Exodus, and while leading God had given him the Ten Commandments on a mountain top.  Abraham- he had two sons (Isaac and Jacob). Jacob became Known as Israel and his 12 sons became leaders of 12 Israelite tribes.  Saul was the first king of the Israelites. King David freed the Israelites from the Philistines. King Solomon built the temple of Jerusalem.

 Monotheism- is the belief in one god.  Judaism- is the Jewish religion  Polytheism- is the belief in more than one god.  Zoroastrianism-is based on the belief in one god.  Zarathustra-was the founder of Zoroastrianism religion.  Prophet-is a person who is believed to speak to god or a god  Ahura Mazda or Wise lord-the belief of this religion is the battle between good and evil.