Pastoral Nomads Nomadic peoples who lived in the areas surrounding the great civilizations of the ancient Middle East. They domesticated animals for food and clothing and moved along regular migratory routes. They did trade with the settled peoples of the area and helped to establish long-distance trade networks. This also allowed for the spreading of culture and technology (Cultural Diffusion) Indo-Europeans Probably came out of the steppe region north of the Black Sea. Their language influenced Greek, Latin, Persian, Sanskrit, and German. Semites Came from the regions in and around the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Peninsula. Their language influenced Arabic and Hebrew.

Israelites Semitic-speaking people who lived south of the Phoenicians in the Levant. Compared to other groups in the region, they were a small group. influenced Their religion, known today as Judaism, continues as a world religion and influenced the development of Christianity and Islam.

History of the Hebrews Abraham Abraham is seen as the Patriarch, or father, of Judaism as well as Christianity and Islam. covenant According to Jewish tradition Abraham is brought by God from his home in the ancient city of Ur into a new land, Canaan (the holy land), where he enters into a covenant (agreement) with God: in exchange for sole recognition of Yahweh as supreme universal authority, Abraham will be the father of a great nation.

Began Began: Judaism began with Abraham. Were From Were From: It is thought that Abraham was from the Sumerian city of Ur. Abraham believed that he had been selected by Yahweh (God) to be the father of a great nation. Abraham is seen as the Patriarch of Judaism. Monotheism: Monotheism: Judaism was the first religion to worship only One God. The Jews viewed Yahweh as being all-knowing (Omniscient), and all- powerful (Omnipotent) Yahweh Yahweh: The Jewish name for God. Jews view this name as sacred and will not say the full name or write the name out. They will use abbreviations in writing, or say another name for God when speaking of God.

Covenant Covenant: Jews believe that Abraham made a Covenant, or Agreement with God that he and his descendants would have no other God. Obligations Obligations: -Jews promised not to worship any other God. -The Jews promised to practice Bris, or Circumcision, as a symbol of the Covenant. -In exchange the Jews believe that God promised them Canaan, or the Holy land.

Exodus The escape of the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt. Moses was the leader of the Hebrew Exodus. The story goes that the Hebrew God had to curse Egypt with 10 plagues in order for the Pharaoh (Ramses II) to free the Israelites. 10 Plagues 10 Plagues According to the Torah, the Israelites disobeyed God and wandered the desert for 40 years before reaching the holy land.

King Solomon BCE United the tribes of Israel into the Kingdom of Israel Solomon was the son of King David, and was known as a wise king. During this time Jerusalem became the capital of the Kingdom of Israel Under the leadership of Solomon, Israel reached the height of its power. He built a great temple in Jerusalem which became the focal point of the Jewish Religion. The remains of this temple, now known as the Western Wall or Wailing Wall are still a focal point of the Jewish faith.

The Divided Kingdom After Solomon’s death the kingdom of Israel split into two parts Division: The Kingdom of Israel was the ten northern tribes with the capital city of Samaria. Kingdom of Judah The Kingdom of Judah was the two tribes in the South with the capital of Jerusalem. The Assyrians destroyed the kingdom of Israel and scattered the people in 722 B.C., these are known as the lost tribes of Israel.

The Kingdom of Judah remained until it was destroyed by the Chaldeans (Neo Babylonians) and King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. beginning the Babylonian captivity which would last until the defeat of the Chaldeans by the Persian Empire and Cyrus the Great. They are freed by Cyrus the Great, return to Jerusalem and rebuild their city. ROMANS They are eventually conquered by the Roman and become the Roman province of Judea. The Jews stayed in Israel until the Romans destroyed the Temple again in 70 CE beginning the second Diaspora. Modern Israel The second Diaspora, many believe, ended with the est. of the Nation of Israel in 1948.

The term people of Israel refers to the descendants of Abraham through his son Isaac, and his Son Jacob who became known as Israel. Jacob was name Israel after he struggled with an angel and won, it means he who prevails with God.". The Torah is the holy book of Judaism, the laws of the Jewish people. It is the first five books of the Christian Bible The Torah is also known as the Five Books of Moses or the Pentateuch Books written to explain and interpret Jewish law

Lived Lived: The Phoenicians established a trade empire, and colonies, throughout the Mediterranean. Made Living Made Living: They traded several goods including glass and lumber. Goods Goods: Their most important product was Tyrian purple, a dye made from boiling the Murex snail. This purple dye was very difficult and expensive to produce. It was very valuable to the rich. Murex snail

The Phoenicians spread their alphabet throughout the Mediterranean Their alphabet consisted of 22 letters, it did not have vowels. Unlike many early alphabets which were made of pictograms, the Phoenician alphabet was phonic (based on sound). These sounds could be assembled to make words. The Greeks eventually adopted this alphabet, which influenced the Latin Alphabet which we use today.

Phoenician Artifacts

New Empire Semitic-speaking people who exploited the use of iron weapons to build an empire by 700 B.C. Semitic-Speaking Spoke Semitic language Included Territory From including Mesopotamia, some of the Iranian Plateau, Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt.

Military Strength The Assyrian military was one of the strongest in the ancient world. They used fierce iron weapons and psychological warfare. If people refused and were defeated they were treated harshly. King Ashurnasirpal once stated “3,000 of their combat troops I felled with weapons... Many I took alive; from some of these I cut off their hands to the writs, from others I cut off their noses, ears and fingers; I put out the eyes of many of the soldiers.... I burned their young men and women to death.” The Assyrians would often attempt to get an area to surrender before attack.

Eventually Fell Eventually, the Assyrian Empire fell to several groups including the Chaldeans (Neo-Babylonians) and the Medes. Assyrian Rulers Assyrian kings ruled with absolute power. Kingdoms were well organized and efficient. Kept direct contact with the people who helped administer their empire Transportation/Courier system They est. a system where they could relay messages by horseback back and forth in a week’s time. Ashurbanipal Considered the greatest Assyrian King. He collected the writings of Mesopotamia and est. the great library of Nineveh

Nineveh

Cyrus the Great Persian King who defeated Babylon and ended the Jews’ captivity. Cyrus ruled from 559 to 530 B.C. and was a great leader, hence the name Cyrus the Great. Ruling Style He was very respectful of other cultures. Not only did he free the Jews, but he also treated conquered peoples fairly. He allowed them to keep their own religions and customs. This respect made the people who lived under him respectful of his rule and less likely to revolt.

Expansion of Empire under Darius I Ruled from B.C. added western India to the Persian Empire. Then added Thrace in Europe and expanded the Empire to its greatest size. He also brought the Persian Empire into conflict with the Greeks. Bureaucracy Darius divided him empire into provinces called Satrapies to make it more manageable. Each province was ruled by a governor called aSatrap. This man was the protector of the kingdom. They collected taxes, provided justice and security, and got soldiers for the army.

The Royal Road The Royal road stretched from Lydia to Susa, the chief capital of the empire. It used a system of couriers similar to the Assyrians. This allowed for efficient communication in the empire Persian Military The Persians had an elite military. It contained people from all over the Persian Empire. The Immortals The Elite fighters of the Persian Empire. They were so called because in battle their numbers were never allowed to fall below 10,000 men. They were constantly replaced from behind so they appeared to never die.

Zoroastrianism Original Religion of the Persian EmpireZoroaster Founder and Prophet of the Religion. Also known as Zarathustra. Book: Zend Avesta, Book: Zend Avesta, the recorded teachings of Zoroaster.Monotheistic. Taught belief in one universal, all-powerful god. Ahura Mazda The god of Zoroastrianism

Beliefs: (From Wikipedia) There exists a universal God, Ahura Mazda, who is the one uncreated Creator and to whom all worship is directed. With the name being a playful combination of a masculine and a feminine word, it should be stressed that this divinity is not gender specific. Creation is attacked by violence and destruction (The evil force is called Angra Mainyu ). The resulting conflict involves the entire universe, including humanity, which has an active role to play in the conflict. Ahura Mazda will ultimately prevail, at which point time will end. Active participation in life through good thoughts, good words and good deeds are necessary to ensure happiness and to keep the chaos at bay. There is a concept of free will, to decide whether to perform good thoughts, words and deeds.

It is believed by many that Zoroastrianism influenced Judaism, and later, Christianity. The religion teaches about an all-powerful God. An ultimate battle between good and evil. The idea of an evil being, or Satan.

Persian kings became greedy and so the empire became weak. Family spats and assassinations became the rule of the day. The Empire was defeated by Alexander the Great during the 330’s B.C.