The Levant in Ancient Times FOH 13

Can you locate…? The Fertile Crescent Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf 3 major rivers Mesopotamia – Sumer, Babylonia, Akkad, Assyria Egypt: Upper, Lower, delta, desert

Between the major powers of Egypt and Mesopotamia?

Peoples of the Levant Who lived here? Were they settled or nomadic? How did they make a living? What resources did they have? What language(s) did they speak? What god(s) did they worship? How did they deal with the presence and projects of larger powers?

Phoenicians Canaanites Arameans Philistines Hebrews – Israelites – Judeans/Jews c. 830 BCE

The International Age The “Five Powers”c BCE Egypt – Including Syria/Palestine/Canaan Hatti (Hittites) Mittani (Hurrians) Alashiya Mesopotamia – Northern part: Assyrians – Babylonia: Hittites, Kassites, Assyrians

From alliance of “five great powers” to many smaller kingdoms? c BCE c. 830 BCE

The arrival of “the Sea Peoples” c BCE Origin unknown, but armed with iron and warships, they attack and diminish the power of: - Mittani (the Hurrians) - Hatti (the Hittites) - Alashiya - Egypt (loses Syria/Palestine) 1 st Assyrian Empire is conquered by Arameans the Levant is up for grabs…

New powers take shape in the Levant (c – 800 BCE) Some of the “Sea Peoples” (peleset) settle on the southern coast  Philistines, Palestine They form city-states: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod Further north, Phoenician city-states form: Byblos, Tyre, Sidon Nomadic Hebrews, led by Moses, settle in the land of Canaan, and eventually form kingdoms Settled people of Canaan form kingdoms: Edom, Moab, Ammon – as newcomers displace them

Semitic family of languages

The Phoenicians (c – 500 BCE) Location? Major settlements? Natural environment? Geopolitics?

The Phoenicians (c – 500 BCE) Geopolitics: o Rough terrain, hilly, rocky  hard to unite, created independent city-states o Narrow strip of plains along coast, hemmed in by mountains and forests  did some farming, but mostly relied on trade o Caught between two major civilizations  expanded to the west, around the Mediterranean, by creating colonies and extensive maritime (sea-based) trade routes

Phoenicians’ colonies: - Islands in middle of Mediterranean - coast of southern Iberian peninsula (Spain) - Coast of North Africa – Carthage and other settlements allowed them to control passage of ships between Eastern and Western Mediterranean – Access to natural resources and trading opportunities in these areas

Phoenicians as traders o Trade featured: o two unique natural resources: timber and dye from snails o cheaper imitations of other people’s pottery, glass, jewelry, etc. o resources obtained through their colonies

Phoenicians’ innovations as traders Keeping track of stuff Traveling by sea

Phoenicians’ innovations as traders Keeping track of stuff Developed an alphabet with 22 symbols (letters) – all consonants This made it easier for traders to keep their own records, not have to hire scribes Traveling by sea

Phoenicians’ innovations as traders Phonetic alphabet Traveling by sea: New models of ships that were sturdy, stable, durable Discovered tacking (sailing into wind) Developed biremes and triremes as warships Explored Mediterranean and beyond (Britain, Africa)

End of the Phoenicians? Assyrians (2 nd empire) Neo-babylonians Persians Greeks Carthage, 146 BCE, by Romans Heartland of ancient Phoenicia today?