The Ancient Near East

Common themes? Common themes? Differences? Differences?

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia Mesopotamia –“Between the rivers” –Within Fertile Crescent –Accomplished through irrigation, canals  agriculture

Mesopotamia The Sumerians (ca BC) The Sumerians (ca BC) –First great Mesopotamians –Settled in Fertile Crescent –Sumer  30 city-states  Common culture, trade  City-states often at war

Mesopotamia Accomplishments Accomplishments –Inventions: wheel, plow –Agriculture –Writing: CUNEIFORM Tablets with cuneiform

Mesopotamia Government Government –MONARCHY, by 2700 BC –Almost always kings –Functions  Representatives of gods  Legislators  Justice  Patrons King Sargon II (r BC)

Mesopotamia King Hammurabi (r BC) King Hammurabi (r BC) –Ruler of Amorites –Conquered all Mesopotamia –Capital: Babylon –Great legislator

Mesopotamia The Code of Hammurabi The Code of Hammurabi –282 legal rulings –Violent punishments! –Hammurabi and Shamash depicted –“When the god Marduk commanded me to provide just ways for the people of the land in order to attain appropriate behavior, I established truth and justice as the declaration of the land, I enhanced the well-being of the people.”

Mesopotamia The Code of Hammurabi The Code of Hammurabi –“196. If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out. –197. If he break the other man’s bone, his bone shall be broken. –198. If he put out the eye of a freed man, or break the bone of a freed man, he shall pay one gold mina. –199. If he put out the eye of a man’s slave, or break the bone of a man’s slave, he shall pay one-half of its value.”

Mesopotamia Religion Religion –POLYTHEISTIC –The gods  ANTHROPOMORPHIC  Immortal, powerful  Feared –Afterlife Hammurabi and Shamash

Mesopotamia Statuettes of worshipers from the Square Temple at Eshnunna (ca BC)

Mesopotamia Ziggurat Ziggurat –“Towering” structures –Temple on top –Nucleus of city

Mesopotamia Nanna Ziggurat, Ur (Muqaiyir, Iraq), ca – ca BC

Mesopotamia Literature Literature –Epic of Gilgamesh (ca BC)  About semi-divine king of Uruk, friend Enkidu  Enkidu’s death  Gilgamesh’s pursuit of immortality –Enuma Elish (ca. 11 th -cent. BC)  Origins  Cosmic battle between gods  creation Enkidu and Gilgamesh

Mesopotamia Questions? Questions?

Egypt Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt –The Nile  Flowed from Nubia to Delta  Flooded annually  fertility, prosperity  Symbol of life –Upper Egypt, Lower Egypt  unified state (ca BC)

Egypt The Pharaoh The Pharaoh –Egypt’s monarch –Divine offspring of sun god –Ruled through bureaucracy –Worshiped after death Pharaoh Tutankhamun (r BC)

Egypt Religion Religion –Very spiritual people –Polytheistic

Egypt The Afterlife The Afterlife –Ka lives on after death –Judgment before divine tribunal –Mummification

Egypt Mummies, British Museum, London

Egypt

Egypt Mummy with amulets, Vatican Museum

Egypt

Egypt Writing Writing –Papyrus –HIEROGLYPHICS

Egypt The Rosetta Stone at the British Museum

Egypt The Pyramids The Pyramids –Purpose: pharaohs’ glory, tombs –Great Pyramids, Gizeh (ca BC)  Near Cairo  Gold once visible  Aligned with stars? Great Pyramids, Gizeh, Egypt Tombs of Menkaure, Khafre, Khufu (ca BC)

Egypt The Great Sphinx (ca BC) The Great Sphinx (ca BC) –Lion, human head –Guardian

Egypt The Egyptian Empire (ca BC) The Egyptian Empire (ca BC) –Borders: Euphrates to Nubia –Capital: Thebes

Egypt Hatshepsut (r BC) Hatshepsut (r BC) –Widow of Thutmose II, regent to Thutmose III –Declared herself pharaoh! –Peaceful reign –Building project –Thutmose sought to destroy memory of her

Egypt Decline of Egypt (ca BC) Decline of Egypt (ca BC) –Pharaohs lost power to priests –Empire disintegrated –Prominent international role lost –Suffered invasions, occupations

Egypt Questions? Questions?

Israel Israel Israel –“The Hebrews” –First recorded national history –Founders of “Western religious tradition”: MONOTHEISM

Israel The Patriarchs (ca BC) The Patriarchs (ca BC) –Abraham –Isaac –Jacob –Twelve tribes, *Joseph Abraham and Isaac

Israel The Exodus (ca BC) The Exodus (ca BC) –Israelites oppressed in Egypt –Moses led them out –Journey through wilderness  “Promised Land” –THE TEN COMMANDMENTS Moses and the Ten Commandments

Israel

Israel

Israel Religion Religion –Hebrew God: YHWH  Creator, redeemer  No images! –Cult  Male priesthood  Tabernacle, altars  Holy days –Sacred text: TORAH

Israel

Israel Government Government –Confederation of tribes, at first –United monarchy (ca BC) –Hebrew kingship  Not divine  YHWH’s servant, vassal  Bound by Law

Israel The United Kingdom The United Kingdom –KING DAVID (r BC)  Origins: shepherd, mercenary  Expansion, conquest  Capital: Jerusalem –KING SOLOMON (r BC)  Israel at its zenith  Wealth!  Temple David

Israel Edward Poynter, The Queen of Sheba before Solomon (1890)

Israel Solomon’s Temple, Jerusalem

Israel The Divided Kingdom ( BC) The Divided Kingdom ( BC) –Had been ruled by kings in Judah –Northern tribes broke away  Kingdom of Israel  Idols  Conquered by Assyria (722 BC) –Kingdom of Judah  Monotheism, idols too  Conquered by Babylon ( BC)

Israel Questions? Questions?

Persia The Persian Empire ( BC) The Persian Empire ( BC) –Iran: home of Medes and Persians –The Empire  Initiated by Cyrus the Great (r BC)  Conquered Medes, Babylon, beyond  Largest empire yet King Cyrus the Great

Persia

Persia The Military The Military –Ruled by warrior aristocracy –300,000 soldiers! –Cavalry –First great navy

Persia The King The King –“King of kings” –Had khvarna –Brilliant in appearance! –Bound by rule of law, nobility King Darius I (r BC)

Persia Ruling the Empire Ruling the Empire –Strategy: tolerance, humane rule –Divided into 20 satrapies –Systems of roads –Main language: Aramaic Royal Road

Persia Religion Religion –Initially polytheism –Zoroastrianism  Prophet: Zarathustra (ca BC)  Ethical, inward-looking  Dualistic: Light vs. Darkness  Magi Open-air fire altar dedicated to Supreme Creator

Persia Questions? Questions?

The Ancient Near East Common themes? Common themes? Differences? Differences?