2/17 Geo Engage 1-What do you think the world’s first people were like? 2-Where would you live? How would you get food? What would your life be like? How old do you think these laws could be? 3-Theft-Ex. Law #22: "If any one is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to death." 4- Eye for an Eye- If someone breaks the bone of anyone else, their bone will be broken. ]

 A (Brief) History of the Middle East

Prehistoric Peoples  Hunters & gatherers (10,000 yrs ago)  farming  H&Gs: throughout N Africa, SW & C Asia  Farming: Nile, Mediterranean  1 st ppl to domesticate animals  Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs & camels  Food, clothes, shelters

Early Civilizations; THE BIG 3  Rose in the most fertile areas around 6,000 years ago

1- Fertile Crescent  Home of the Sumerian Civ.  science, math & engineering  Code of Hammurabi—1 st code of laws***?  Record-keeping = cuneiform (wedged symbols on clay tablets)  Mesopotamia: a part of the Fertile Crescent  Area between Tigris & Euphrates R.’s  World’s first culture hearth

2- Egypt  Egyptians  Settled along Nile  irrigation system  Still grew crops during the dry season  Floods, dams  Calendar  Hieroglypics: form of picture writing OR?

3- Phoenician Civ.  Phoenicians: created writing that eventually was the background for the ALPHABET!

cuneiform Hieroglyphics

SW Asia History Q’s and Short Answer Persian Empire: 1-When was the Persian Empire prevalent? 2-Invention: what are qanats? (key term) How did they help the Persian Empire become more successful? Silk Road: 3-Summarize the Silk Road in 2 sentences. 4-What was its impact on the Middle East? 5-What are some goods that were exchanged? Mongol Empire: 6-When was the Mongol Empire prevalent? 7-Who is Genghis Khan? What were some positive and negative contributions of Genghis Khan? 8-Short Answer: Choose 1 of the places/empires that we discussed today. Which one has had the biggest impact on the world today? Why has their impact been so significant? Where would the world be if they never existed?

Empires  Persian Empire: 500s BC  From Nile River & Aegean Sea to Central Asia  Constructed system called qanats (underground canals) to carry water from mountains across desert to farmland  Used because otherwise, water would evaporate!  100BC : Silk Road allowed some cities to become successful trading stations  “crossroads of civilization”  Major cities used as trading stations  Travelers & merchants traded Chinese silks, Indian cotton…and IDEAS!  Nomads traveled across the region in search for grasslands for their herds  Some (Mongols) invaded lands  Mongolian Empire established in 1200s under Genghis Khan

Mongols under Genghis Khan  Genghis Khan: Leader of Mongols  Invaded many central Asian lands beginning in 1100s  Killed LOTS of people, ended up conquering a LOT of land  Positive things they brought to the regions:  Paper money  Safer trade routes

Geo Engage- 2/18  What were the first people like? How long ago?  List 2 points of significance about each civilization from yesterday’s notes.

Ethnic & Religious Conflicts

Israel & Palestine: 50-Yr Conflict  Background  “Israel”= called “Palestine” b  Jews & Arabs = religious roots in Palestine/Israel;  each group claims it as home.  Jews kicked out of Palestine many years ago;  The beginning  Jews= wanted to come back to homeland bc persecution in other areas.  Arabs unhappy & overcrowding  Jews immigrate anyway

Israel & Palestine Conflict (cont.)  WW1 & WW2  WW1 est. Britain as the country to control Palestine  WW2 caused British & American sentiment for Jews***?   more Jewish immigration into Palestine!  UN created boundary proposal in 1947; Palestinians (Muslims) reject it  Britain establishes the Jewish state of Israel anyways in 1948   WAR! 

I&P Conflict: Events & Agreement  Constant warfare  Six Day War  Agreement  Camp David Agreement: US pres. Jimmy Carter (1978)  agreed to negotiate about having a separate gov’t in the West Bank & Gaza Strip  Camp David Summit: Bill Clinton (2000)  Tried for negotiations… violence resumed in 2002  still divided today

Gulf Wars  Iraq-Iran War:  War  border disputes b/e Iraq & Iran  Persian Gulf War: 1990s  Iraq vs. Kuwait  Caue: Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, took over oil fields  Effect: U.S. + other Middle Eastern countries teamed up to get Hussein out of Kuwait;  succeed!  Embargo against Iraq  “As long as oil is still the #1 energy producer, oil-purchasing countries will work to protect it!”

SW Asia/Middle East History Q’s  What are some solutions to prevent wars fought over the control of oil?  Summarize the “Arab Spring” in 3-5 sentences?  How did it begin and what were some reasons it happened?  Please include “Burning Man”. (Not the festival!)  T/F. This event is still ongoing.  What was the Burning Man protest? Where did it happen? List 2 Causes and 2 Effects of the event?

Arab Spring (Still Ongoing)

Brief Background  Series of protests in the Middle East  December 2010-present  Began with “burning man” protest in Tunisia  Protests of police corruption  Why? Some factors:  Absolute rule  no voice in the people  Government corruption  Human rights violations  Wealthy gov. with people in poverty  Unemployment  To date:  Governments overthrown in Tunisia, Libya & Egypt  Civil disorder in Syria & Yemen  Major protests in Algeria and Iraq (and now Syria)

Egypt  Height: January 25-February 11, 2011  Inspired by “burning man” protest in Tunisia  Mainly non-violent demonstrations, civil marches  Call for President Mubarak’s resignation  Government response  Internet is shut down from January 27-February 5, 2011  Foreign journalists jailed, some beaten (eventually released)  Mubarak claims he would not step down  A day after refusing to step down, Mubarak resigns as president & leaves Cairo

Libya  February 2011-October 2011  Protest corrupt leadership of Muammar Gaddafi  Natural resource, petroleum, contributed to high GDP per capita; people still living in poverty, still high unemployment rates  Also poor healthcare system, untreated sewage  Protests  CIVIL WAR  UN’s role:  Security Council froze assets of Mubarak, which prevented them from travelling too far  Established no-fly zone to protect attacks on civilians  Interim governing body replaced Gaddafi government in September  Gaddafi captured & killed on October 20,2011  Still clashes and conflicts in the region

“We’ll stay here until the pain is gone.” Rebels celebrating the death of Gaddafi

ONGOING: Syria  March 2011-present  Began with protesting the torture of students who had put up anti- government graffiti  Crackdowns by President Bashar al-Assad  open fire on demonstrators  U.N.’s role  Tried to pass them through security council, but was stopped by Russia & China  Currently protesting in almost all major cities, including the city of Homs and capital city of Damascus  CIVIL WAR!  Christians, others fleeing to Iraq