1.  C. 1,600 B.C. two Indo-European groups move into the near East.  Hittites and Kassites.  Hittites—Asia Minor; Kassites—Mesopotamia.  Indo-European linguistic group in c. Russia. Ancestor to most modern European cultures.  Worship sky god; patriarchal and patrilineal  Horses and chariots  Kassites blend in to pre-existing Mesopotamian cultures.  Only known from O.T. until the last century.

2.  Bronze Age peoples in Asia Minor.  Capital Hattusa established 17 th c. B.C. excavated in 1907.  The Hittite Empire reached its height c. the 14th century BC, encompassing a large part of Asia Minor, Syria, Lebanon, parts of Mesopotamia.  The Hittite military made successful use of chariots.

4.  1. Asia Minor rich in natural resources—iron, silver—limited use of iron weapons.  2. Military—use of horses and chariots  3. Good legal system—based on compensation rather than revenge.  4. hereditary succession—no free for all.  Lots of Hittites records found at Hattusa.

5.  Used cuneiform and hieroglyphs  Transmitted much of Mesopotamian culture to the West.  No evidence for Trojan War from Hittite sources.  Major power with Egypt from 1400-1200 B.C.  Defeated Egypt at Kadesh in 1274 B.C.

6.  Attack of Sea Peoples—every Hittite citadel burned.  After c. 1180 BC, the empire disintegrated into several independent Neo-Hittite city-states, some surviving until the 8th century BC.  Language, elements of Hittite culture last until 4 th c. B.C. until Asia Minor Hellenized.

7.  C. 1,200 B.C. Egypt weakened; Hittites destroyed; Philistines in Canaan  Sea Peoples—where from? Etruscans/Trojans/Sicels—like early Vikings— fast lightning raids by sea—disrupt the eastern Mediterranean and the whole area goes into a depressions—allows smaller states of Canaan, Israel to form.

8.  Now know Mycenaeans from Greece— Philistine construction = Mycenaean Greek.  Spread iron age technology—after 1,200—Iron Age.  But disrupt trade—weaken great empires allow smaller states to emerge.  Canaanites, Israel, Philistines, also Phoenicia.

10.  Sea-faring Canaanite peoples—1,100—600 B.C. created a thriving civilization—centered on towns of Byblos, Tyre, Sidon  Create a maritime empire  Colonize n. African coast. Export manufactured goods—import exotic goods.  Known as merchants—sailed to England (tin); sailed around hump of Africa.  Most famous colony: Carthage

12.  Through trade network, help to pull eastern Mediterranean out of the contraction  Even Egypt has to import iron from Phoenicians  Legacy: alphabet. Semitic language—right to left; no vowels—but adapted by Greeks.  Trading, navigational aids jealously guarded.