1. Group Activity – Ancient Empires & Dynasties
Honors World History

2. Instructions Your group is responsible for:
Research on a particular ancient group
Completing your section of the graphic organizer.
Creating a visual (a simple illustration)
Making a presentation to the class.
You have 30 minutes to complete 1-3.

3. Sumerians 3000 B.C. Mesopotamia; Fertile Crescent
Ur, Uruk, Eridu, Babylon
Hammurabi & Sargon I
Polytheism; each city-state had a chief diety)
Epic of Gilgamesh, wheel, ramp, calendar, potter’s wheel, cuneiform, sail, plow, number systems, Code of Hammurabi
Civilization of city-states (in the beginning)
Invasions, lack of physical barriers

4. Topics & Page #s 1. Hittites: pgs. 62-63 2. Aryans: pgs. 63-65
3. Minoans: pgs
4. Phoenicians: pgs
5. Hebrews/Jews: pgs
6. Assyrians: pgs
7. Persians: pgs

5. Hittites 2000-1190 B.C. Anatolia (Asia Minor)
Hattusas (capital) & Babylon
N/A
Polytheism (not in book)
Excelled at war with use of chariots and iron weapons & signed peace treaty with Ramses II
Empire
Invasions; tribes attacked from north, capital was burned

6. Aryans 2000-1000 B.C. Caspian Sea – moved into India
Magadha was major kingdom
N/A – were Indo Europeans
Polythestic (develops into Hinduism)
Sacred literature called Vedas (hymns and ritual chants); caste system; Mahabharata (epic poem), Hinduism
Kingdom
Assimilation

7. Phoenicians 1100-800 B.C. Modern day Lebanon Byblos, Tyre, & Sidon
N/A, but were Semitic
Polytheistic
Great shipbuilders & seafarers; traded tin w/ Britain; red-purple dye; colonies in Africa (Carthage) & Sicily; traded wood, metal, glass, ivory, etc.; alphabet
Wealthy city-states
Captured or controlled by Assyrians, Babylonians, & Persians

8. Hebrews-Jews-Israelites
1650 B.C. – 72 A.D.
Canaan/Palestine
Jerusalem
Abraham, Moses, Deborah, Saul, David, Solomon
Judaism (Yahweh)
10 Commandments; monotheism, Solomon’s Temple, Jewish Law, Torah (1st 5 books of Old Testament)
Kingdom(s) (eventually Israel (N) & Judah (S)
Invasions by Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, & Romans; splitting of the kingdoms

9. Israelites

10. Persians 1000-550 B.C. Modern day Iran & Turkey
Persepolis (capital) Susa, & Sardis
Cyrus (military genius who founded the empire), Cambyses, & Darius (extended empire, good ruler & administrator)
Zoroastrianism (monotheism w/concept of good and evil & Satan and angels; earth was battle ground
Tolerant of those conquered; Royal Road between Susa and Sardis; Zoroastrianism; coins; satraps
Empire & dynasty
Defeats at the hands of the Greeks (Alexander the Great

12. Hittites, Aryans, Phoenicians, Persians, Minoans, Assyrians or Hebrews?
Ten Commandments
Capital was Nineveh
Alphabet
Knossus was the capital
Indo-Eurpoeans
Caste System
Colonies in Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, Spain
Covenant
Vedas
Chariots
Great library
Sacrificed bulls to their gods
King Solomon’s temple
Located on Crete
Dasas (or “dark”)
Disaster of 1470 B.C.
Red-purple dye
Powerful ocean traders
Abraham
Flood story
Tolerant of the conquered
Mahabharata (epic)

13. Hittites, Aryans, Phoenicians, Persians, Minoans, Assyrians or Hebrews?
Founded Carthage
Saul was their first King
King Minos
Cleanliness and purity became all important
Siege specialists Ur
Judah
Anatolia
Enjoyed boxing, wrestling, and bull leaping
Sidon & Tyre were important cities
Babylonian captivity
Tribute paid to avoid war
Canaan
Varnas
Iron weapons
Aegean Sea
Traded tin with Britain
Torah
Royal Road

14. Israelites- Judaism
World History

15. Israelites Monotheism Yahweh Covenant Canaan Abraham & sons/grandsons
Egypt
Moses
Exodus
Passover
Joshua
Judges
Saul
David
Jerusalem
Solomon
Tribes
Judah
Israel
Assyrians (722 B.C.)
Exile
Chaldeans (Babylonians) & Babylonian captivity
Prophets
Synagogues
Persians
Torah
Diaspora