1. Objective
Examine the impact of location and geography on the people and culture of the Middle East

2. Early Civilizations of the Middle East
Big Ideas
Early Civilizations of the Middle East

3. First Civilizations Developments & Achievements
Fertile Crescent: Mesopotamia – Crash Course 12 min
Successful farming settlements had grown into powerful city-states: example: Ur
large town that has its own gov’t and controls the surrounding country side – priest-kings

4. First Civilizations Developments & Achievements
Sumer: 3500BC – Greek for southern
Government – laws, army
Religion – special gods - Built Ziggurats - scribes
System of writing – cuneiform – record keeping - pass on information
Used a wheel
Sailing ships = trade
Developed plow and accurate calendar
Built dams to control floods
Math – survey fields
System of measurement – based on 60
All Influenced later people – Rap 3:00 – Use link
Akkadians (united Sumerian city-states) and Assyrians after Sumer
Timeline link

5. The Fertile Crescent

6. Gilgamesh is one of the oldest recorded stories in the world
Gilgamesh is one of the oldest recorded stories in the world. It's about an ancient King of Uruk who may have actually existed and whose name - Gilgamesh - is on the Sumerian King List
Hero's Journey
Sumer Website
Khan Academy site
Sumer Video

7. Sumerian Irrigation Canal and Plow
An artist's rendition of one type of Sumerian sailboat. The rope indicates where the sails would have hung on the wooden mast. The body of the boat is made of bundled reeds covered with leather

8. Advances and Inventions
One of the most important developments the Sumerians invented was the wheel.
Stone
Wheel

9. More Inventions Musical Instrument Mathematical the system based lyre
60 seconds in
one minute.
60 minutes in
one hour.
360 degrees
in a circle.
Personal
Cylinder
seals
Not all people
could read or
write so
cylinder seals
were used.
Metal
knives

10. Lack of natural barriers around the Fertile Crescent and Diffusion
King Hammurabi conquered much of the Fertile Crescent - Babylonians
Drew up a code of law – single system of justice - laws
Mastery of iron: iron weapons - Hittites
Phoenicians known as carriers of civilization = trade
Developed an alphabet that evolved into ours
Purple people - Tyrian purple – sea snails

11. Map showing the Babylonian territory upon Hammurabi's ascension in c
Map showing the Babylonian territory upon Hammurabi's ascension in c BC and upon his death in c BC
Royal portrait - Hammurabi - King of Babylon BC
Figures at top of stone "fingernail" above Hammurabi's code of laws.

13. Persian Empire’s Influence
Conquered the vast empire from Asia Minor to Indus Valley – Iran – Darius I – ruled at peak
Gov’t
Divided into provinces
Governor/Satrap was responsible for collecting taxes and for keeping order
Tolerance of other peoples
Trade/Communication
Improved & expanded the road system
Uniform system of coinage

14. Darius the Great (526 – 485 B. C. E.)
Established a tax-collecting system.
Divided the empire into districts called SATRAPIES.
Built the great Royal Road (video) system. 3:00

15. Greece and Rome addition to the Middle East
Hellenistic civilization: 330’s BC
Blended Greek culture with cultures of ancient Middle East
Alexander the Great conquered Persian Empire
Pursued research in science mathematics, medicine and philosophy
Rome: by 115 AD ruled much of ME:
trade and diffusion flowed
split Byzantine Empire next 1,000 years from Constantinople – split by 330 AD
About 700 years – fall of Rome isolated with Europe

16. Greece and Rome addition to the Middle East
Hellenism (Hellenistic Civilization)

17. Hellenism (Hellenistic Civilization)
Alexander spread the concept of Hellenism throughout his newly-conquered empire.
Hellenism comes from the term Hellenes, which is what the Greeks called themselves.
Hellenism, therefore, is the spread of Greek culture throughout Alexander’s empire.
Under Hellenism Greek art, architecture, literature, technology, and ideas were blended into the Middle East
This culture diffusion continued well after Alexander’s abrupt death in 323 B.C.E.

18. Alexander the Great video 3:00 or video 7:00
Macedonian (Greek) King that laid the final death blow to the Persian Empire and conquered it.

20. Roman Conquest
Eventually another Mediterranean civilization, Rome, conquered all the lands around the Mediterranean rim.
Under Roman rule trade flourished throughout the Middle East.
Roman rule also brought with it an extensive law system, road network, national security force, and economic stability.
By 395 C.E. the Roman Empire split into two halves, the Roman and Byzantine Empires.
The Byzantine Empire continued to ruler over parts of Asia Minor for the next 1000 years.

22. Constantine’s City--Constantinople

23. Roman Empire

24. Even BIGGER Idea:
Over thousands of years, migrating people, traders, and conquerors have brought many ethnic groups and their ideas to the region.