1. Mediterranean Civilizations
The Ancient World
Chapter 2, Section 4

2. Eastern shore of Mediterranean Sea
Phoenicia: Geography
Eastern shore of Mediterranean Sea
Colonies along the southern shore (to the west) of the Mediterranean and in many places along the northern shore
Colonies on both sides of Mediterranean where it meets the Atlantic Ocean

3. Phoenicia: Natural Resources
Few natural resources, but what Phoenicia had were important resources
Snails that produced a rich purple dye could be gathered on the shores of Tyre
Forests of cedar trees

4. Phoenicia: Trade World’s first trading empire / great sea power
Had ships that were able to be sailed all over Mediterranean and out into the Atlantic
Stories told about sea monsters may have been designed to keep other people from trading in the Atlantic (reduce competition)
Gather snails in Tyre / rich purple dye / highly valued by rich people and sold at very high prices (made Tyre a wealthy city)
Brought goods from entire Mediterranean region to bazaars in Tyre and Sidon
Figs, olives, honey, spices
Strange animals (giraffes, warthogs, bears)

5. How did their reliance on trade lead to the development of the Phoenician alphabet? Why didn’t the just use cuneiform?
Trading requires keeping careful track of what a trader has to sell and what has been sold
Cuneiform was very complicated and scribes were generally needed to read and write in cuneiform
It was not practical for traders to rely on scribes, so an easier way to write was needed so that more people would be able to keep track of business

6. Narrowed down to 22 symbols
How did the Phoenician alphabet make writing something that more people could learn?
Lots of trading = need for simple writing (cuneiform was too complicated)
Narrowed down to 22 symbols
Each symbol represented a specific consonant sound
Simple system allowed more people to learn to read and write / reduced the control scribes had over writing

8. Who was Abraham? Why was he so significant to the Israelites?
Abraham led his people to a belief in one God, which was a very different belief than the polytheistic beliefs of most Sumerians
According to the Bible, God spoke to Abraham and promised to make the Israelites into a great nation
Abraham led the Israelites out of Mesopotamia to Canaan to establish a new place for them to live

9. Why did the Israelites flee south to Egypt?
Israelites experience a period of time while they were in Canaan when they were running of food and facing starvation (famine)
The Israelites left Canaan to move south into Egypt

10. What positive and negative experiences did the Israelites have during their time in Egypt?
Lived well for 600 years
Many served in powerful positions in government
Gained wealth and power
Egyptian king grew jealous of their power / suspicious of wealth
Many Israelites were enslaved in Egypt as a result

11. Provide details about each of these leaders:
According to the Bible:
Moses: Led the enslaved Egyptians out of Egypt and through the desert looking for a new home and passed on the Israelites the commandments that were given to him by God
Saul: Helped Israelites to win wars as they conquered Canaan
David: Also helped lead the Israelites to military victories as they conquered Cannan and united the 12 Israelite tribes into one nation / made the capital Jeruselum
Solomon: Was David’s son and led the kingdom to be place of successful trade.
Sold palm and olive oils, honey, fruits, vegetables, grain to nearby lands
Sea trade / gold

12. What happened after Solomon’s death? Why did this happen?
Building projects Solomon had started were very expensive and led to difficult times / reduced wealth
Kingdom split into two kingdoms
Northern kingdom = Israel
Southern Kingdom = Judah
Assyrians conquered the Kingdom of Israel
Israelites were punished by being send to different and distant parts of the empire
135 years later – Judah was conquered by Chaldeans and Judans were sent to far off places as well

13. The Rise of the Israelites
A small band of people, the Israelites, settle along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
Abraham leads the Israelites out of Mesopotamia to their new home in Canaan.

14.  A famine spreads across Canaan and the Israelites flee south to Egypt.
The Israelites live in Egypt for 600 years until an Egyptian king enslaves them because he is jealous of their power.
Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt and they wander the Sinai Peninsula for 40 years.

15. The Israelites move back into Canaan and build their own cities
The Israelites move back into Canaan and build their own cities. Two kings lead them into victories in war. Saul, the first king of the Israelites, and David, who united the 12 tribes into a single nation.
David’s son, Solomon, becomes king when he dies and Israel grows wealthy because of trade.

16. Solomon transforms the city of Jerusalem into a magnificent capital building a grand temple. After his death, it split into two kingdoms.
The northern kingdom was called Israel and the southern kingdom was called Judah.
The Assyrians later seized the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah later fell to the Chaldeans.