1. STUDENT NOTES FOR CH. 2
HIS101

2. A History of Western Society
CHAPTER 2
Small Kingdoms and Mighty Empires in the Near East, ca. 1100–513 BCE

3. Disruption and Diffusion The End of Egyptian Power
Invasions of the of the Sea Peoples
What do we know about them
Egypt/Libyans
What did Libyans bring to Egyptian society?

4. The Rise of Phoenicia
Phoenicians — Lived along the coast of modern Lebanon. Greek term, Phoenicians, means WHAT?
2. Master Seafarers — Traded with Greece, Egypt, and regions in Western Mediterranean and Atlantic — established a colony in Carthage (“new city”).
3. Alphabet — The Phoenicians were the first people to develop WHAT?

5. The Children of Israel The Hebrew State
1. Uncertain Origins- Mesopotamia
Enslavement in Egypt
Large-scale Exodus
Forty years of migration in the desert
The primary source for early Hebrew history is the Hebrew Bible.
Relations with New Neighbors (Philistines, Amorites, Canaanites) — A mixture of warfare and adaptation to the local culture.

6. Religion of the Hebrews
The Ark of the Covenant was known to contain the holiest of Hebrew religious relics.

7. Hebrew Leaders -Hebrew Monarchies -Who was the 1st King of Israel?
-Who followed?
-What happened to the
monarchy Solomon’s
Death?

8. The Evolution of Jewish Religion
Covenant — Agreement between Yahweh and the Hebrew people that was what? What was monotheism?
Gender — Women’s religious rituals centered on home, men’s on the temple.
In the Hebrew religion women were considered ritually impure. WHY?

9. The Lives of the Hebrews
1. Nomadic Origins — The Hebrews were nomads who entered Palestine as tribes. But as they settled down and developed agriculture, shift in land holding — went from holding land in common to family ownership (through extended families).
2. Worship — Worship of Yahweh — became more male-oriented and male-dominated
3. Torah and Talmud — Contained laws that regulated daily life (e.g., regulations for food preparation and ritual slaughter)

10. The Power of Assyria
1. Assyrians — People from Northern Mesopotamia best known for WHAT?
2. Assyrian kingdom was located in northern Mesopotamia
3. Kings led attacks on the people of Syria, Palestine, Babylonia. Pattern — revolts of subjects, bloody battles, cruel sieges, surrender, torture, and slaughter.
4. Sophisticated Military Organization — Infantrymen, archers, chariots, armor, siege machinery, battering rams, pontoons.

12. Assyrian Rule and Culture
- Swift Downfall — In spite of military might, a swift downfall.
- Babylon — Won independence (626 BCE) — with the help of the Medes, they destroyed the Assyrian Empire (612 BCE).
- Assyrian Artists — Recounted the military campaigns in graphic detail (picture on next slide).

14. The Empire of the Persian Kings
The Land of the Medes and Persians
1. Persians — European people who used diplomacy (and occasionally force) to build their Empire. The Persian civilization adopted many Assyrian political, military and artistic innovations.
2. Geography — (A land of mountains and deserts with a broad central plateau) the highway between East and West where nomads met urban dwellers.
3. Immigration of Iranians — (Starting at 1000 BCE) Persians (in southern Iran) and the Medes (in the North) — overthrew the Assyrian Empire (612 BCE).

16. Cyrus the Great (559–530 BCE) Remarkable statesman/Ruled 30 years
Conquered the West through a mixture of military might and benevolence. Respected customs.
One of his major goals in his conquests were to win control of the ports of the great trade routes.
Know about him from “Cyrus Cylinder”- Biased?

17. Cyrus Cylinder

18. Cyrus Cylinder

19. Persian Religion Originally Tied to Nature
Zoroastrianism — Based on spiritual concepts of the preacher Zarathustra, also known as Zoroaster
A cosmic battle between good and evil in which each person would be faced with a last divine judgment (and enter a divine kingdom or receive eternal pain and punishment). Zoroastrianism influenced liberal Judaism, Christianity, and early Islam.

20. Persian Art and Culture
1. Welcomed and Respected Religious Beliefs, Old and New
2. Took Assyrian Art — (which was highly realistic) and ennobled it — emphasized a benign peace instead of bloody slaughter.
3. Two Centuries of Peace, Stability, and Tolerance