1. New Centers of Civilization

2. Hittites One of the first Indo- European civilizations
Created an empire in western Asia that threatened the power of the Egyptians
Were the first to use iron
Iron weapons were stronger and cheaper to make because of the abundance of iron ore

3. The Phoenicians
Expanded after the fall of the Egyptians and the Hittites
Lived in the area of Palestine
Trade was the basis of their prosperity
They produced a lot of goods to trade
Purple dye, glass, lumber
Set up new trade routes in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic

4. Phoenician Culture Best known for its alphabet
Used 22 different signs to represent the sounds of their speech
Not the first to invent an alphabet , but theirs is important because it was eventually passed to the Greeks, then to the Romans which is what we use today.

5. Israelites
Minor political power, but they influenced the religions of Christianity and Islam
History is written down in the Bible
Lifestyle based on grazing animals rather than farming

6. Israelite Journey Drought forced the Israelites to move to Egypt
Become enslaved
Moses led them out of Egypt
Israelites wondered for years in the desert
Returned to Canaan between B.C and 1000 B.C.
This is when they organized in tribes and became known as Israel

7. United Kingdom King David established Jerusalem as the capital
David’s son Solomon is known for building the temple
Temple was viewed as the symbolic center of their religion and their kingdom
Solomon is also known for being very wise
Settled the dispute between two women and a baby

8. The Divided Kingdom Solomon’s Death led to the division of Israel
Kingdom of Israel
Kingdom of Judah
10 Northern tribes
Capital at Samaria
Assyrians overran the kingdom
Israelites forced to scatter (Lost tribes)
Merged with neighboring tribes and gradually lost their identity
2 Southern Tribes
Capital at Jerusalem
Chaldeans defeated Assyria, conquered the kingdom of Judah
Many of the people of Judah were sent as captives to Babylonia (Babylonian Exile)

9. Freedom Babylonian’s are conquered by the Persians
The Persians allow the people of Judah to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple
The provinces was controlled by Persia until 300 B.C
People of Judah survived, eventually becoming known as the Jews

10. Judaism
Monotheistic- Believing in one God, who is the Creator of the world and everything in it.
The covenant, law, and prophets are three aspects of Jewish religious tradition

11. Judaism continued
When Moses was leading his people out of bondage God made a Covenant, or a contract with them
God promised to protect them if they followed the Torah, Judaism’s foundational set of precepts (Most famous being the 10 commandments)

12. Prophets
The Jews believed that God sent additional religious teachers or prophets, to serve as his voice to his people
Time of prophecy lasted from 1000s B.C. to the 400s B.C.
Introduced concepts that enriched the Jewish tradition
Declared faithlessness would bring catastrophe, but turning from evil would bring God’s mercy.

13. Judaism was unique at the time
Was monotheistic while the other civilizations were polytheistic
With other ancient religions only priests and rulers had access to the Gods/ with Judaism everyone could know God’s will by reading the Hebrew Bible
Jews would not accept the God’s of their conquerors