1. The Mediterranean and Middle East, 2000 – 500 BCE

2. COSMOPOLITAN MIDDLE EAST
Hittites
1600 to 717 B.C.E.
Upper Mesopotamia/
Anatolia
Primarily a trading society
Polytheistic- Hattia, Battle god
Indo-European language family
IRON, 1300 B.C.E.
Iron metallurgy arises separately in Africa ~900 BCE

3. Iron metallurgy arises separately in Africa ~900 BCE

4. Why Cosmopolitan? Relationship to Babylon
Same religion- Gods and goddesses of Babylon and Sumer
Changed Hammurabi’s law codes around- made them far less severe
Also had city-states
Hittites invade Babylon 1595 BCE
Relationship to Egypt
First peace treaty in the world, 1285 BCE
Forged alliances with Egyptian Kings
Traded a lot

5. Very tolerant of others religions (carried over to Assyrians)
Allowed captured people to continue to worship their beliefs

6. Assyrian Empire 911 to 612 BCE BIGGEST EMPIRE WE’VE SEEN SO FAR
Would DESTROY those who opposed them/take into slavery
Transplant across empire BUT opportunities for conquered to rise within the military/government
Military
All powerful kings
Libraries

7. Why have historians called the Assyrian Empire of the first millennium BCE the first true empire?
How were the Assyrians able to conquer and control such a large and diverse empire?
How should the Assyrian Empire be judged?

9. Israel
Existence CONFIRMED by outside sources (Egyptian steles) in second millennium
Pastoral nomads from Mesopotamia
Monotheistic
Many connections to other Middle Eastern civilizations
Monarchs BCE- Saul, David, Solomon
TEMPLE
Role of prophets
North kingdom conquered by 722 BCE
Judea conquered 586 BCE

10. How reliable are religious documents as records of history? (Bible)
What were the causes and consequences of the migrations of the people ultimately known as the Israelites?

12. PHOENICIANS Rowers on two different levels Steering oars
Square sails, only really good for going one way

13. PHOENICIANS 1200-800 BCE (Dominated trade) Present-day Lebanon
Established the “Phoenician Triangle”
Similar in many ways to Mesopotamia
Carthage (monopoly/navy)
Trade trade trade: Purple dye, glass, lumber, high-quality metal goods, pottery, art, textiles
Traveled all over the place- esp. in search of raw materials, also because the assyrians were pushing them out of lebanon
Not much literature, culture mostly destroyed by romans, but Alphabet- 22 letters
Same religion and political structure as in mesopotamia- also reformed cuneiform
We get bible from “paper coming from byblos”
Founded carthage- huge city- 814 BCE- military superpower until rome destroys in the punic wars
Got food from israel

14. Trade trade trade: Purple dye, glass, lumber, high-quality metal goods, pottery, art, textiles
Traveled all over the place- esp. in search of raw materials, also because the assyrians were pushing them out of lebanon
Not much literature, culture mostly destroyed by romans, but Alphabet- 22 letters
Same religion and political structure as in mesopotamia- also reformed cuneiform
We get bible from “paper coming from byblos”
Founded carthage- huge city- 814 BCE- military superpower until rome destroys in the punic wars