1. Early centers of civilization

2. Assyrian Empire

3. How were the Assyrians able to conquer and control such a large and diverse empire?
superior military organization and technology
Land grants given in exchange for military service
New technology: Iron weapons, tunnels and mobile towers
the elite class governed the empire, backed up by the powerful military

4. Why have historians called the Assyrian Empire of the first millennium B.C.E. the first true empire?
Assyrian Empire ruled over diverse peoples and enormous lands
Fought to control western Asia’s long-distance trade routes = access to gold, silver, and a way to collect taxes
The Assyrians defeated each of their rival kingdoms to bring wealth to the imperial core while plundering the vanquished kingdoms

5. What were the migrations of the people ultimately known as Israelites, and what were the causes and consequences of those migrations?
The ancestors of the Israelites were pastoralists (shepards) who migrated from southern Mesopotamia into the region of present-day Israel.
Drought may have forced them to seek greener pastures in Egypt
Enslavement in Egypt and then flight, or Exodus, are central parts of the Hebrew Bible