1. The Ancient Near East

2. Common themes? Common themes? Differences? Differences?

3. Mesopotamia Mesopotamia Mesopotamia –“Between the rivers” –Within Fertile Crescent –Accomplished through irrigation, canals  agriculture

4. Mesopotamia The Sumerians (ca. 3800-2400 BC) The Sumerians (ca. 3800-2400 BC) –First great Mesopotamians –Settled in Fertile Crescent –Sumer  30 city-states  Common culture, trade  City-states often at war

5. Mesopotamia Accomplishments Accomplishments –Inventions: wheel, plow –Agriculture –Writing: CUNEIFORM Tablets with cuneiform

6. Mesopotamia Government Government –MONARCHY, by 2700 BC –Almost always kings –Functions  Representatives of gods  Legislators  Justice  Patrons King Sargon II (r. 722-705 BC)

7. Mesopotamia King Hammurabi (r. 1792-1750 BC) King Hammurabi (r. 1792-1750 BC) –Ruler of Amorites –Conquered all Mesopotamia –Capital: Babylon –Great legislator

8. Mesopotamia The Code of Hammurabi The Code of Hammurabi –282 legal rulings –Violent punishments! –Hammurabi and Shamash depicted –“When the god Marduk commanded me to provide just ways for the people of the land in order to attain appropriate behavior, I established truth and justice as the declaration of the land, I enhanced the well-being of the people.”

9. Mesopotamia The Code of Hammurabi The Code of Hammurabi –“196. If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out. –197. If he break the other man’s bone, his bone shall be broken. –198. If he put out the eye of a freed man, or break the bone of a freed man, he shall pay one gold mina. –199. If he put out the eye of a man’s slave, or break the bone of a man’s slave, he shall pay one-half of its value.”

10. Mesopotamia Religion Religion –POLYTHEISTIC –The gods  ANTHROPOMORPHIC  Immortal, powerful  Feared –Afterlife Hammurabi and Shamash

11. Mesopotamia Statuettes of worshipers from the Square Temple at Eshnunna (ca. 2700 BC)

12. Mesopotamia Ziggurat Ziggurat –“Towering” structures –Temple on top –Nucleus of city

13. Mesopotamia Nanna Ziggurat, Ur (Muqaiyir, Iraq), ca. 2100 – ca. 2050 BC

14. Mesopotamia Literature Literature –Epic of Gilgamesh (ca. 2500 BC)  About semi-divine king of Uruk, friend Enkidu  Enkidu’s death  Gilgamesh’s pursuit of immortality –Enuma Elish (ca. 11 th -cent. BC)  Origins  Cosmic battle between gods  creation Enkidu and Gilgamesh

15. Mesopotamia Questions? Questions?

16. Egypt Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt –The Nile  Flowed from Nubia to Delta  Flooded annually  fertility, prosperity  Symbol of life –Upper Egypt, Lower Egypt  unified state (ca. 3100 BC)

17. Egypt The Pharaoh The Pharaoh –Egypt’s monarch –Divine offspring of sun god –Ruled through bureaucracy –Worshiped after death Pharaoh Tutankhamun (r. 1333-1324 BC)

18. Egypt Religion Religion –Very spiritual people –Polytheistic

19. Egypt The Afterlife The Afterlife –Ka lives on after death –Judgment before divine tribunal –Mummification

20. Egypt Mummies, British Museum, London

21. Egypt

22. Egypt Mummy with amulets, Vatican Museum

23. Egypt

24. Egypt Writing Writing –Papyrus –HIEROGLYPHICS

25. Egypt The Rosetta Stone at the British Museum

26. Egypt The Pyramids The Pyramids –Purpose: pharaohs’ glory, tombs –Great Pyramids, Gizeh (ca. 2500 BC)  Near Cairo  Gold once visible  Aligned with stars? Great Pyramids, Gizeh, Egypt Tombs of Menkaure, Khafre, Khufu (ca. 2500 BC)

27. Egypt The Great Sphinx (ca. 2500 BC) The Great Sphinx (ca. 2500 BC) –Lion, human head –Guardian

28. Egypt The Egyptian Empire (ca. 1550-1075 BC) The Egyptian Empire (ca. 1550-1075 BC) –Borders: Euphrates to Nubia –Capital: Thebes

29. Egypt Hatshepsut (r. 1479-1457 BC) Hatshepsut (r. 1479-1457 BC) –Widow of Thutmose II, regent to Thutmose III –Declared herself pharaoh! –Peaceful reign –Building project –Thutmose sought to destroy memory of her

30. Egypt Decline of Egypt (ca. 1076 BC) Decline of Egypt (ca. 1076 BC) –Pharaohs lost power to priests –Empire disintegrated –Prominent international role lost –Suffered invasions, occupations

31. Egypt Questions? Questions?

32. Israel Israel Israel –“The Hebrews” –First recorded national history –Founders of “Western religious tradition”: MONOTHEISM

33. Israel The Patriarchs (ca. 2000-1500 BC) The Patriarchs (ca. 2000-1500 BC) –Abraham –Isaac –Jacob –Twelve tribes, *Joseph Abraham and Isaac

34. Israel The Exodus (ca. 1300 BC) The Exodus (ca. 1300 BC) –Israelites oppressed in Egypt –Moses led them out –Journey through wilderness  “Promised Land” –THE TEN COMMANDMENTS Moses and the Ten Commandments

35. Israel

36. Israel

37. Israel Religion Religion –Hebrew God: YHWH  Creator, redeemer  No images! –Cult  Male priesthood  Tabernacle, altars  Holy days –Sacred text: TORAH

38. Israel

39. Israel Government Government –Confederation of tribes, at first –United monarchy (ca. 1020-928 BC) –Hebrew kingship  Not divine  YHWH’s servant, vassal  Bound by Law

40. Israel The United Kingdom The United Kingdom –KING DAVID (r. 1004-965 BC)  Origins: shepherd, mercenary  Expansion, conquest  Capital: Jerusalem –KING SOLOMON (r. 965-928 BC)  Israel at its zenith  Wealth!  Temple David

41. Israel Edward Poynter, The Queen of Sheba before Solomon (1890)

42. Israel Solomon’s Temple, Jerusalem

43. Israel The Divided Kingdom (928-722 BC) The Divided Kingdom (928-722 BC) –Had been ruled by kings in Judah –Northern tribes broke away  Kingdom of Israel  Idols  Conquered by Assyria (722 BC) –Kingdom of Judah  Monotheism, idols too  Conquered by Babylon (598-586 BC)

44. Israel Questions? Questions?

45. Persia The Persian Empire (559-331 BC) The Persian Empire (559-331 BC) –Iran: home of Medes and Persians –The Empire  Initiated by Cyrus the Great (r. 559-530 BC)  Conquered Medes, Babylon, beyond  Largest empire yet King Cyrus the Great

46. Persia

47. Persia The Military The Military –Ruled by warrior aristocracy –300,000 soldiers! –Cavalry –First great navy

48. Persia The King The King –“King of kings” –Had khvarna –Brilliant in appearance! –Bound by rule of law, nobility King Darius I (r. 521-486 BC)

49. Persia Ruling the Empire Ruling the Empire –Strategy: tolerance, humane rule –Divided into 20 satrapies –Systems of roads –Main language: Aramaic Royal Road

50. Persia Religion Religion –Initially polytheism –Zoroastrianism  Prophet: Zarathustra (ca. 1000-550 BC)  Ethical, inward-looking  Dualistic: Light vs. Darkness  Magi Open-air fire altar dedicated to Supreme Creator

51. Persia Questions? Questions?

52. The Ancient Near East Common themes? Common themes? Differences? Differences?