River Valley Civilizations

Civilizations & Empires in Southwest Asia

Group Activity:  Six Groups

Groups 1-5:  Your assignments are to discuss your assigned characterization of civilization and how it related to Sumer.  Make sure that all of your points are thorough.  Present your findings to the class.

Group 6:  Your assignment is to discuss the geographic problems of Sumer and how it effected their civilization.  Be thorough and present your findings to the class.

1.          Growth of Cities:  difference between a village and a city is that a city is a center of trade for a larger area. 

2.          Specialized Workers:  artisans (skilled workers who made goods by hand) were important to cities.  Trade and surplus of food made specialized workers possible!

3.          Writing:  cuneiform (wedge-like shaped writing of Sumerians).  The stylus of the scribes wrote into moist clay and left behind a written record of events!

4.          Advanced Technology:  Sumerians were skilled in many areas of science and technology (plow, sailboat & wheel).  Great metalworkers, Bronze was first used in Sumer and would eventually become so important that 2800 BC is often referred to as the Bronze Age!

5.          Complex Institutions:  long lasting patterns in a community.  Government & Organized religions are two examples. 

Sumer faced many problems: 

1.          The water problem:  unpredictable floods and droughts

2.          The defense problem: Sumer was a small region.  Nomads often wreaked havoc among the tiny villages and clusters of huts.

3.          The resource problem:  The main resource available was reed.  No one could make tools from this material.  They needed stone, wood and metal.

4.          The solutions:

a.          Irrigation ditches solved the water problem.

b.          City walls of mud protected Sumerians from nomad attacks.

c.          Sumerian merchants traded for wood, stone and metal to make goods that made their cities thrive!!!

Sumerian Civilization

I.          Sumerians Built City-States

          A.          Large agricultural centers that were unbearably hot in the summer

          B.          Examples- Ur, Kish, Nippur, Lagash, Uruk and many others.

          C.           Houses are close together and garbage lines the streets.

          D.          Merchants traded in the city bazaar using the barter system.  Scribes record greater debts between citizens.

          E.          The temple was known as a ziggurat, which means "mountain of god."  It was a three-tiered massive structure with slaves and servants as well as priests carrying on the traditions of religion.

II.          Sumerians Believed in Many gods

          A.          Polytheists-believers in many gods

                    1.           Anu (the god of heaven), Enlil (the god of clouds and air) & Ea (the god of water and floods) were the three most powerful gods.

                    2.          The sun, moon and stars ranked lower than these gods.

                    3.          The gods of the temple were next

                    4.          The gods of every Sumerian home were next

                    5.          The lowest gods were demons known as Wicked Udugs.  They caused disease, misfortune and every kind of human trouble.

                    6.          These gods had human emotions and troubles like humans.

                    7.          They were all-powerful, immortal and the people were the playthings of them.

          B.          The afterlife was a desolate, dismal gloomy place where the gods were little help.

III.          Priests and Kings Ruled Sumer

          A.          The priests seemed to have managed a type of government in the ziggurat.  They alone knew how to please the gods and have them bless Sumer.

          B.          They controlled the farming schedules and collected taxes for two reasons.

                    1.          as an offering to the gods

                    2.          to feed the many, many laborers in the temple

          C.          In times of war the men of the city chose a fighter to lead them.  At first they stopped leading as soon as the war was over, but as wars drug on these men became rulers and kings who passed their power to their heirs.

          D.          By 3000 BC every Sumerian city had a King and a Priest to rule over it.

IV.          Sumerian Society had many classes.

          A.          Priests and Kings- highest level-much wealthier than village leaders

          B.          Wealthy Merchants-ranked next

          C.          Field Workers-Artisans

          D.          Slaves-foreigners or Sumerians sold into slavery to pay off debts.  Obedient slaves could eventually hope to earn freedom.

          E.          Women were able to hold occupations of city life, join lower ranks of the priesthood, but never could a woman be a scribe.  Women were separated from upper class boys.  They still had more rights than many civilizations to come.

V.          Warfare brought Sumer's downfall.

          A.          From 3000-2000 BC almost all of the city-states were at constant war with each other. 

          B.          At one time or another the major cities we mentioned enjoyed great power over the others.

          C.          Sumerian civilizations were so weakened by war with each other that they could not ward off attacks by enemies.

          D.          Nomadic raiders looked at their prosperity with greed and lust.

          E.          Around 2000 BC the nomads raided Ur and left it in ruins.

World History

Southwestern Asian Civilizations

Phoenicia, Israel, Assyria, Chaldeans & Persians

I.          Phoenicia

A.          By 1100 BC they were the most skilled traders and merchants.  They lacked natural resources and were forced into trading for survival.

B.          It was located in modern day Lebanon and they were highly skilled with small, fast ships for trading.

C.          They began producing and trading rich purple dye that was expensive and brought them great wealth.

D.          They were so skilled with ships that there is some evidence that perhaps they once sailed around the entire coast of Africa.  A feat that would not be attempted again for another 2100 years.

E.          Colonies were established for trading purposes.  Carthage was one of the most prosperous and prominent colonies of the Phoenicians on the Northern African Coast.  Carthage would rival Rome for power.

F.          The biggest contribution of the Phoenicians was the modern alphabet in 900 BC.

1.           Because of their travels a simple writing system was created. 

2.          22 Symbols made up the alphabet.

3.          Greeks and Romans added 4 more and that is where we get our modern alphabet!!!

4.          Literacy rose sharply over the next few centuries.  Technology advanced because of this new system.

II.          Israel

          A.          The Jews were a small group of people with a new type of religion.  Monotheism is the belief in ONE supreme God.

          B.          Abraham left Ur based on three promises by God.

                    1.          His descendants would inherit the Promised Land of Canaan.

                    2.          His seed would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the beach.

                    3.          His seed would bless all nations. (Jesus)

          C.          As time went on there was a great famine in the land and Egypt was the only land with food stored up.  Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob, had been sold by his brothers into slavery and eventually made his way into the court of pharaoh.  He saved his family, the Israelites, single-handedly.  Israelites derive their name from Jacob whose name was changed by God to Israel.  (El means God)

          D.          The Israelites were at first, guests in Egypt, then they were made
slaves.  Moses rose up and led the people out of Egypt into the Wilderness where they received the 10 Commandments.  God provided food and water for his people and they were made to wander in the Wilderness for 40 years because they doubted His help in conquering the Promised Land from the Canaanites.

          E.          Israel eventually took over the land of Canaan but did not destroy all of the civilizations that lived there as God had told them to do.  These nations, such as the Philistines, would plague them forever!

          F.          Three Kings rose up to lead Israel into greatness.  Saul, David & Solomon.  At the efforts of all three the Kingdom grew to major importance. 
Under Solomon's rule they were at their peak!

          G.          Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem and it took 7 years.  He imported cedars from Phoenicia (Lebanon) and had many, many slaves.  He then proceeded to build his palace and it took 13 years!  He collected high taxes and had demanding work schedules for his people.

          H.          After Solomon the nation of Israel divided into Israel in the North and Judah in the South.  Prophets foretold of the events to come in both nations.

          I.          Israel was taken into Assyrian Captivity in 721 BC.

          J.          Judah was taken into Babylonian Captivity in 586 BC.

          K.          The Hittites who lived in Asia Minor learned to smelt iron and the Bronze Age was over!  Iron was stronger, cheaper and was more available.

III.          Assyria

          A.          In 850 BC we see a nation rising to power that grew to be excellent warriors.  Assyria was an agricultural society that learned to defend themselves from attackers.  By 650 BC Assurbanipal was king and he made Assyria into an empire by conquering Syria, Palestine and Babylonia.

          B.          Nineveh was the chief city of Assyria.  There was a huge library of clay tablets and the city was very large.

          C.          As they spread their power too thin the Assyrians fell to a rising army of Medes and Chaldeans who were tired of the Assyrian cruelty. 
Nineveh fell in 612 BC. 

IV.          Chaldeans Rebuild Babylon

          A.          About 600 BC Babylon was the center of attention again.  The Chaldeans made it the center of their empire 1000 years after Hammurabi.

          B.          Nebuchadnezzar was the Chaldean King who ruled from 605-562 BC.

          C.          He built many wonders in Babylon including the hanging gardens that the Greeks called one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

          D.          The priests kept detailed records of the stars and constellations and developed the zodiac signs.  Time was kept very accurately and the Greeks developed their ideas and discoveries from these records!

          E.          Jerusalem (Judah) was captured in 586 BC.  Nebuchadnezzar
moved the Jews from their homeland to keep them from rebelling.  They maintained their culture and religion throughout this captivity.

          F.          In 562 BC Nebuchadnezzar died and the empire fell and the successive empires were MUCH larger than just the Fertile Crescent.

V.          Persia

          A.          They built an empire on wise government and tolerance that lasted for almost 200 years. 

          B.          Cyrus, King of the Persians, began to conquer other people from
550-539 BC.  Cyrus allowed those conquered to keep their religions and customs therefore maintaining peace in his vast empire.

          C.          Babylon peacefully submitted to him in order to avoid destruction in 539 BC.

          D.          Jews were allowed to return to their homeland and Jerusalem flourished under his reign.

          E.          Persia went through a time of unrest under Cyrus' son and also Darius.  Darius gained firm control of the empire and made it immense.

          F.          Darius established Persepolis as the ceremonial city for Persia and it is in modern day Iran.

          G.          He divided his empire into provinces and they were allowed to practice their own religion, speak their own language.  However, Darius ruled with absolute power in each of these provinces.  His satrap was a
governor that reported to him and kept tight control!

          H.          He built an excellent road system throughout the empire that connected the people as never before.

          I.          He also standardized coinage and unified his empire through economic means.  Trade with this money held the empire together.

VI.          Zoroastrians

          A.          In 600 BC, Zoroaster, a Persian prophet, brought inspirational thoughts back to Persia.

          B.          His theory was complex and many people believed in his thoughts.

                    1.          Everyone's soul was at war with two sides.

                              a.          Ahura-Mazda-the god of truth and light

                              b.          Ahriman- the god of darkness and evil

                    2.          Those who chose good would go to Paradise

                    3.          Those who were evil went to a fiery pit