North Africa and Southwest Asia: Place and Times

By: Mr. Hunter

African Proverbs

  It takes a whole village to raise a child .

You must judge a person by the work of his/her hands.  Don't insult the crocodile until you cross the water.  A hippopotamus can be made invisible in dark water.

Why learn about North Africa?

  Ancient civilizations developed there.

Three of the world’s major religions originated there.

 Many books, movies, and news documentaries focus on North Africa!

  The ancient pyramids are there.

Events in the Hebrew Scriptures, The Christian Bible, and the Qur’ an of Islam occurred in this part of the world.

Key Words

          Oasis Fertile Nile Tigris Euphrates Persian Gulf Hunter-gatherers Irrigation Turkey Petroleum

Points To Ponder

 The three major rivers in this region are the _____, _____, and the _____ .

 Hunter-gatherers settled permanently in the Fertile Crescent because __________________________________ _________________________________ .

Points To Ponder

 Rivers enrich the soil by ________________________________ .

 The region’s seas affected its development by serving as _____ _____ .

 The Persian Gulf attracts worldwide interest today because of the _____ resource found there.

Ancient Mesopotamia/Fertile Crescent  1. What modern-day countries lie in the land of the fertile crescent?

 2. What were three challenges the Sumerians faced in trying to develop city states?

 3. Were the Sumerians polytheistic? Explain.

 4. What were the roles of kings and priests in city-states?

1. What modern-day countries lie in the land of the fertile crescent?

   Iraq Northern Syria Southeast Turkey

2. What were three challenges the Sumerians faced in trying to develop city-states?

   Threat of invaders Lack of water Risky trade decisions

3. Were the Sumerians polytheistic? Explain.

 Yes, the Sumerians believed in more than one god. For example, the gods Enlil and Utu controlled the rain.  Certain city-states built temples to a specific god/goddess.

Polytheistic Society

 Each temple was built on a pyramid shaped tower called a

ziggurat.

4. What were the roles of kings and priests in city-states?

 The kings and priests were at the top of the class system.

 Priests served as the first governors of Mesopotamian city-states, and controlled religious and economic life.

 These rulers later became kings, who controlled political and military life.

Compare/Contrast

Class systems Mesopotamian class sytem Modern US class system

Cuneiform

Points To Ponder

 1. Do you think that individuals in a society must speak and write the same language to truly identify with that society’s culture?

  2. How did cuneiform affect culture?

3. What was the role of scribes in society? Do you believe that this system was fair?

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt

 Egypt was a fascinating place with a rich history!

 This history would not have been made possible without the Nile River.

The Nile River

 The “river in the sand

Why was the Nile River so important?  The Nile’s yearly floods left silt that made the soil fertile.

 It also provided a route for trade/travel.

What did ancient Egyptians do to manage the Nile?

 They built canals.

 They strengthened riverbeds.

Papyrus

Papyrus

 Paper like material  Tall plant found in swamps and marshes around the Nile River  The word

paper

is derived from papyrus  Wrote in hieroglyphics

Hieroglyphics

 Picture symbols (pictographs) used to stand for both words and sounds.

Ancient Egyptian Beliefs

 Ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife.

Preparations for the afterlife

  mummifying bodies filling tombs with possessions the dead would use for the afterlife  decorating the tombs with art

Pyramids

Pyramids

 The

pyramids were a place the pharohs

, or kings, spent the afterlife.

 92 million cubic feet of limestone  The builder and staff used hieroglyphics to stand for words or sounds to make lists of the workers and supplies they needed for the project.

RE

 Re was the son of the Sun God.

 Egyptians believed that the ruling pharoh was the living son of Re

Horus



Horus

was the sun god  Temples were built in honor of major and local gods for people to worship.  Many homes contained small shrines for worship

What do you know about each?

 Judaism  Christianity  Islam

How do Judaism, Christianity and Islam differ from the religions of the Sumerians and Egyptians?

 Jews, Christians, and Muslims are

monotheists

.  The religions of the Sumerians and Egyptians were

polytheistic.

Judaism

 The first Jews were the Hebrew people, who believed in a god called Yaweh.

 Yaweh spoke to a man named Abraham was told to settle in Canaan.

 Abraham’s decendents are called

Jews,

and their religion-

Judaism

What happened to the Jews?

 Babylonians destroyed the first temple in Jerusalem. Jews were exiled to Babylon. _____  Persians took control of Mesopotamia. Cyrus allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem. _____  Israel came under Roman control. Jews revolted against Rome, and Jerusalem was destroyed. _____

Christianity



Jesus

was born in Bethlehem.  He was a Jewish carpenter that traveled the countryside, teaching and preaching.

 He was baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist.

Islam

 Muhammed was the prophet of Islam was born in Mecca about 575 years after Christ’s death.

 A believer in Islam is a

Muslim

.

 He was spoken to by God through Gabriel.

Islam

Islam

 Revelations were collected in the Quar’an

Islam

That which you have been given is but a fleeting comfort of this life. Better and more enduring is that which Allah has for those who believe and put their trust in Him; who avoid gross sins and indecencies and, when angered, are willing to forgive; who obey their Lord, attend to their prayers, and conduct their affairs by mutual consent; who bestow in alms a part of that which We have given them and, when oppressed, seek to redress their wrongs. [Al-Qur'an, Sura: 42 (Ash-Shura), Ayat: 36-39]

Islam, Judaism, and Christianity Although religious wars have begun because of differences, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are fundamentally the same.

Muslim Empires

        1. What is theocracy?

2. How were Islamic ideas and culture spread?

3.Where was the Ottoman Empire located?

4. What were sultans? How did they show tolerance of other religions?

5. What did Suleiman I establish in his empire?

6. Who were Janissaries?

7. What caused the Ottoman Empire to decline?

What happened to the Ottoman Empire after WWI?

Muslim Empires

  1. a government ruled by a religious leader 2. through books and artwork exchanged along trade routes and through conquest  3. In modern-day Turkey and parts of North Africa, Southwest Asia and Southeast Europe  4. The sultans were the rulers of the Ottoman Empire who allowed Christians and Jews to worship freely.

Ottoman Empire

Muslim Empires

 5. Suleiman I established a law code and system of justice  6. The Jannisaries were a special group of soldiers that developed from a small force of slaves