Transcript Download Southwest Asia

Early Societies in Southwest
Asia and the Indo-European
Migrations
Civilization Defined
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Urban
Political/military system
Social stratification
Economic specialization
Religion
Communications
“Higher culture”
Mesopotamia
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“Between the Rivers”
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Tigris and Euphrates
Modern-day Iraq
Cultural continuum of
“fertile crescent”
Sumerians the dominant
people
The Wealth of the Rivers
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Nutrient-rich silt
Key: irrigation
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Sumer begins small-scale irrigation 6000 B.C.E.
By 5000 B.C.E., complex irrigation networks
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Necessity of coordinated efforts
Promoted development of local governments
City-states
Population reaches 100,000 by 3000 B.C.E.
Attracts Semitic migrants, influences culture
Sumerian City-States
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Cities appear 4000 B.C.E.
Dominate region from 3200 to 2350 B.C.E.
Ziggurat home of the god
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Uruk
Irrigation systems
Defense from nomadic marauders
Absolute monarchies
The Ziggurat of Ur
Political Decline of Sumer
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Semitic peoples from northern Mesopotamia overshadow
Sumer
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Sargon of Akkad (2370-2315 B.C.E.)
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Hammurabi of Babylon (1792-1750 B.C.E.)
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Destroyed Sumerian city-states one by one, created empire based
in Akkad
Empire unable to maintain chronic rebellions
Improved taxation, legislation
Used local governors to maintain control of city-states
Babylonian empire later destroyed by Hittites from
Anatolia, ca. 1595 B.C.E.
Legal System
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Code of Hammurabi
Established high standards of behavior and stern
punishment for violators
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Lex talionis – “law of retaliation”
Social status and punishment
Later Mesopotamian Empires
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Weakening of central rule an invitation to foreign
invaders
Assyrians use new iron weaponry
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Beginning 1300 B.C.E., by eighth to seventh centuries
B.C.E. control Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, most of
Egypt
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (605-562) takes
advantage of internal dissent to create Chaldean
(New Babylonian) empire
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Famously luxurious capital
Mesopotamian Empires, 1800-600 B.C.E.
Technological Development in
Mesopotamia
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Bronze (copper with tin), ca. 4000 B.C.E.
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Iron, ca. 1000 B.C.E.
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Military, agricultural applications
Cheaper than bronze
Wheel, boats, ca. 3500 B.C.E.
Shipbuilding increases trade networks
Social Classes
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Ruling classes based often on military prowess
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Religious classes
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Role: intervention with gods to ensure good fortune for
community
Considerable landholdings, other economic activities
Free commoners
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Perceived as offspring of gods
Peasant cultivators
Some urban professionals
Slaves
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Prisoners of war, convicted criminals, debtors
Patriarchal Society
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Men as landowners, relationship to status
Patriarchy: “rule of the father”
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Double standard of sexual morality
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Women drowned for adultery
Relaxed sexual mores for men
Yet some possibilities of social mobility for women
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Right to sell wives, children
Court advisers, temple priestesses, economic activity
Introduction of the veil at least ca. 1500 B.C.E.
Development of Writing
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Sumerians experiment with pictographs
2900 B.C.E. Sumerians create writing system
Cuneiform: “wedge-shaped”
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Preservation of documents on clay
Declines from 400 B.C.E. with spread of Greek
alphabetic script
Uses for Writing
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Trade
Astronomy
Mathematics
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Agricultural applications
Calculation of time
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12-month year
24-hour day, 60-minute hour
Mesopotamian Literature
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Epic of Gilgamesh, compiled after 2000 B.C.E.
Heroic saga
Search for meaning, especially the afterlife
This-worldly emphasis
The Early Hebrews
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According to Hebrew scripture, Abraham
migrated to northern Mesopotamia ca. 1850 B.C.E.
Parallels between early biblical texts, code of
Hammurabi
Scriptures state Hebrews under Moses go to
Palestine, ca. 1300 B.C.E.
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On-going conflict with indigenous populations
King David (1000-970 B.C.E.) and Solomon
(970-930 B.C.E.)
Moses and Monotheism
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Hebrews shared polytheistic beliefs of other
Mesopotamian civilizations
Moses introduced monotheism, belief in single
god
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Denied existence of competing parallel deities
Personal god: reward and punishment for conformity
with revealed law
The Torah (“doctrine or teaching”)
Foreign Conquests of Israel
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Assyrian conquest, 722 B.C.E.
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Conquered the northern kingdom
Deported many inhabitants to other regions
Many exiles assimilated and lost their identity
Babylonian conquest, 586 B.C.E.
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Destroyed Jerusalem
Forced many into exile
Israelites maintained their religious identity and many
returned to Judea
Israel and Phoenicia, 1500-600 B.C.E.
The Phoenicians
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City-states along Mediterranean coast after 3000
B.C.E.
Extensive maritime trade
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Dominated Mediterranean trade, 1200-800 B.C.E.
Development of alphabet symbols
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Simpler alternative to cuneiform
Spread of literacy
Indo-European Migrations
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Common roots of many languages of Europe,
southwest Asia, India
Implies influence of a single Indo-European
people
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Probable original homeland: modern-day Ukraine and
Russia, 4500-2500 B.C.E.
Domestication of horses, use of Sumerian
weaponry allowed them to spread widely
Indo-European Migrations 3000-1000 B.C.E.
Implications of Indo-European
Migration
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Hittites migrate to central Anatolia, ca. 1900
B.C.E., later dominate Babylonia
Influence on trade
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Horses, chariots with spoked wheels
Iron
Migrations to western China, Greece, Italy also
significant