Ancient Middle East Outline

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For basic outline see Ancient Middle East Simple Outline

Article Objective

• comprehensive outline of the Ancient Middle East, from the rise of Civilization in Sumer to the Persian Empire
• note that this historical area and time are also referred to as the "Ancient Near East," which also refers to North Africa, Red Sea, and Greece. See Near Eest (wikipedia)

Wikipedia entry: Ancient Near East Wikipida "simple English" entry: Ancient Near East (incomplete entry as of 2011-08-01)

Notes & Objectives

The Study of the Ancient Middle East offers meaningful opportunity to practice of:

apply historical concepts

• geography
• movement & isolation
• cultural diffusion & spread of ideas, technologies, and
• standardization
• causality & human choice
• identity, especially in religion and culture
• stability v. change
• surplus & scarcity
• order v. chaos
• continuity v. change

connections

• cultural diffusion, exchange, & influences
• precedents for and influences upon later history
• cultural and technological advances
• art & architecture
• exchange: especially as bridge between Mediterranean Sea region and Indian Ocean

other student enhancement

• engaging topic that students enjoy
• creative application in study

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Geography

Two Rivers

• Tigris River
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• Euphraes River
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Fertile Crescent

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Persian Gulf

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Asia Minor

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Levant

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Isolation

• Fertile Crescent defined by
  • Taurus Mountains and Asia Minor to the north
  • Arabian Desert to south
  • Persian Gulif to east
  • Mediterranean Sea to west
  • Sinai/ Egypt to southwest

Movement

• Two rivers
  • rivers flow south-east
  • floating devices
  • Persian Gulf
  • movement easier along rivers, not upstream, which requires alternative transportation (wheels, carts, chariots, etc.)

Regions

• Sumer
• Mesopotamia
• Asia Minor
• Syria
• Phoenicia
• Levant
• Isreal
• Arabia

Natural Resources

• * sources

Climate

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Etymology/ Word Origins

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Ancient Middle East Timeline

sources: put links for sources here if desired

GOverview
Event	Date
City States of Sumer	3300 BC
Sargon conquers Sumer	2300 BC
Hammurabi & Babylonian Empoire	1790 BC
Hittite Empire	1650-1200 BC
Assyrian Rise	1350 BC
Kingdom of Isrea	1000 BC
Assyrian Empire	900 BC
Nebuchadnezzar & Babylonian Empiore	626 BC
Persian Empire	539 BC
Alexander the Great conqueres Middle East	asdf BC

Paleolithic Middle East

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Neolithic Period & Neolithic Revolution

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= Rise of Civilization

• Sumer Civilization Package
  • rivers
  • silt
  • trade
  • diverse climate in nearby mountains that form norther border of Mesopotamia
• Writing
• Other influences
  • interactions with nomadic peoples
  • war, trade, exchange
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Achievements & Legacy

• base 60 numeric system
  • 60 minutes
  • 360 degrees on a circle
• origins in counting the 3 creases of the fingers w the thumb
  • 3 x4= 12
  • then count the number of times to 12 on the left hand = 60 total

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Assyrians

• see poem on the Assyrians: Byron: The Destruction of Sennacherib

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Social, Political and Economic Structures

Government

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Economy

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Social Structures

• social classes
• identity
• religion
• family
• gender
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Literature & Arts

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Culture and Cultural & Technological Achievements

• deatils
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Historiography

• using sub-headings or bullets, discussion of the historical sources and historiography of this subject

External Resources

Websites

• external links here

See Also

• bulleted link to other related internal or web articles
• bulleted link to other related internal or web articles

Lesson Plans & Teaching Ideas

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• Standardization: Hammurabi's Code
  • here for Hammurabis Code reading with excerpt and student reflection questions
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Other Student Projects and Investigations

• ideas for student work / engagement with the topic

Readings for students

• links or ideas here

mlb notes to sort thorugh from 2005 files:

Assubanipal Assyrian... arts, and violence, the head of his enemy hung in the palace (p. 38)

Sargon -- 2300 bc first empire by uniting Sumerian city-states

Hammurabi 1790 bc king of Babylon consolidated traditional Sumerian laws into the Code carved 300 laws onto stone pillar for all to see: “Cause justice to prevail in the land” “To destroy the wicked and evil” “That the strong may not oppress the weak” Criminal law: “limited social vengeance and encouraged social order” Civil Law: “.. much of Hamm’s law designed to protect the the powerless, womins and slaves

Hamm... improved irrigation, organized army, repaired temples, “encouraged religious unity” ... promoted Babylonian god “Marduk” over Sumerian gods

Phoenicians (1200-800 bc)

Wikipeida: “The Phoenicians were not an agricultural people, because most of the land was not arable; therefore, they focused on commerce and trading instead. They did, however, raise sheep and sell them and their wool.

Phoenician alphabet developed 1200 bc... from the Sumerians, led to the Greeks

Cyrus the Great conquered Phoenicia in 538 BC

>> see King Kiram I wiki page 980-947 BC .>> in the Hebrew bible... allied w/ David, established trade routes along Red Sea w/ Jews ... helped build Solomon's temple... put down rebellions at Utica and Carthage

Hitites (1500-1200 bc) pushed in from Asia Minor (Turkey) >> heated iron ore, pounded out impurities, plunged into cold water... harder, sharper

Assyrians (1100-600 bc) used iron weapons God = Assur well-ordered society..laws of royal behavior... Nineveh... Assurbanipal = library... collected cuneiform tables from all over the region

Nebuchadnezzar (612 bc.. defeats Assurbanipal) Babylon ruthless.. empre for Perian Gulf to Mediterranean Hanging Gardens astronomy

Perisan empire took over from Nebuchadnezzar generally tolerant.. of conquered cultures

Cyrus the Great (539, took over from Nebuch)

Darius (522-486) - unified Persian empire - skilled organizer - divided into provinces and Satraps ... - adopted laws and codes.. uniform accorss the empire - roads .. traveled > unity - trade: uniform weights and measures coins... Lydians of Aisan Minor started most people still bartered

Zoroaster Persian thinker... (600bc) taught a single god: Ahura Mazda v. Ahriman >.judgement day judged for your actions

Phoenician Sea Traders manufacturing and trade >>glass form coastal sand >> dye “Tyrian purple”.. from sea snails >> used Egyptian papyrus Alphabet “carriers of civilization” traders needed quick, flexible written language