1. Civilizations and Empires in Southwest Asia World History Mr. Dunham

2. Civilization Arose in the Fertile Crescent

3. Why is it important for people (especially farmers) to settle near rivers & streams? Farmers need their villages near water because they need it for their crops.

4. Mesopotamia The region between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River is known as Mesopotamia. One of the first villages to emerge was Sumer. The villagers were called Sumerians.

5. Sumer Sumer was neither a city nor a country. Rather, it was a collection of separate cities with a common way of life. They shared a common culture. Historians believe that Sumerians built the world’s first civilization. Right: Artistic view of what Sumer might have looked like.

6. What defines the term “Civilization?” Five Traits that are Essential for a Civilization 1. The Growth of Cities Not Just Population growth, but also a center of trade emerges for a larger area. Farmers, Merchants, Traders bring goods to market in the cities. 2. Specialized Workers Workers became skilled in one particular job. –Ex. Artisans: Workers who made goods by hand. –Farmers were able to produce more than what was needed for themselves. They had a surplus of crops and were able to trade their extra goods for a different good or service. (An end to subsistence farming.) 3. Record Keeping/Writing Enables people to make records of data. Merchants needed accounts of debts and payments. –The Sumerians created Cuneiform, which is a system of writing with wedge-shaped symbols. (Around 3,000 B.C.)

7. Cuneiform Tablet Imprints of the signs, called cuneiform, were made by pressing a wedge-shaped stylus into wet clay.

8. Cuneiform Tablet & Tools

9. Cuneiform Translation Table

10. Five Traits Essential for a Civilization Cont. 4. Advanced Technology The Sumerians were skilled in science & technology. –Ex. Invention of the wheel, plow, sailboat. –Use of bronze (mixture of copper & tin). —” Bronze Age ” 5. Complex Institutions Having an organizational system to run a city. (This is a key trait that is essential for a civilization.) –Government is an example of a complex institution.

11. Fertile Crescent Disadvantages 1. Water Problems- Unpredictability of floods and water dries up quickly. 2. Defense Problems- Very flat land…there were no natural defensive barriers to prevent raids by nomads. Sumerian Solutions 3. Limited Natural Resources- Lack of resources to create tools. (Stone, Wood, Metal) 1. Sumerians created irrigation ditches. 2. Sumerians built city walls with mud bricks to discourage raids. 3. Sumerians created an extensive trade network with the surrounding people.

12. Above: Mud brick homes are still built today in the Middle East because of the lack of timber. Below: Irrigation ditches are still used today as a means of getting water to crops. Sumerian Solutions are Still In Use Today!

13. Indo-Europeans Tribes that invaded Mesopotamia They spoke related languages May have come from the steppes, grasslands located North of the Black Sea Hittites

14. Iron Age Begins Shift from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age The Hittites (People living in Asia Minor) gradually learned the complicated process of smelting iron (this takes place over the 1500 to 1200 B.C.). The Hittites developed a three person chariot. One person drove One held a shield One fought Superior to the 2 person models other groups used.

15. Iron Age Continued… Why make the change from Bronze to Iron? Iron is a harder metal. An iron sword could pierce through a bronze shield. Iron is a more common metal. Easier for people to obtain=cheaper too! The development of Iron paved the way for an “ Age of Empires. ”

16. Assyrian Empire Rises and Falls (850-612 B.C.) Iron Age enable the Assyrians to conquer and rule a large empire. Iron Swords and Iron Pointed Spears which made for well equipped warriors. The Assyrians were known for their military tactics because they were the most disciplined army to date. The Assyrians had shown that it was possible to build an empire based on fear and harsh government.

18. The fall of the Assyrian Empire Their empire grew too large to control The Chaldeans and the Medes took this opportunity to join forces In 612 BC they captured and destroyed the Assyrian capital of Ninevah

19. Phoenicians Around 1100 B.C. the Phoenicians were the most powerful traders around the Mediterranean Sea. 300 Phoenician cities sprouted up around Africa ’ s Mediterranean Sea The highly prized purple dye for which the Phoenicians were renowned was extracted from a gland of the murex snail. Each snail yielded only a drop of yellow liquid which darkened on exposure to light. Processing required slow simmering for about two weeks. Up to 60,000 snails were needed for each pound of dye.

20. Phoenician Contribution: Around 900 B.C. the Phoenicians developed a writing system with 22 symbols (versus the 600 symbols in Cuneiform). The alphabet is born!!

21. What we covered recently? 5 Key traits that define “ Civilization ” Rise of civilization in the Fertile Crescent - Sumeria Hittites – Rise to power (Advanced Chariot) Assyrians – War Tactics (Use of Iron & Force) Phoenecians – Alphabet