Chapter Three

 How was the Shang Dynasty politically organized?  Under what authority did Wu claim the Zhou had to rule?  What do we need to know about the Nubians? The Celts?  What “rule” do the Olmec and Chavin break?  How is independent invention demonstrated in this chapter?

 Sumerians no more!  Babylon in the South  Empire from Hammurabi, Kassites take over/join  Controlled city-states, but not interested in conquest  Assyria in the North  Merchants exchanged tin for silver in Anatolia  Campaigns of conquest to increase economy  Hittites in the North of North  Bring on the Iron Age…but keep it secret  Chariots of war!

 Egypt...Back with a vengeance  Hyksos rule Egypt for two centuries  Attempted to assimilate to Egyptian way of life, but still viewed as foreigners  Overthrown after long war by Kamose and Ahmose  Military campaigns to Syria and Nubia  Oppressive in Nubia, cooperative in Syria  No longer isolationist, diplomats and merchants traveled throughout the world

 Unconventional Rulers  Hatshepsut… a woman???  Expanded trade and wealth  Opposition and vandalism after death  Akhenaten, or is it Amenhotep IV?  Raising one god above others and closing temples limiting the power of the priests  Only royal family could worship Aten, so more power  Ramessess II  Conquest and expansion... of land and ladies

 Hittites vs. Egyptians; for control of the world  Syria-Palestine was important trade route  Battle was fought to a draw  Diplomats arranged a peace treaty  Ramesses II marries Hittite princess

 Minoan (Minos)  Island of Crete  Minotaur  Shipbuilders and merchants  Undecipherable written language  Wiped out by Mycenaean Greek in 1450 B.C.E.

 It’s all Greek to me, or is it Mycenaean?  Mycenae, a city, excavated by Heinrich Schliemann  Mycenaean learned from Minoans economy, government, written language, architecture, pottery  Linear B symbols of early Mycenaean can be read  Increased wealth from long-distance trade started by the Cretan (Minoans)  Traded with those who were strong, took from those who were weak

 All good (or bad) things must come to an end  Hitties and Ahhijawa (Mycenaeans or Trojans)  Sometimes at war, sometimes at peace  Destruction of Troy occurs at this time c B.C.E.  Egyptians attacked by “Sea Peoples” (Greeks?)  Egypt looses land in the North (Palestine)  Egypt looses control over Nubia  Mycenaean culture deteriorates  Palaces fall at about the same time, NOT invasion  Economy was based on trade, so …. ?  Writing is lost during the “Dark Ages”

 Neo-Assyrian Empire  Only area to maintain control during Dark Ages  Fueled by peasant farmer foot-soldiers  Went from Vassalage to direct control of neighbors

 Neo-Assyrian Empire  Mass Deportation – up to 4 Million moved  Money moved to center of empire  King was chosen by gods and represented them on earth  Bad As-syrians… death by fire, skinned alive, beheadings on walls  Library of Ashurbanipal (so they did ONE good thing)

 Canaan, Israel, Palestine; Hebrews, Israelites, Jews Canaan  We will call them Israelites and their antiquity land as Israel  Loosely organized tribes unite under king in Jerusalem

 Nomadic pastoralists who traded and raided from time to time (conflict in Agricultural Revolution? Who was Cain? Who was Abel?)  Hebrew Bible – collection of sacred books and stories transmitted orally  Abraham – born in Ur, rejected polytheism emigrated to Israel  Solomon builds temple in Jerusalem, Babylonians knock it down  Israel re-builds centuries later, Romans knock it down  Diaspora occurs both times, but strict rules allows them to continue as a people, the Jews, and spread throughout the world

 The Phoenician City-States  Phoenicians (Canaanites) were forced into a small area by n eighboring tribessmall area  Mountainous terrain separated the area into city- states  Farming was not productive so most engaged in seaborne commerce and manufacturing  Created alphabet with about two dozen consonant sounds

 Tyre expands westward  Commercial agreements with Israelite King Solomon allow Tyre to gain wealth and prominence  Assyrian aggression necessitated that the Phoenicians expand into the Mediterranean  Cyprus was first colony, followed by the “Phoenician triangle” of Carthage, Gades (Cadiz), and Sardinia and MaltaPhoenician triangle

 The rise of Carthage  We know much about Carthage from Greek and Roman records (know thy enemy)  City most likely had ,000 people, one of the largest at that time  Social mobility was achievable, so there was less political instability than in other areas at this time  Local rivals were not well organized, so invasion was not a big threat

 Politics, War, and Religion  Merchant aristocracy ruled the city through the Senate, with two elected judges  Carthage did not directly rule its territory  City-states were required to pay tribute  Economy was based on trade, conscription not mandatory  When battling the Greeks and Romans, mercenaries from allied areas were used  Polytheistic gods that were demanding – in times of crisis, child sacrifice was prominent

 Assyrian conquests  Israelites were conquered and suffered diaspora  Phoenicians were pressured into the Mediterranean  Egypt had fallen to Assyrian armies  Assyrian problems  Wars were costly and army was spread thin  Due to brutality, many of the conquered people were not happy  Changes in ethnic composition reduced support of the new state

 Assyria Falls  Death of King Ashurbanipal throws Assyria into civil war as three people claim heir to throne  The Chaldeans raise Babylon as a new power and quickly make a treaty with the Medes of Iran  Egypt came to Assyria’s aid (fearful of retribution if they did not) but it was not enough  The Neo-Babylonian (Chaldean) Empire dominates Mesopotamia 600 B.C.E.

 Cosmopolitan Middle East was characterized by shared lifestyles and technologies  People who migrated into this area were assimilated into the respective cultures  Expanded trade lead to greater connectivity and dependency on each other  When empires broke down, this interconnectedness led to the “Dark Ages” of B.C.E.

 Superior organization and military mite allowed the Assyrians to create a vast empire  Harsh rule and terror kept conquered areas from rebelling  When the nomadic Israelites settled down, conflict with the Philistines created a need for a more complex political structure  The monotheistic religion they practiced has far reaching influence in the world

 The Phoenician city-states move westward in the Mediterranean, expanding the influence and culture of the Middle East  With no close rivals, a politically stable society, and ruling merchant class, Carthage became one of the most wealthy and powerful city-states in the world  Expansion, Civil War, and resentment from conquered peoples led to the fall of the Assyrian Empire to the Medes and Chaldeans (Neo- Babylonian)