In the Cradle of the Middle East

In the Cradle of the Middle East
Chapter 2 In the Cradle of the Middle East World Cultures

Chapter 2: Section 1 - Egypt
Essential Questions: How did geography help Egypt to grow & flourish? What happened during each of the three major time periods of Egypt’s history? What were the major contributions of Egyptian civilization? World Cultures

Egyptian Civilization
Egyptian history remained mysterious for so long b/c (because) hieroglyphics could not be read Egyptian picture writings 1800s - following Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt & the discovery of the Luxor & Karnak temples Stone tablet discovered called the Rosetta Stone covered in Greek letters & Egyptian hieroglyphics World Cultures

Egyptian Civilization
Jean Champollion, French scholar used knowledge of Greek to decipher the meaning of hieroglyphics on the Rosetta Stone Understanding the Egyptian writings contributed to the understanding of archaeologists & anthropologists World Cultures

Favorable Geography Nile River Water Rich Farming Soil
Natural Protection from Enemies Other Natural Resources Transportation & Trade World Cultures

Ancient Egypt & Mesopotamia

Nile River most important factor of success Nile River
world’s longest river begins in east Africa & flows north for 4,-000 miles navigable for most of the way except btwn cities of Khartoum in the Sudan & Aswan in Egypt World Cultures

Nile River (cont.) Not navigable btwn Khartoum & Aswan because of series of 6 rapids, or waterfalls called As river flows into the Mediterranean (Med), leaves deposits of sand & soil picked up along the way deposit grows into a land triangle of sand & soil - called a delta, which is the most fertile part of Egypt World Cultures

Water Essential to civilization
Egypt’s reliance on the Nile greater b/c so little rainfall Ancient Egypt relied on the valley of the Nile from the 1st cataract to Aswan Delta region in the North - Lower Egypt fertile lands south of the Delta region within few miles of either side of the Nile - Upper Egypt World Cultures

Water (cont.) Egyptians learned to build irrigation canals
Contributed to increased land suitable for farming Slightly smaller than present day Switzerland World Cultures

Rich Farming Soil Each year the Nile would swell with rain that fell in Ethiopia, rushed northward, & flooded the valley Overflow onto the banks left behind fertile, muddy soil Farmers grew wheat, corn & barley Egypt called the breadbasket of the ancient world sold grain to other countries World Cultures

Rich Farming Soil (cont.)
Other crops included flax (used for linen), castor beans, sesame seeds (used for oil), & dates Disadvantages of flooding: if flooding was too low, did not spread the needed amt. of rich soil if too high, threatened villages & storage areas too little led to famine, mass death, & widespread confusion World Cultures

Protection from Enemies
Natural protection contributed to a long history Deserts on either side of the Nile Sinai Desert in the northeast made invasion hard The Mediterranean Sea on the north provided protection Red Sea left Egypt connected to Asia by the easily defended Isthmus of Suez Cataracts effectively blocked invasion from the south World Cultures

Other Natural Resources
Gold & copper mined from Mount Sinai, near the Red Sea near to the surface & extracted easily Mud from the Nile provided material for clay jars & pots Plentiful fish from the Red Sea & the Nile Reed plants from which Egyptians made papyrus Canoes, rafts, baskets, sandals Most important use was for rolls of writing material World Cultures

Transportation & Trade
Location on the Mediterranean Sea & not far from Asia & Europe made it an important crossroad of the world Both the Nile & the Med made travel by boat fairly easy Sailing was made easier by wind current that blew southward from the Med all summer enabled Egyptians to travel against the current World Cultures

Upper & Lower Egypt United
Most Egyptians settled on the banks of the Nile Cities grew & population became increasingly concentrated Because of the long length of the Nile, one system of gov’t was not enough One political system in Lower Egypt & another in Upper Egypt World Cultures

Upper & Lower Egypt United (cont.)
Individual communities in the two regions developed provinces or nomes, ruled by warrior nobles Lower Egypt - 20 nomes Upper Egypt - 22 nomes Legend says that btwn 3200 B.C. & B.C., King Menes of Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt, uniting all 42 nomes World Cultures

Upper & Lower Egypt United (cont.)
Rulers following Menes wore a double crown to symbolize unity New Capital at Memphis, not far from Cairo (where Upper & Lower Egypt met) Factors of unification: ease of travel & communication on the Nile need for farming villages along Nile to cooperate to take advantage of overflow World Cultures

Historical Division of Kingdoms
1st Period - Old Kingdom or the Age of Pyramids (2780 B.C B.C.) 2nd Period - Middle Kingdom or the Age of Nobles (2100 B.C B.C.) 3rd Period - New Kingdom or the Age of Empire (1580 B.C B.C.) Years between the great eras marked by conflict, wars, & weak rulers Menes & successors made the 1st dynasty (family of rulers in which heir is a member of the family, typically child of the ruler) World Cultures

The Old Kingdom (2780 B.C.-2180 B.C.)
Egyptian pharaoh, or ruler, held all government & religious authority Treated the pharaoh as a god & believed to be immortal Pharaoh responsible for: welfare of the people, conditions of land, being landlord of all land World Cultures

Egyptian belief that person’s spirit lived on in the body after death so preserved the bodies Built great stone pyramids to house the spirits of the dead In huge tombs, buried treasures of the dead Hieroglyphics on the walls told of great deeds of the pharaohs World Cultures

Other monuments: The Sphinx - body of a lion & head of a man Mythical beast representing pharaoh as Ra, the sun god Face symbolized ruler & body symbolized strength as protector Most famous - Giza World Cultures

The Sphinx at Giza World Cultures

Productive period in Ancient History of Egypt By 5th Dynasty, pharaoh’s authority began to decline Power of other authorities began to increase Costly pyramids drained the treasury In addition to weak kingdom, there was crop failure & widespread hunger World Cultures

The Middle Kingdom (2100 B.C.-1788 B.C.)
One powerful noble - Amenemhet I seized title of pharaoh Moved capital of Egypt to Thebes Gradually restored power to Pharaoh kingdom prospered art & literature flourished libraries of rolled papyri packed in jars & labeled w/ titles World Cultures

One famous Egyptian story is The Story of the Shipwrecked Sailor 8RelUm4HUnc&feature=youtu.be A ship returns to Egypt from a long voyage. The merchant owner of the shipper is afraid that the pharaoh will be angry with him because his business has not prospered. His attendant tells him a story of an earlier journey, in which he was shipwrecked and met a giant serpent. The attendant means to show that it’s not so much what you do, but how you tell it that counts. The master is not so sure. World Cultures

Other pharaohs: waged successful war against Nubia carried on trade w/ Kush Mesopotamia, Syria, & Palestine carried out mining operations in the Sinai helped the Middle Kingdom to stay rich & powerful World Cultures

By 1800 B.C., renewed turmoil Weak dynasties allowed invaders to infiltrate Egypt Most powerful invaders were the Hyksos ruled Egypt btwn 1800 B.C. & B.C. World Cultures

Hyksos - means rulers of the uplands warlike, on horses w/ chariots armed w/ weapons of bronze destroyed temples & art, burned cities By 1600 B.C., Egyptians had learned how to use the horse, to shoot bronze-tipped arrows from chariots, & to make shields & weapons of bronze World Cultures

The New Kingdom (1580 B.C.-1090 B.C.)
Egyptians sought own conquests City of Thebes became impt. again Formed standing army to include charioteers, bowmen, & foot soldiers Hatshepsut ruled from 1486B.C B.C. Custom said pharaoh was male, so she dressed in men’s clothes & attached ceremonial beard to her chin World Cultures

The New Kingdom (1580 B.C.-1090 B.C.)
Hatshepsut’s reign was peaceful centered on trade & not war Karnak was beautiful Expanded trading area to the east coast of Africa built a great pyramid on western side of Nile in what came to be known as The Valley of the Kings World Cultures

3 Kingdoms of Egypt

The decline of Egypt By 1300 B.C., Egyptian Empire began to crumble
1) Annoying & persistent invasions on the borders 2) Invaders were powerful Hittites Included Armenians, Phrygians, Lydians, that had moved into Asia Minor over a 1000 yr. period Ramses II made a peace treaty w/ Hittites & they became allies Egyptian dominance was at an end World Cultures

The decline of Egypt 3) By 1200, Philistines. “people of the sea” had also invaded & Ramses successors were weak & unable to resist 4) After 1150 B.C., Egypt was conquered 5) by 525 B.C., Egypt was under Persian rule 6) 331 B.C. - Alexander the Great of Greece occupied Egypt 7) Cleopatra was the last pharaoh - descendent of one of Alexander’s generals 8) 31 B.C. - became a Roman province & would not see independence until 1936 World Cultures

Cleopatra World Cultures
Egypt's Alexandria-based rulers, including Cleopatra, were ethnically Macedonian (Greek), descended from Alexander the Great's general Ptolemy I Soter. They all spoke Greek and most observed Greek customs, separating themselves from the ethnically Egyptian majority Cleopatra was different & learned the Egyptian language For Egyptian audiences, she commissioned portraits of herself in the traditional Egyptian style In one papyrus dated to 35 B.C. Cleopatra is called Philopatris, "she who loves her country." By identifying herself as a truly Egyptian pharaoh, Cleopatra used patriotism to cement her position. World Cultures

Cleopatra World Cultures

The decline of Egypt 3) By 1200, Philistines. “people of the sea” had also invaded & Ramses successors were weak & unable to resist 4) After 1150 B.C., Egypt was conquered 5) by 525 B.C., Egypt was under Persian rule 6) 331 B.C. - Alexander the Great of Greece occupied Egypt 7) Cleopatra was the last pharaoh - descendent of one of Alexander’s generals 8) 31 B.C. - became a Roman province & would not see independence until 1936 World Cultures

Religion Herodotus wrote that Egyptians were the “most religious of peoples” Major part of everyday life in beliefs pharaohs were gods gods controlled economy, flooding of the Nile, health of animals, size of harvest & success in battleMajor part of everyday life in beliefs Polytheistic - believed in many gods Bulls, crocodiles, especially the cat Two chief gods were: Amon-Ra (Sun god) Osiris - god of underworld World Cultures

Religion World Cultures
Egyptian Book of the Dead contains many major ideas & beliefs in ancient religion Osiris was the god they believed that made the peaceful afterlife possible Religious Reform: Amenhotep III B.C B. encouraged worship of Amon-Ra as the one god his son, Amenhotep IV tried to force worship of one god, changed the name to Aton, changed his own name to Ikhnaton & ordered the destruction of all names & pictures of the gods When he died, this measure of reform died with him - was not popular to those who favored the traditions World Cultures

Religion Tutankhamen returned Egyptians to tradition
worship of Amon-Ra Gave great gifts to Amon-Ra priests dedicated many magnificent temples of Karnak & Luxor to Amon-Ra 03e.shtml World Cultures

Society Organized by Class
Pyramid shaped w/ Pharaoh at the top Upper Class - court nobles, wealthy landowners, & priests Small Middle Class - skilled workers, gov’t officials, merchants, doctors, teachers, artists & scribes Lower Class - majority of the people Class system remained in place for all three kingdoms World Cultures

Society Organized by Class
Upper Class court nobles - advisers to the pharaoh wealthy landowners - managed estates priests - performed religious ceremonies, esp. burial of the dead Middle Class scribes - very impt. b/c knew how to read & write & wrote letters & prepared documents for pharaoh’s court, temples, & the wealthy Lower Class peasants - worked as farmers or irrigation systems burdened by poverty, heavy taxes & hard work no political rights Life of slaves was even worse built canals, temples, pyramids & roads many died young - overworked & abused World Cultures

Contributions to Civilization
Writing Hieroglyphics based on alphabet of 24 signs each sign represented a consonant no signs for vowels Papyrus was one of the 1st writing materials (paper comes from the word) used pens made from pointed reeds & ink from vegetable gum World Cultures

Mathematics Egyptian Numbers clumsy to use But… Accurate A stroke for one, two for two A different sign was used for ten because no zero World Cultures

Engineering Based on their mathematics reflected in precise construction of the pyramids knew the use of a square & right angle learned how to figure the areas of triangles & other shapes advanced in their study of geometry for surveying & construction knew how to use ramps for hauling & lifting some historians believe they developed 1st ocean-going ships World Cultures

Astronomy Developed a calendar based on a year of 12 months each month had 30 days Not strictly accurate so added 5 days to the year (usually used for holidays) gives the year of 365 days World Cultures

Medicine Quite advanced famous Egyptian doctors were in demand all over the world knew how the heart worked & much about healing & treating wounds knew how to take a pulse & studied the ideas for signs of illness developed medicines Mummification - required medical knowledge in terms of preservation (oils & spices & wrapping of linen) World Cultures

Factors of decline World Cultures
Pharaohs did not always use wealth & power for good of the people Power was absolute Built temples & pyramids at great expense Spent a lot of money in conquest & expansion some historians point to lack of individual freedom class structure disallowed development of strong middle class Middle class thrived in Greece based on trade & commerce & intellectual pursuits Open to domination by Persia, then Greece, & eventually Rome World Cultures

Chapter 2: Section 2 - Mesopotamia
Essential Questions: What is the Fertile Crescent & what are the implications for civilization? How did geography of Mesopotamia challenge its people? Which nations lived in & ruled Mesopotamia? World Cultures

Mesopotamia Modern countries of the Fertile Crescent: modern Iraq
All of Syria Lebanon Israel Jordan Palestinian Territories Southeastern fringe of Turkey Western fringe of Iran ertile_Crescent.html World Cultures

Mesopotamia Fertile Crescent is a horseshoe or crescent- shaped area of good farmland Begins in valleys of the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers Runs along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea as far as Egypt Touches Asia, Africa & Europe Crossroads of the Ancient World World Cultures

Mesopotamia Means “the land between the rivers”
Advantages of the waters of the rivers Irrigation for farming in a naturally dry land Important routes for transportation & communication Flooding of rivers provided fertile soil Disadvantages of the waters of the rivers Overflow from Tigris & Euphrates much less predictable than the Nile Difficult to prepare for it or take advantage Flooding often violent & destructive World Cultures

Mesopotamia World Cultures Other disadvantages:
Climate very harsh in blazing summers & terrible winter storms Entry from mountainous regions was easy making Mesopotamia vulnerable to invasions Nomads & powerful fighters often tried to seize wealth & splendor of developed civilizations in that area Mesopotamia under control of several different people Sumerians Assyrians Babylonians Chaldeans World Cultures

Series of Rulers World Cultures Sumerians (4000 B.C.)
Small independent cities knew how to use wheel used tools & weapons of copper decorated objects with gold & silver developed earliest form of writing - cuneiform Believed each of their cities ruled by a separate god built temples for them called ziggurats (huge pyramid-shaped towers) temple priests, nobles, & kings held most of the land worked by both free men & women as well as slaves World Cultures

Series of Rulers Sumerians not united by one king so cities often at war with one another which weakened them Sargon I Hammurabi Hittites Assyrians Chaldean Empire Persians World Cultures

Series of Rulers World Cultures Sargon I
Conquered Sumerians in 2500 BC Came from country of Akkad in northern Mesopotamia Not as advanced as Sumerians but quickly adopted Sumerian ways Sargon united Akkad & Sumer into one strong & rich nation & called it kingdom of Sumer Extended kingdom west to Med Sea Spread Sumerian civilization throughout Middle East World Cultures

Series of Rulers Hammurabi Conquered Kingdom of Sumer in 1800 BC
Built mighty kingdom of Babylonia Capital of Babylon magnificent Most important contribution was a written code of laws - legal system Written on large pieces of black stone Discovered by archaeologists in 1901 Maintained power for few hundred years but after defeat by multiple people, would not see unification until 600 BC World Cultures

Series of Rulers World Cultures Hittites First appeared about 2000 BC
Fierce & warlike that came from Turkey Invaded Tigris-Euphrates valley about 1600 BC One of earliest people to ride horses made strong weapons of iron & refined iron ore - credited w/ starting Iron Age in western Asia Invaded Syria, controlled by Egypt Ikhnaton lost control of much of northern Egypt since he was busy instituting religious reforms Fighting continued until King Ramses II of Egypt made peace Hittites disappeared as nation around 1200 BC World Cultures

Series of Rulers World Cultures Assyrians
Also aggressive & warlike - cruel conquerors Lived north of Babylon Would intentionally move & separate peoples to weaken their sense of unity Armed with copper, bronze & iron & used horse-drawn chariots - very feared Largest empire the world had seen Btwn 1100 & 612 BC, conquered Babylonia, Palestine, Syria, Phoenicia, Sumer, & Egypt Would not fall until suffered defeat by the Chaldeans World Cultures

Series of Rulers The Chaldean Empire
Lasted only 74 years from 612 BC to 538 BC Also known as the Neo-Babylonian Empire b/c Babylonia became powerful once again During this period, King Nebuchadnezzar ruled Made Babylon with its Hanging Gardens the most splendid city of the ancient world 539 BC - conquered by Persians World Cultures

Series of Rulers The Persians
Darius I (550 BC BC) ruled the Persian Empire Under his rule, Persian Empire included almost all of the civilized world Extended from Indus River to the Med Sea Mesopotamia was only one part of this empire Persia divided into provinces each of which was governed in the king’s name World Cultures

Series of Rulers World Cultures The Persians (continued)
Credited with developing a highly effective government Persian kings: generally listened to their advisers even though they had power to do as they wished People generally happy b/c treated fairly Conquered people allowed to practice own religion & keep own language Each province also allowed to keep own customs & sometimes its own leaders World Cultures

Series of Rulers The Persians (continued)
Persian gov’t was the strongest in the ancient world until the establishment of the Roman Empire Successful organization many accomplishments: Royal Road - ran from Asia Minor through the empire to Susa near the Persian Gulf improved transportation & communication World Cultures

Series of Rulers World Cultures Many accomplishments (continued)
Metal coins of equal size & weight standardization contributed to more efficient & easier trade Changes in religion: 600 BC - Man named Zoroaster wrote a Persian religious book Zoroastrianism - strongly influenced everyday life taught world is a battleground constant struggle between good & evil; light & darkness people should always fight for good World Cultures

Chapter 2: Section 3 - Babylonia
Essential Questions: What was life like for people of Baylonia? How was the Babylonian code of laws organized and used? What major contributions did Babylonians make to civilization? World Cultures

Babylonia Many accomplishments
Important to focus on the Mesopotamian civilization of Babylonia Henry Rawlinson - English scholar who studied the Persian language & learned how to understand the Babylonian language in 1830s Discovered stories carved in the rocks of mountain cliff called the Behistun Rock World Cultures

Organized Society Factors that influenced society Class Lines
Male/Female Roles Religion Work World Cultures

Class Lines Led by strong ruler
Class lines very distinct between rich & poor scribes (educated) often became leading & influential citizens Rich owned most of the land Common people Free craft workers, clerks & farmers Slaves - lowest class worked the land World Cultures

Role of Women Had many duties bearing & raising children
enjoyed many of the same rights as men could own, buy or sell property could bequeath property to children as heirs could be shop-owners or scribes upper class women had even more rights exceeded that of women in Europe several 100 years later World Cultures

Religion Polytheistic prayed to statues representing nature gods
Marduk - god of the earth Any - god of the heavens Superstition played a large element in practice of religion believed in use of magic to protect from illness or evil Babylonian priests received gifts as measures to please the gods World Cultures

Work & Economy Most people made living by farming
stored water from rivers in open basins used canals & ditches to move water to the fields Crops: grains dates fruits nuts World Cultures

Work & Economy World Cultures Babylonian business:
Manufacturing & trading Cloth & clothing Bricks & metals for home building household utensils weapons Babylonian kings developed strict rules & regulations for trade & price setting merchants paid heavy taxes used for canals, rivers, & roads Silver would be weighed out for use as currency borrowing & lending was common Business was efficient Careful record keeping of contracts, land bought & sold & partnerships World Cultures

Code of Laws Hammurabi - 1750 BC one of greatest kings
known for code of laws not conquests tells much about how they lived & how they governed Code of Law 285 laws listed under separate headings Punishment was equal to the crime eye for an eye If one was robbed & thief never found, city would repay victim World Cultures

Code of Laws World Cultures Code of Law
Eye for an eye principle was held for those who were equal in rank; In the criminal law this ruling principle was called the lex talionis. differed for those who were unequal noble & wealthy would receive better treatment ex. if a noble put the eye out of a slave, he paid a fine in shekels (unit of weight of silver equal to about half an ounce) not always fair & sometimes harsh but it established impt precedent World Cultures

System of writing of based on Sumerian cuneiform wrote on damp clay cutting wedge- shaped marks w/ stylus (sharp tool) dried the tablets & placed in glass jars in libraries grouped according to subject Language had more than 300 characters - each stood for a syllable World Cultures

Babylonian schools studied mathematics, religion, & writing Advanced system of arithmetic based on unit of 60 became basis for carrying on trade & business no longer used in arithmetic, but became basis for telling time also developed into calculating degrees (360) World Cultures

Science Interested in the stars learned how to follow paths of planets Most of the time, could predict eclipses of the moon Babylonian astronomers contributed much to what we know today in astronomy World Cultures

Contributed to the use of a 12-month calendar Year had 354 days Occasionally added a month to adjust calendar to earth’s movement Do NOT forget!! Babylonian & Egyptian civilizations existed at about the same time Had trade & diplomatic relations so influenced each other culturally influenced Hebrews influenced Greeks thru interactions w/ Phoenicians & Persians World Cultures

Chapter 2: Section 4 - Other Civilizations
Essential Questions: Contributions of the Hebrews? How did Phoenecians spread the gifts of the Egyptians & Babylonians? What did the Lydians contribute to civilization? World Cultures

Other Civilizations If the Egyptians contributed a system of writing & the Babylonians contributed the first written legal code, what did other ancient Middle Eastern civilizations contribute? World Cultures

Other Civilizations Hebrews, Phoenicians, & Lydians did not:
control huge empires Spread civilizations thru conquest Instead, they: provided advances thru more peaceful means Hebrews - religious laws Phoenicians - Phoenician alphabet Phoenicians & Lydians - contributions to trade leading to exploration World Cultures

Hebrews Palestine (land of the Hebrews) not as large as Egypt or Babylonia NOT in a great river valley although did have enough rain as to permit some agriculture plowed land & built canals “land of milk & honey” currently, part of this land is modern state of Israel - descendants of early Hebrews World Cultures

Hebrews Old Testament - Abraham was the patriarch of the Hebrews
led the people away from polytheism to belief in Yahweh Jacob (grandson) also known as Israel had 12 sons, each of whom became a leader of one of the 12 tribes of Israel Joseph led the Hebrews into Egypt (enslaved until 1230 B.C.) World Cultures

Hebrews World Cultures Moses -
led the Hebrews out of Egypt where they wandered for 40 years looking for the Promised land - Palestine while in the desert, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments (code of laws on stone tablets) Moses led the Hebrews to Palestine but could never enter since he had distrusted God Israelites had to fight in a series of battles to establish themselves in Palestine World Cultures

Hebrews World Cultures Prospered under early kings:
Saul - until 1025 BC waged war against Philistines but did not defeat them died in battle at Mount Gilboa David - reigned from 1012 BC BC established capital of Jerusalem united & strengthened the Hebrew nation Solomon BC BC considered wise responsible for establishing respect among people of Middle East World Cultures

Hebrews Following Solomon’s death, unity collapsed
Palestine split into two kingdoms: Kingdom of Israel - North lasted for 250 years until being destroyed by Assyrians Kingdom of Judah - South Chaldean king Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple in Jerusalem & enslaved the Hebrews, toppling Judah World Cultures

Hebrews Hebrews freed by the Persians & returned to Palestine
Rebuilt temple & although no longer an independent state, retained Hebraic religious traditions May 1948, Israel became an independent state after recognised by the United Nations as a country in its own right within the Middle East. World Cultures

Hebrew Belief in 1 God Greatest contribution was monotheism - worship of a single God Ten Commandments demanded this also established a standard of conduct First 5 books of the Old Testament - Torah cover ethical behavior tells story of how Hebrews settled in Canaan history as a nation in Palestine World Cultures

Religious Practice Talmud - interpretation of the Torah by rabbis & Jewish religious leaders Torah & Talmud together direct standards for Jewish people Sabbath - set aside as a day of religious observance, rest, & study developed idea of a Messiah or savior who would one day establish God’s kingdom on earth World Cultures

Religious Practice World Cultures
Rulers of Israel not considered gods nor worshipped as gods Nathan rebukes King David (2 Samuel 12) Nathan displeased w/ King David’s conduct & challenged him on an issue regarding a rich man acting unjustly towards a poor man King David could have had him killed but did not & was ashamed Asked for God’s forgiveness Hebrew tradition - no person above the law Principle guiding the U.S. Constitution World Cultures

Phoenicians Phoenicians spread the gifts of other civilizations through their abilities as merchants & traders Carried goods AND ideas to other parts of the Meditarranean and even as far as England Traded crops & handicrafts metal & glass ornaments jewelry vases weapons World Cultures

Phoenicians Phoenicians brought many advancements in learning from Egypt & Babylonia to Greece From Greece, these advancements spread Developed an alphabet of 22 letters each letter = single consonant Greeks added the vowels improvement on hieroglyphics & easier to use than Babylonian cuneiform Romans made more changes World Cultures

Lydians Located north of the Fertile Crescent
known for system of coins that became 1st true monetary system in ancient world Also traders & use of money aided in trading efficiency Before this sytem, trading was based on barter - exchange of one product for another Croesus - king of Lydia thought to be the richest king of ancient world kingdom fell to Persia in 6th century B.C. World Cultures

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