1. History and government

2. Prehistoric People 10,000 years ago 6000 B.C.
Hunters and Gatherers settled
6000 B.C.
Farming communities along Nile, Mediterranean, and the Taurus and Zagros mountains
First in world to domesticate plants and animals
Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and camels

3. Early Civilizations Mesopotamia Egyptian Hieroglyphics
Area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
World’s first culture hearths
Center where cultures developed and from which ideas and traditions spread outward
Also known as the Fertile Crescent
Developed first written record system
Cuneiform – wedge shaped symbols written on wet clay tablets then baked to harden them
Egyptian Hieroglyphics
Form of picture writing

4. Empires and Trade 500 B.C. – Persian Empire Silk Road
Extended from the Nile to the Aegean Sea and to the Amu Darya
Developed qanats – system of underground canals to carry water
Silk Road
Trade route to connect China to the Mediterranean in 100 B.C.

5. 3 Major Religions Judaism Christianity Islam
Oldest monotheistic faiths
Jerusalem is capital and religious center
Christianity
Islam
Mecca is religious center in Arabian Peninsula

6. Modern Era Nationalism Independence
Belief that ethnic groups need to have their own independent country
Independence
After WWII countries gained independence from Europe
Other nations didn’t gain freedom until the end of the Soviet Union

7. Arab-Israeli Conflict
Israel is only non Arab or Muslim nation
Arabs and Muslims constantly have conflicts with the Israelis
Gaza Strip
Territory bordering Egypt to the south

8. War in Afghanistan 1970s 1990s Soviet Invasion Afghans won
Taliban invaders took over

9. Border Conflicts Iraq and Iran
1980 border dispute led to oil embargo (ban of trade)
Persian Gulf War
Saddam Hussein of Iraq invaded Kuwait
American troops came in and drove the Iraq armies out of Kuwait

10. Questions
What are some of the main reasons for conflict in the region?
What is the desire for an ethnic groups own independent country called?
Why was the domestication of plants and animals so important to the early people of the region?