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The Ancient Hebrews and Their Legacy. The Kingdoms of Israel & Judah.

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Presentation on theme: "The Ancient Hebrews and Their Legacy. The Kingdoms of Israel & Judah."— Presentation transcript:

1 The Ancient Hebrews and Their Legacy

2 The Kingdoms of Israel & Judah

3 Prophet Jeremiah c. 650 – 586 CE

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7 Hellenistic Successor State: Seleucid Empire

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9 International Bronze Age 1800-1100 BCE

10 Minoan Crete

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13 Minoans were masters of the sea c. 2000 – c.1500

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16 Minoan Wall Painting

17 Minoan Snake Goddess c. 1500 BCE

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20 Both the Egyptians and the Hittites claimed victory at the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BCE

21 Phoenicia and the Levant

22 Phoenician Ship

23 Colonization c. 500 BCE

24 Invasion of the Sea Peoples Name given by Egyptian Sources, such as the relief to the left Invaded coast of New Kingdom in Egypt between 1200 and 1175 Initiated a Dark Age with relatively few sources Included a loose confederation of peoples from across the Mediterranean

25 Invasions of the Sea Peoples c. 1200 BCE

26 Invasion of the Sea Peoples Widespread famine and plague may have sparked the invasions, which brought an end to the Empire of the Hittites The Egyptians overcame numerous invasions from the Sea Peoples; but resistance to them depleted the resources of the pharaohs by 1100 and Egypt fell into civil war

27 Minoan Crete

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31 Minoan Wall Painting

32 Minoan Snake Goddess c. 1500 BCE

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35 Phoenicia and the Levant

36 Phoenician Ship

37 Colonization early first millennium BCE

38 Invasion of the Sea Peoples Name given by Egyptian Sources, such as the relief to the left Invaded coast of New Kingdom in Egypt between 1200 and 1175 Initiated a Dark Age with relatively few sources Included a loose confederation of peoples from across the Mediterranean

39 Invasion of the Sea Peoples Widespread famine and plague may have sparked the invasions, which brought an end to the Empire of the Hittites The Egyptians overcame numerous invasions from the Sea Peoples; but resistance to them depleted the resources of the pharaohs by 1100 and Egypt fell into civil war

40 Invasions of the Sea Peoples c. 1200 BCE

41 The Ancient Greeks Dark Age: 1200-800 BCE Archaic Age: 800-500 Classical Age: 500-350 Hellenistic Age: 350-200

42 Discuss the Ancient Greeks What was their connection to western civilization? What was their significance? How did they differ from other ancient civilizations? What was their religious orientation? How did they resemble the Sumerians?

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45 Mycenaean Daggers

46 Mycenaean murals from the palace of Nestor in SW Peloponese

47 Mycenaean Vase c. 1300

48 Mycenaean Palace: Lion’s Gate

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52 Greek Bireme c. 1200

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56 Troy

57 The Walls of Troy 7

58 Entrance Ramp to Ancient Troy 2

59 Pergammon Museum in Berlin

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61 Homer c. 725 BCE

62 In the readings for today, which civilization left graves of women with weapons A.The Hittites B.Minoans C.Phoenicians D.Mycenaeans

63 The Battle of Kadesh in 1272 initiated a period of alliance between… A.The Mycenaeans and the Hittites B.The Hittites and the Egyptians C.The Egyptians and the Minoans D.The Minoans and the Mycenaeans

64 International Bronze Age 1800-1100 BCE

65 Overview Background Minoan Crete The Hittites The Phoenicians

66 Background Between 1800 and 1200 a Bronze Age culture spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean. It connected southern Europe with N. Africa and western Asia Ideas flowed between the empires of the Egyptians, the Minoans, the Hittites, and Phoenicians –trade and treaties proliferated –populations swelled –the Mediterranean became the point of connection between various peoples

67 Minoan Crete Located just to the south of Greece in the Mediterranean, Crete is blessed with adequate rainfall, sheltered ports, and fertile soil By 2000 BCE a peaceful and wealthy culture had developed there The center of Minoan settlements was a five acre sprawling palace complex, Knossos, where a priest/chief lived; the palace itself was not just the center of government but the focus of mercantile activity; the palace included huge storage rooms Similar but smaller palace complex were scattered throughout the island The Minoans were the first to develop the typically Mediterranean form of agriculture: –grapes –olives –grain

68 Minoan Crete They palaces of the Minoan rulers had enormous facilities for storing surplus olive oil and wine, which the Minoans traded with their mainland neighbors A highly unusual, almost unique, feature of the Minoan civilization was that it lacked any defensive structures; the enormous storage facilities and the settlements themselves had no walls or fortresses Because of the prominence of women in Minoan artwork, some archaeologists have suggested that Minoan Crete was ruled by women but this idea has not been proven Their language, now known as Linear A, has only been partially deciphered

69 The Hittites The earliest civilization in Western Asia to speak an Indo- European language Established a kingdom in central Asia Minor by 1750 BC; their sphere of influence spread southward through the Levant and eventually bordered Egypt originally thought to have expanded their kingdom through the use of iron weaponry; but this thesis has been discarded; the were firmly a bronze-age culture pious & polytheistic: “a thousand gods” fought several wars with the Egyptian New Kingdom and finally established borders c. 1250 The Hittites were masters of fighting both on horseback and on chariots; they relied heavily on chariots in battle

70 The Phoenicians Phoenician society was dominated by merchants who specialized in the production and distribution of dyes, especially purple dye, which colored the clothes of royalty The Phoenicians became the greatest sailors of the ancient world; they established colonies in the western Mediterranean and exported many of the ideas and religions of the east to Western lands; they also may have sailed as far as Britain and even South America The Phoenicians were polytheistic and accommodating to many religious orientations; one of the most popular Phoenician gods was Baal The Hebrew Bible depicts Baal as a god whose cult rivaled that of their God, YHWH

71 The Phoenicians Also referred to as the Canaanites, the Phoenicians were great traders who established strong ties to a prosperous port city just to their northern border: Ugarit; eventually, the brought Ugarit within their political control The Phoenicians adopted the Ugaritic system of writing which was based on a 22 character alphabet that later became the basis for Greek and Latin By ancient standards, a large portion of Ugaritic and Phoenician societies were literate because in order to learn to read they only needed to master approximately thirty alphabetic characters rather than the thousands of ideographic characters that had constituted Sumerian and Egyptian writing systems

72 The First International System A period of relative peace and prosperity that lasted from c. 1500 – c. 1150; the peak years of peace lasted from 1450-1300 Treaties and agreements secured peace between major powers, the Hittites and the New Kingdom of Egypt –Alliances –Dynastic marriages –Formal, polite, diplomatic communications between rulers During this period both goods and ideas moved rapidly and freely between N. Africa and Western Asia

73 Summary The development of an eastern Mediterranean culture between 1800 and 1200 BCE created a cultural melting pot that promoted commerce and the diffusion of ideas and technology Historians often refer to this civilization as the International Bronze Age It preceded the development of the Hebrew state and ended with the invasion and turmoil of the period 1200-1000 BCE: “the raiders of the land and sea” During this period rulers experimented with new forms of diplomacy while advances in writing provided the basis for later achievements in literature

74 Troy and the Dark Age 1200-800 BCE

75 Overview Mycenaean Civilization The Trojan War Dorian Invasions The Greek Dark Age

76 Mycenaean Civilization Greek speaking culture that thrived in the Peloponnese and Crete during the last centuries of the Bronze Age: 1600-1100 Mycenaeans were the Greeks featured in the Homeric epics, the Iliad & the Odyssey They established numerous maritime settlements that specialized in commerce and war The Mycenaeans were not politically united and often fought against each other; at any given time there were numerous Mycenaean kings ruling over spheres of influence in southern Greece and Crete

77 Mycenaean Civilization The Mycenaeans established trading networks with the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Canaanites, and others people of the eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age They developed a written language called Linear B; it was a precursor to the ancient Greek language They also worshipped the same pantheon of gods that would later capture the imagination of the Greeks, Zeus, Hera, Poseiden, etc...

78 Mycenaean Civilization During the last quarter of the 19th century the German archeologist, Heinrich Schlieman excavated the site of the most influential Mycenaean kingdom in southern Greece and the ancient city of Troy - Huge sections of the walls of Troy stand today in the Pergammon museum in Berlin His work proved that there had been a destructive war at Troy about 1200 BCE The Myceneans had a pronounced fondness for weapons and were not particularly religious; although they clearly had gods, they did not build elaborate temples

79 Heinrich Schliemann The founder of the archaeological profession, Schliemann used crude excavating techniques to unearth ancient Trojan remains between 1870 and 1890 He created an international sensation when he claimed to have found “King Priam’s Treasure,” which he secretly smuggled out of Turkey Since Schliemann, more careful digs have unearthed nine layers of Troy and have proven that Schlieman probably took remains from a much older layer than the one of the Troy of Homer

80 Ancient Troy Archaeologists have uncovered nine layers of Troy ranging from 3000 BCE (layer 1) until approximately 500 BCE (layer 9) The most likely candidate for the ancient Troy of Homeric legend is Troy 7, which was a Bronze Age city destroyed by war c. 1200 BCE The people of Troy probably spoke an Indo-European language and maintained defensive alliances with the Hittites; they also traded with the Mycenaean Greeks Outside the walls of Troy a cemetery of foreign warriors has recently been discovered and it is the site of ongoing archaeological inquiries

81 Ancient Troy In ancient times Troy lay on a river by a fertile plain which adjoined the sea; since then the rivers have silted up and Troy lies several miles from the sea The city probably provided shelter for no more than 5000 people The Trojans built amphitheaters and temples outside the ancient fortress and it is likely that settlements were scattered outside the walls of the city

82 Legacy of Troy Both the Romans (the Aeneid) and the Britons (History of the Kings of Briton) believed that they were descendants of the Trojans who in these works were associated with a noble lineage Ionian Greeks passed won the story of the Trojan War for over five hundred years before it was written down; the blind poet Homer is often cited as the author of the poem but he was likely just one of several generations of bards who passed along the story which became a cornerstone of ancient Greek culture

83 Dorian Invasions During the twelfth century BCE (1100s), Doric tribes from northern Europe began to migrate into Greece The Dorian warrior used iron swords to attack their enemies In most of Greece, except Athens, they displaced or dominated the local Mycenaean society

84 The Greek Dark Age: 1200-800 BCE Begins with the same invasions from land and sea that plagued most of the eastern Mediterranean the origins of the sea and land raiders of the early part of this period is not known; our best guess is that the prosperity of the Mycenaean Age brought overpopulation to many of the uncivilized portions of the Mediterranean basin; seeking booty from the cities, they wrought cataclysmic destruction The trade, commerce and burgeoning cities of the Mycenaean civilization disappeared but the Greek language & many customs lived on

85 The Greek Dark Age: 1200-800 BCE In the early 20th century German historians imagined that these invaders of the last centuries of the second millenium BCE were the Aryan race Based on knowledge that the invaders seemed to share a common mother tongue, generally came from the north (in the case of Greece, northern Europe), and may have introduced the horse to Mediterranean cultures, these historians concocted an Aryan myth that emphasized the vigor and vitality of these invaders and attributed it to the superiority of the Aryan race

86 Summary The centuries between 1500 and 1200 BCE were instrumental in the definition of the emerging Greek culture, which many historians claim to have been the first “Western” culture During this period, the Mycenaeans established trade networks and negotiated treaties with the various empires of the eastern Mediterranean They also developed a rudimentary form of the Greek language, called Linear B, which Ionian Greeks adapted by introducing the alphabet of the Phoenicians

87 Summary Both the Trojans and the Myceneans created thriving mercantile cultures during the last two centuries of the International Bronze Age Around 1200 they engaged each other in what may have been a war of attrition Shortly after the Trojan War Dorian tribes invaded Mycenaean Greece and settled in the Peloponese; they would eventually become the Spartans of classical Greece Although the Dorian invasions plunged Greece into a Dark Age, the story of the Trojan War was preserved in oral tradition and would become the basis for Greek education during the archaic Greek Age

88 Overview of Archaic Period Overview & Timeline for Greek History Background on Archaic Period Factors favoring Panhellenism –Homer’s Epics –The Olympic Games –Threat of Foreign Invasion Factors favoring the Polis –Geographical Influences –Acropolis –Civic Identity –Tyrants and political agitation

89 Timeline Archaic Period: 750-500 –The genesis of ancient Greek Culture Classical Period: 500-350 –The Golden Age of the Polis Hellenistic Period: 350-50 BCE –The Spread of Greek Culture throughout the Eastern Mediterranean

90 The Archaic Period –Period of Creative Tension influenced partly by the conflicting loyalties to the polis and a common Greek identity –Demographic & Commercial Expansion c. 700 BCE –Formation of Greek Colonies Magna Graecia Ionian Greece –Philosophy & Speculative inquiries

91 The Archaic Period Between 1000 and 800 BCE many Greeks migrate from Greece to Asia Minor and gradually develop a distinctive Ionian Greek culture Ionia preceded mainland Greece in the rebirth of civilization by re-developing trade networks, cities, and literature; many of the pre-Socratic philosophers and scientists, such as Thales, Pythagorus, and Heraclitus, were born in Ionia By 800 BCE Ionian civilization had spread across the Mediterranean as far away as Spain and connected the Greek mainland to many of the ideas and developments, including the Phoenician alphabet, which the Greeks quickly adopted and adapted

92 Ionian Greeks & Philosophy During the course of the eighth century, Greek city states along the coast of Asia Minor underwent a resurgence of trade; prosperity spread as populations swelled By the seventh century in the city of Miletus a new strain of intellectual endeavors spread A group of thinkers, including Thales and Heraclitus, known as sophoi or philosophoi (lovers of wisdom) imagined that the workings of the cosmos could be explained through reference to mechanistic rather than supernatural forces Later, Pythagoras of Samos incorporated the orderly nature of mechanistic thought with religion to produce a secretive mystery religion

93 Factors Favoring Panhellenism: Homer Using the newly adopted Greek alphabet, Homer allegedly wrote the epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey around 750 BCE The poems had been circulating in oral tradition for centuries before Homer put his version in writing References in the poems suggest that they relate events that took place during the Bronze Age c. 1500-1200 BCE The Iliad tells the story of a ten year long siege of Troy that the Greeks endure in order to reclaim a Greek princess who was kidnapped by Paris of Troy

94 Factors Favoring Panhellenism: Homer Achilles is the great Greek hero of the Iliad; by modern standards he seems almost bipolar, one minute sulking in his tent because his concubine has been ravished by his king, Agamemnon, and the next minute seeking revenge against the Trojans for the slaying of his soul mate, Patrocolus - the relationship between Achilles and Patrocolus is reminiscent of that between Gilgamesh and Enkidu Rather than viewing Achilles as bi-polar, it is more accurate to view his moodiness as the result of ten years of fighting and bloodshed; his violent slaying of Hector, Patrocolus’ killer, signifies the brutality of the hardened warrior

95 Factors Favoring Panhellenism: Homer Eventually Achilles is re-civilized and he agrees to return the battered body of Hector to the Trojans for proper burial; by agreeing to the entreaties of his enemies who invoke the wishes of the gods, Achilles demonstrates his willingness to re-integrate with civilized life

96 Influence of the Homeric Epics The Homeric epics became the basis for Greek education during the classical period; students memorized great portions of the poem in order to learn grammar, vocabulary, and particularly ancient values –heroism –piety and respect for the gods The poems never doubt the existence of the gods, whose humanity is evident throughout The poems established a common identity and shared past for the various tribes and cities that began to emerge at the end of the Greek Dark Ages

97 Factors Favoring Panhellenism: Olympics Beginning in the early eighth century, the games are part of a religious festival held at Olympia in the NW Peloponese every four years Competition initially included running, wrestling, jumping, throwing and later included horse and chariot racing Individual, not city-state, competitions with a garland for the winner Women were barred on pain of death but had their own games dedicated to Hera, wife of Zeus

98 Factors Favoring Panhellenism: Olympics Emphasis on excellence: aretê Contributed to panhellenic identity all fighting ceased during the games Olympia was not the site of an ancient city or town; it was a sacred sanctuary complex –Temple of Zeus was the principal shrine; it was destroyed by the Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius II in 426 CE

99 Factors Favoring the Polis: Geography Similar to the political organization of ancient Sumeria - and later Renaissance Italy - city states had become the principal form of political organization in Greece by 750 BCE, which is traditionally identified as the beginning of the Archaic Greek Age With its plethora of mountains and isolated pockets of land surrounded by sea, the geography of Greece encouraged the formation of fragmented rather than unified political structures Additionally Greeks established numerous urban colonies throughout the Aegean and Mediterranean

100 The Polis In contrast to the Mesopotamian city-state, the Greek polis had a much broader level of political participation, which was often divided among its male citizens, not its inhabitants Because both rich and poor participated in the political process, tension was an ongoing feature of many poleis during the Archaic Age, when many city-states sought to define the rules for administering justice and sharing power

101 The Polis Several poleis first emerged on fortified hilltops, called an acropolis, which served as a defensive post in time of war and the treasury in time of peace Unified by civic gods, traditions, and ceremonies, the various poleis were the primary focus of Greek political loyalties, which were caught between the conflicting forces of panhellenism and civic pride Most poleis numbered only ten to twenty thousand people and many were limited in size by the fertility of the surrounding countryside

102 The Tyrants & the Poleis As the population and commercial expansion spread to the Greek mainland during the seventh and sixth centuries, tensions emerged in the poleis as the merchants and prosperous independent farmers challenged the control that the hereditary aristocracy had exercised on the governments of Greek cities In most of the Greek mainland a group of popular dictators known as tyrants seized power from the aristocracy by catering to the will of the independent farmers and merchants

103 The Tyrants One of the most successful tyrants was Solon (630-560 BCE) of Athens; he reorganized the social and economic laws of the city and ushered in a period of profound prosperity for the city’s merchants during the early decades of the sixth century BCE An unintended consequence of his actions was a mushrooming of foreign born slaves in the city Solon is usually credited with a vital influence on the spread of popular control over the city government: the democratization of Athens

104 Diverging Cultures: The Lacedaemonians Unlike Athens, Sparta never had a tyrant and they developed a culture that was rabidly opposed to tyranny Political power was shared by hoplite warriors, “the Similars,” who were led by a king The Spartan warriors were free to train for warfare throughout most of their life while their economy was supported by virtually servile labor of helots Encouraged to perform physical exercise, Spartan women enjoyed more independence and freedom than in other Greek city-states

105 Diverging Cultures: The Lacedaemonians The term used to describe those who lived in and around Sparta –people of few words, from whom we obtain the term laconic –male children raised for martial career from a very early age; by 7 they are living in barracks, separated from family –Relatively sparse population but immense political influence in Hellas based on the respect that they engendered for their bravery and military exploits; this respect helped the Spartans form the Peloponesian League, a coalition of allied city-sates loyal to Sparta

106 Summary The writing of the Iliad and the Odyssey marked an important step in the coalescence of the various elements of Greek culture –language –religion –values As various civic cultures developed throughout the Greek mainland, the common heritage of the Homeric epics provided a unifying element of panhellenic identity; nevertheless, panhellenism generally played second fiddle to the attraction of the polis During the archaic Greek Age, the various poleis of Greece developed their own customs and traditions and gradually undermined the unifying aspects of panhellenism

107 Who were the wealthy mercantile people who controlled Crete? A.The Hittites B.The Hyksos C.The Myceneans D.The Minoans

108 Why are the Minoans so enigmatic? A.They left no written records B.We have not deciphered their script, called Linear A C.Women seem to have occupied positions of importance in their society D.They apparently built no fortifications around their palaces

109 How does Hammurabi’s code differ from the Exodus Laws of the Hebrews? A.It does not contain the law of the talion B.The death penalty is not in the Hebrews’ laws C.Hammurabi did not claim divine approval for his laws D.Hebrew laws did not have different penalties for various classes


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