Ancient Middle East Flashcards
Where is Anatolia?
As seen in the picture, it is the northernmost part of the Middle East
Where is the African Middle East located?
Its the only part of the Middle East that’s in Africa, home to the present-day country of Egypt
Where is the Arabian Peninsula?
Located in between Egypt and Mesopotamia, it is surrounded by three bodies of water, making it a “peninsula”
Where is the Mesopotamia area located?
Home to the present-day countries of Iraq and Iran, the Mesopotamian area is the easternmost part of the Middle East
Where is China located?
China is one of the easternmost countries of the Asian continent. It is also called East Asia. The only other country that’s east of China is Japan.
Where is the Middle East located?
The Middle East is the westernmost part of the Asian continent
What are the Sumerians greatest accomplishments?
- Oldest civilization ever in the history of the world
- Developed the first-ever written language called Cuneiform
- Developed a system of numbers with base 10, 60, and 360 that is still used today when calculating circles or hours
- Constructed massive towers called Ziggurats, which were small pyramids used for religious reasons
- Rather than a large landmass, the Sumerians were in control of large cities, called city-states
What was unique about the way Sumerians treated their women?
They expected their women to be veiled (cover their faces)
Why did Sumer collapse?
They were conquered by a group of people called the Akkadians
What are the Akkadians known for?
Akkadians are known for the first-ever military figure recorded in World History called Sargon the Great. He maintained the largest professional army in history at the time, with 5,400 soldiers
It was during the Akkadian Civilization that the story, “The Epic of Gilgamesh” was written
What was the Epic of Gilgamesh?
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story about a massive flood that kills almost everyone on the entire planet. It’s important because it is the oldest story ever written.
It was written in 2100 BCE, or 2,100 years before** the birth of Jesus Christ and 600 years **before the bible was written.
What caused the decline of the Akkadians?
The Akkadians were conquered by a group of people called the Babylonians
What are the accomplishments of the Babylonian Civilization?
- King Hammurabi, the most famous of their kings, wrote the first-ever code of laws called “The Code of Hammurabi.”
The Babylonians would eventually be conquered by the Persians.
What was the Code of Hammurabi?
The Code of Hammurabi is the first set of laws ever established by humans. It was written 1,800 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, and 300 years before the bible was written.
It had strict laws like, “If you poke someone’s eye out, then they get to poke your eye out”.
What part of the Middle East do Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians belong?
Mesopotamia
What is Old Kingdom Egypt known for?
- The Cult of the Pharaoh was born during the Old Kingdom. This was when people started to believe the Pharaoh was a God
- The Pyramids at Giza were constructed during the Old Kingdom
What caused the decline of the Old Kingdom?
Crop failures, the cost of the Pyramids, and Civil War brought an end to the Old Kingdom
What is Middle Kingdom Egypt known for?
- Large drainage project created more farmland, increasing food production
- Egyptian traders made new contacts in Europe
What caused the decline of the Middle Kingdom?
Corruption and rebellions were common during the Middle Kingdom.
Eventually, an outside nomadic group called the Hyksos invaded Egypt and conquered them. The Hyksos had really new weapons Egyptians had never seen before made of Bronze.
What is the New Kingdom known for?
- Powerful pharaohs created a large empire that expanded to the Mesopotamia area
- The first female pharaoh called Hatshepsut encouraged trade. By encouraging trade, Hatshepsut made the New Kingdom the one that had the most trade of all Egyptian Kingdoms
Who was the next major conqueror of Egypt, after the decline of the New Kingdom?
- The Persians would be the next major power to control Egypt. This would be an end to the Egyptian Kingdoms.
While the Persians unified the entire Middle East, the Chinese were still having their Period of Warring States, where they developed ideas like Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism.
What is the name commonly used to refer to the Achaemenid Empire?
Persia.
Whenever anyone mentions the Achaemenid Empire, they are talking about the Persians
Who established/created the Persian Empire?
Cyrus The Great
What are the major defining characteristics of the Persian Empire?
- Persians were very tolerant of other peoples beliefs, languages, and culture
- They were very focused on dictatorship. They believed that only one person should make the laws
- They focused on building infrastructure. This means they focused on buildings roads and bridges to improve travel time. The roads they built were called “Royal Roads”.
