NMC102

Question 1

What are the ancient empires being focussed?

Answer 1

Neo-Assyrian Empire (c. 911-609BC)
Neo Babylonian Empire ( 626 - 539 BC)

Achaemenid Empire (539-331BC) and Hellenistic era (Seleucid and Parthian Empires 331 BC-)

Question 2

What is mesopotamia?

Answer 2

Corresponding to broadly to what is now Iraq, It is from greek meso-“middle” and ‘potamos’ meaning ‘river’. It is the land between river Tigris and Euphrates

Question 3

What is the fertile crescent?

Answer 3

The region where agriculture first arose (Northern Mesopotamia and the Levant as the region where agriculture was first developed)

Question 4

What is ancient near east?

Answer 4

Area of modern Middle East (usually excluding Egypt)

Question 5

What language?

How was tect written in the mesopotamian region?

Answer 5

Moslty written in the cuneiform script in a variety of languages

Question 6

What are the sources used to study the early civilizations?

Answer 6

1. Texts (Cuneiform scripts)
2. Archaelogical evidence
3. Pictorial evidence

Question 7

What are tell sites?

Answer 7

It typically gives information, as it typically forms form the accumulation of occupation deposits and destruction over time.

Question 8

Who were the key peoples of Mesopotamia and the ancient NEAR easT?

Answer 8

1. Sumerians
2. Babylonians
3. Assyrians

Question 9

Which millennium?

When was sothern mesopotamia formed?

Answer 9

In the third millennium BC. It had independent city states, although the millennium saw two larger short lived territorial politics.

Question 10

What were the two short lived territorial politics in the 3 rd millennium?

Answer 10

The kingdom of Akkad and the Ur III state

Question 11

What happened in the second millennium (2000 BC - 1000BC)

Answer 11

It was still characterized by city-states until the time of hamurabi or Babylon, who unified Babylonia through his various conquests.

Question 12

What is this age called?

What happened in the first mesopotamia ( 1000 - 1BC) ?

Answer 12

It is called the ‘Age of Empire’:

1. Neo-Assyrian,
2. Neo-Babylonian,
3. Achaemenid,
4. Seleucid,
5. Parthian.

Question 13

When did the rise of first cities start?

Answer 13

Second half of 4th millennium BC

Question 14

When did the city states arise?

Answer 14

3rd and early 2nd millennium BC

Question 15

When were territorial states formed?

Answer 15

Second half of 2nd millennium BC (late bronze age)

Question 16

When did Neo Assyrian empires arise?

Answer 16

c911 - 612 BC

Question 17

When did the Neo-Babylonian Empire arise?

Answer 17

626-539 BC

Question 18

When did the Achaemenid Empire arise?

Answer 18

539-331 BC

Question 19

What were some common trends from the milleniums?

Answer 19

1. Political developement
2. The nature of kingship
3. Continuity of the written tradition (cuneiform culture)
4. Mesopotamian culture hertitage in a global perspective.