The Second Millennium (The Middle and Late Bronze Age) Flashcards
the middle bronze age
c. 2000-1600 BC
second intermediate period in Egypt
c. 1800-1550 BC
Middle Kingdom’s capital
Thebes
Middle kingdom’s most powerful kings
twelfth dynasty
Egyptians managed to extend their sway over that area
Nubia (Sudan) up to the 3rd cataract
Fayyum Oasis
center of the government during the middle kingdom
the Hyksos
people from Levant who came to rule over Egyptians in the second intermediate period
Assyria and Babylonia
these powerful nations were born in the early second millennium in Mesopotamia
Amorites
foreign people who settled in Mesopotamia around the end of the 3rd millennium; largely responsible for the rise of Assyria and Babylonia
Assur
city in Mesopotamia that gained independence around 2000 BC
amorite Shamshi-Adad I
brought Assur back to fruition in the 18th century, king of the Assyrian empire
Isin, Babylon and Larsa
important cities (city states) in southern Mesopotamia
Assur and Mari
important cities (city states) in northern Mesopotamia
Hammurabi
Amorites king of Babylonia; laid the foundations for Babylonian culture; codex of Hammurabi; conquered the entire southern Mesopotamia and the Euphrates valley up to and including Mari
the late bronze age
c. 1600-c. 1200
concert of powers
time period in which a group of powers maintained a fairly static and stable balance; Egypt (the new kingdom), Mitanni, Hittite empire, Assyria and Babylonia; flourishing Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations; Syria and Palestine,
war chariot
a fast two-wheeled vehicle drawn by horses that spread around the ancient world around 1600 BC
new kingdom of Egypt
created again by Theban rulers
Ahmose
Egyptian king, seen as the founder of the 18th dynasty
18th dynasty in Egypt
c. 1550-1300 BC, kings referred to as pharaohs, campaigners
Thutmose II
best known pharaoh of the 18th dynasty; c. 1450 BC
Akhenaten
c. 1350; attempted to reform Egyptian polytheism, transferred the capital to Akhetaten, he had a lot of international contacts
Tutankhamen
Akhenaten’s successor, reverted to the old Egyptian traditions, Memphis became the capital again
Ramses II
1279-1212 BC; 19th dynasty, ambitious builder (Abu Simbel), helped to unify Egypt again in the 13th century
Kassities
assumed control of Babylon in 1600 BC; governed Mesopotamia for over 4 centuries, adjusted to Babylonian culture
middle Assyrian Empire
shortly after 1350 BC, expansion and establishment of a new kingdom was possible because the neighboring powers grew weaker
Mitanni
situated between the upper reacher of Euphrates and Tigris; occupied by Hurrians/Khurrites/Horites; Indo-Aryan elements in their culture
the old Hittite kingdom
c. 1700 BC
Mursilis I
Hittite king who penetrated into Babylon c. 1600 BC
Suppiluliumas
Hittite king who managed to restore the kingdoms power around 1340 BC (Hittite New Kingdom)
Minoan culture
island of Crete (after legendary king Minos)
Mycenaean culture
mainland Greece (after fortified palace on the Peloponnese); also known as Helladic
Knossos
most important city on Crete; not fortified
Linear A
syllabic script, used in Crete
Mycenae, Pylos, Tiryns
mainland Greek cities; begun flourishing around 1600 BC; fortified (1400-1300 BC)
Linear B
adopted by mainland Greeks from Cretan Linear A
sources on international relations
archive of clay tablets, Hittite treaties, the annals
