Small Kingdoms and Great Empires of the Near East

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Small Kingdoms and Great Empires of the Near East
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Canaan / Palestine

• Peoples of Palestine
• Canaanites, Phoenicians, Philistines, Hebrews
• Phoenicia
• Lebanon (Northern Canaan)
• Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos
• Shipbuilders
• Trade - Forests of Lebanon
• Colonies - Carthage
• Phoenician Alphabet Circa 1000 BC
• System of 22 marks
• Adapted by the Greeks
• Philistines
• Southern coast
• Hebrew Scriptures
• Sea Peoples
• Few written materials survive
• Metalsmithing Monopoly

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Hebrews

• Old Testament - Tanakh (Ta Na K).
• Torah Teachings or Law
• Nevi'im The Prophets
• Ketuvim Writings
• Early Hebrews
• Abraham
• Moses
• Kingdom of Israel
• Saul
• David
• Jerusalem
• Solomon
• Temple
• The Divided Kingdom
• Israel - Northern Kingdom
• Cosmopolitan
• Ahab
• Phoenicians
• Judah - Southern Kingdom

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The Assyrian Empire

• Neo-Assyrian Period (890 BC)
• Assurnasirpal II
• Military expansion
• Babylon
• Tigris-Euphrates region
• Syria and Asia Minor
• Battle of Qarqar - 853 BC
• Coalition of states
• Hadadezer of Damascus
• Ahab of Israel
• Later Conquests
• Damascus (Syria)
• Israel
• Vassals
• Judah
• Phoenicia
• Assurbanipal
• Adds Egypt

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The Assyrian Empire

• Military Prowess
• Seemingly invincible
• Horse and chariot warfare
• Use of tightly-knit infantry formations
• Siege warfare
• Most hated conquerors in ancient history
• Nineveh
• Second Capital
• Art/Culture
• Relief sculptures
• Library of Ashurbanipal

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Neo-Babylonian Empire

• Nabopolassar
• 625 BC - Governor of Babylon
• Chaldeans (Neo-Babylonians)
• Medes - Indo-Europeans
• Battle of Carchemish
• Assyria/Egypt
• Chaldeans/Medes
• Nebuchadnezzar
• Height of Babylonian power
• Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• Followed by weak rulers
• Collapse
• Nabonidus
• Sin vs. Marduk
• Belshazzar

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Iran

• Iranians
• Indo-Europeans
• Circa 1000 BC
• Divisions
• Medes
• Persians
• Kingdom of the Medes
• United around 710 BC
• Conquest of Assyria
• 612 BC
• With Chaldeans
• Kingdom of Persia
• Cyrus the Great
• 559 BC
• Persian Empire 550BC

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The Persian Empire

• Cyruss goals
• Control the West
• Secure Persia from invasion
• Conquests
• Lydia
• Ionia
• Parthia and Bactria
• Babylon - 539 BC
• India to the Mediterranean
• Subjects allowed to keep laws and customs
• Croesus
• Satrapies
• Satrap

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The Persian Empire

• Cambyses
• Conquering Egypt
• Darius I
• greatest height
• Uniform coinage
• Daric
• Calendar
• Law code
• Builder
• Persepolis
• Royal Road

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Religions in the Iron Age Dualism

• Zoroastrianism
• Zoroaster / Zarathustra
• 500s BC
• Dualism
• Ahuramazda
• Ahriman or Angra Mainyu
• Avesta
• Individual responsibility Free will
• Last Judgment
• Influence

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Religions in the Iron Age Monotheism

• Hebrews
• Yahweh
• Yehowah/Jehovah
• Adonai
• Polytheism vs Monotheism
• Baal
• Asherah
• The Prophets
• Covenant Relationship
• Ethics and Worship

Paleo-Hebrew / Phonecian, Aramaic, Hebrew
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The Growth of Judaism

• Yawhists
• Josiah
• Jeremiah
• Babylonian Captivity
• World Religion
• 538 BC Cyrus allows the Jews to return
• Yahweh
• Universal
• Omnipotent
• Omniscient
• Free will