Early Middle Eastern Civilizations

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Early Middle Eastern Civilizations

• Minoans
• Phoenicians
• Hebrew

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Minoan (Island of Crete)

• _at_2000 1450 B.C.
• Named after king Minus.
• Capital of Knossos
• Rich culture with elaborate homes
• Sailed to Egypt and Greece
• Sudden destruction in 1450
• Tidal wave or invaders

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Minoan Art
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Nomadic People

• Hunters and gatherers traded with cultures and
  spread products between early cultures
• Indo-European
• Probably from Asia near Baltic Sea
• Moved into Europe _at_ 2000 B.C. and Asia Minor _at_
  1750 B.C.
• Hittites (1600 1200 B.C.)
• Settled in Asia Minor (Turkey)
• Used iron for weapons cheap and strong
• Threatened Egypt like Egypt, destroyed by the
  Sea People

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Phoenicians

• Lived in Palestine (1500 300 B.C.)
• Economy based on trade (Byblos, Sidon, Tyre)
• Purple dye, glass, lumber
• Advanced ships and sailors sailed the Atlantic
  (Europe and Africa)
• Colony of Carthage
• Phoenician alphabet 22 characters (basis for
  the modern Western alphabet)

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Hebrews (Jews)

• South of Phoenicians in Palestine
• Judaism monotheistic religion (influenced
  Christianity and Islam)
• Torah (also a part of the Christian Old
  Testament) Written history
• Abraham Mesopotamia to Palestine
• Nomadic moved to Egypt _at_ 1300 B.C. (enslaved
  Moses)
• Returned to Palestine
• _at_ 1000 B.C. created a monarchy (King Solomon)

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Hebrews (cont.)

• Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)
• 10 tribes
• Taken over by Assyrians
• Kingdom of Judah (Jerusalem)
• 2 tribes
• Taken over by Chaldeans (destroyed Jerusalem in
  586 B.C.) sent to Babylon
• Persians let them return to Jerusalem
• Taken over many more times but Judaism became
  one of the most important religions in the world

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Judaism

• Monotheistic Yahweh
• One god ruled the world and all were his servants
• God created nature, but was not nature
• God was good and expected his people to be good
  or they would be punished
• Covenant (contract) with the Hebrew people
• Prophets teachers
• Would not accept any conquers Gods.