ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS OF THE MIDDLE EAST

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ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS OF THE MIDDLE EAST
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PLACES AND TERMS

• Mesopotamia
• Fertile Crescent
• Culture Hearth
• Tigris River
• Euphrates River

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SUMERIANS

• Thought to be the first civilization to have
  arisen in Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and
  Euphrates Rivers.
• Developed the first written language, a system of
  writing called cuneiform.
• Built reservoirs to store water and canals to
  transport water to farmland. This was the first
  use of irrigation.

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HITTITES

• Powerful warrior culture whose capital city was
  Hattusa
• Introduced the use of iron weapons into warfare.
• First people to use a treaty to settle a dispute
  (signed with Egypt in 1284 B.C.).

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PHOENICIANS

• Seafaring civilization that arose along the
  Mediterranean Sea around 1200 B.C.
• Traded customs and goods with other ancient
  civilizations. More interested in trade than
  empire.
• Known for their alphabet, paper making, and glass.

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HEBREWS

• Lived in land called Canaan around 1900 B.C.
  where they organized themselves into 12 tribes.
• Drought forced move to Egypt around 1800 B.C.
  They were later enslaved there.
• Led out of slavery by Moses, and later Joshua, to
  present day Israel.
• King David established Jerusalem as Israels
  capital.

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ASSYRIANS

• Excellent warriors who were trained to fight in
  divisions called infantries.
• Ruled the area of Mesopotamia around 1100 B.C.
• By 665 B.C. the Assyrians controlled most of
  Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, and Canaan.

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CHALDEANS

• Conquered the Assyrians in 612 B.C.
• Later became called Babylonians.
• Conquered Jerusalem and forced Hebrews to move to
  Babylon.
• One of the first people to shape our modern
  understanding of math and astronomy.

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PERSIANS

• Last of the great ancient Middle Eastern empires.
  Extended as far east as the Indus River in
  India.
• Constructed a canal to connect the Nile to the
  Red Sea.
• Fought against the Greeks in the Persian Wars.
• Conquered by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C.