The Fertile Crescent

1
The Fertile Crescent

• Goes from Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf
• Sumerians arrive in Mesoptamia (eastern part of
  the Fertile Crescent) about 3500 B.C.
• By 3000 B.C. the Sumerians had developed 12
  city-states

2
Sumerian Achievements

• Developed system of writing (cuneiform)
• Produced the worlds oldest story (Gilgamesh)
• Wagon wheel, the arch, sundial,

3
Hammurabis Code

• Collection of laws collected in the 1700s B.C.
• First advance towards justice order in human
  history
• Government assumed the responsibility of
  protecting citizens

4
Trading Peoples

• The Phoenicians developed a simplified alphabet
• The Lydians developed a monetary system using
  coins as mediums of exchange

5
The Israelites

• Monotheistic
• Gods command was revealed by prophets
• God determined right wrong expected people to
  deal justly w/each other

6
Covenant Exodus

• Israelite origin is traced back to Abraham
• God promises to make Abraham a great nation
• Migrated to Egypt where they were enslaved by the
  pharohs
• Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt (exodus)
  (retell the story during Passover)

7
Middle Eastern Empires

• The Hittites warrior people who conquered Syria
• The Assyrians known as the best fighting force
  in the Middle East (used iron weapons)
• The Chaldeans most famous king was
  Nebuchadnezzar they laid the foundations of
  modern day astronomy

8
The Persians

• Took over all of the Middle East
• Tolerant to the people they had conquered
• Darius I had governors rule provinces within
  the empire (Eyes Ears of the king)
• Zoraster Persian prophet who preached that the
  world was in a constant struggle between good
  evil (Ahura Mazda)