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CHAPTER 3: Ancient Middle East

I. 3.1: WHERE HISTORY BEGAN A. Define the Middle East:

Why is the Middle East called the crossroads of the ancient world?

B. What are some countries are included in the Middle East?

Figure 2: (RIGHT) A map of the Middle East detailing the modern day countries. (Add Copyright)

MAP ANALYSIS QUESTIONS: 1. REVIEW – Using a pencil shade in

the fertile crescent. 2. Based on the picture, what type of

land is most of the middle east? (HINT: Look at the colors)

3. What landform is represented by the “wrinkles” in Turkey, Iran, and other parts of the Middle East?

Figure 1: A projection of the Middle East on a globe. (Add copyright)

CONCEPT ACTIVITY: Draw a crossroad sign below and write the three continents that intersect in the Middle East.

MAP LABEL: On the globe, label the three continents that intersect at the Middle East.

Middle East is a transcontinental area around the eastern Mediterranean that includes parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe.

It is a place where many peoples and cultures meet or come together.

Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel & List three more!

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MAPPING ACTIVITY: 1. Label the three continents pictured 2. Using the map below, color in and label

the three regions of the Middle East (Red), Greater Middle East (Blue), and Sometimes associated with the Middle East (Green).

3. Write the names of five countries located in the Middle East.

4. Write the Names of three countries in

the greater Middle East.

Traditional definition of the Middle East G reater Middle East (according to the second Bush administration) Areas sometimes associated with the Middle East (socio-political connections)

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II. 3.2: HOMES OF ANCIENT TIMES

A. TENT DWELLERS

1. Define Bedouin:

2. Define Nomad:

3. Why are all Bedouins nomads, but not all nomads are Bedouins? Explain.

4. Describe a typical Bedouin tent.

a) Where would they pitch or put their tents?

b) What did they make their tents out of?

c) How did they divide up their tents?

Figure 3: A Bedouin Family from the country of Oman. (Add copyright)

Figure 4: A Bedouin Tent made out of traditional goat hair. (Add copyright)

PICTURE ANALYSIS: Look at the two pictures on this page. What features do you notice that we discussed in class. Write them below.

Bedouins are Arabs who wander from place to place with their herds of camels sheep and goats.

Nomads are people who constantly move from one place to another

Bedouins are Arab desert nomads. Not all nomads are Arabs or live in the desert (For example, the gypsies of Europe).

In spots where can have shade and water. Often in an oasis or similar area.

Their tents were made from pieces of goat hair cloth, which can be waterproof.

The tents were large. They could lift up or close the sides depending on the weather. Also they would hang curtains to divide the tent into different rooms, including for men and women.

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5. Many nomads are wandering shepherds.

6. What happens when the grass becomes scarce for their flocks?

Why?

7. Describe typical bedouin furniture. What items did they

carry with them. Why do their goods have to be light and

easy to carry?

8. How did the tent dwellers provide light?

B. HOUSES IN ANCIENT CITIES

1. Describe a house in an ancient middle eastern city.

Figure 5: A Bedouin Shepherd (Add Copyright)

Figure 6: Ancient Olive Oil Lamp (Add copyright)

They have to move because their flocks need the grass as food to survive.

Rugs for the tent floor. Rollable mats for beds. Pots and clay dishes. Goatskin bags. Leather buckets. Sacks. A piece of leather for a table. Stones for grinding grain. It had to be light so they could take it with them when they move.

They built fires. They also made olive oil lamps. Which were clay pots with olive oil and a rope wick. The oil would keep the fire burning and they could carry or place them around.

DRAWING Draw your

own picture of an olive oil

lamp below.

Many people lived in houses. Some were one story. Others were two stories. They were built of sun-dried bricks and the floors were hard packed dirt. They had flat roofs they could sleep on which they reached by stairs or a ladder. Many had open courtyards in the middle. Often there was a fountain or cistern for storing water. The more money you had the bigger your house and the more furniture you could have.

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III. 3.3: DAILY LIFE IN AN

ANCIENT CITY A. List some common craftsmen that would work with their hands:

B. Describe the Job of a Shepherd:

C. What is another word for farmer? _______________________________

D. Describe two phases of farming.

Figure 7: An ancient two level middle eastern house surrounded by a courtyard (Add copyright/Find alternative)

PICTURE ANALYSIS: Label the following seven features on the picture in your notes. First floor, second floor, flat roof, mud-brick construction, dirt floor, courtyard, stairs/ladder.

Figure 8: A reconstruction of an ancient city house. (Add copyright or find alternative.)

Craftsmen worked things with their hands. These included potters, woodcarvers, carpenters, embroiderers, dyers of cloth, and workers in metal.

Shepherds would lead their flocks out to graze or eat grass where they would watch over them. At night they would take them to a shelter.

The two phases are 1) preparing the ground and 2) harvesting or collecting crops.

Husbandmen

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E. Describe the Process of Making Bread:

1. Planting grains

2. Harvesting grains

3. Grinding grains

4. Baking bread

Figure 11: A closeup of flour (Add Copyright) We use flour to make bread even today. (Add Copyright)

Figure 10: Bread would start as wheat, barley or another similar plant.

Figure 9: The grains from the plant would be collected. They can either be planted to make crops, or ground into flour for making bread. (Add Copyright)

Figure 12: A threshing floor in Greece, very similar to ones you might find in the Middle East. Notice the rods for beating the grain, the grain ready to be beat in sheaves, and the uneeded chaff left to the side. (Add Copyright)

Figure 14: A picture of someone making bread in Chile, using a process very similar to what the ancient middle easterners would do. (Add Copyright)

Figure 13: A millstone from the Phillipines. Notice the upper and lower stones and the hole to put the grains in. (Add Copyright)

Farmers would first prepare the ground. Then they plant any seeds.

Once the plants have fully grown they would usually cut with a sickle or pick crops. They need to separate the food from the plant by threshing. They usually beat it, used animals to tread on it, or dragged a board over it.

For wheat the hard seed grains need to be ground up into fine flour for cooking. Usually they use a large millstone which turns.

Flour is combined with other ingredients to create dough. Dough can then be baked into bread.

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5. Many women could be found making ____________ by using ______________________________

to grind ___________ into _____________ by _____________________ them together. Millstones

2. H

3. G2. B

1. P

Figure 15: A farmer beating grain by hand. (Add Copyright) Figure 16: Figure 16: Kids playing as a farmer uses a horse to thresh grain. (Add Copyright)

ACTIVITY: What methods are being used in the pictures below to thresh grain? Describe the processes below.

CONCEPT ACTIVITY: Complete the graphic below by labeling the parts of the cycle of breadmaking. Name each of the four parts and describe each step in your own words.

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A. How do we get olives?

B. What is olive oil? What was it used for? Describe the process of getting it.

C. Describe how wine is made:

Figure 19: Olive Trees (Add Copyright) Figure 18: One kind of olive press used a stone that was rolled over olives. (Add Copyright)

Figure 20: An ancient wine press in Israel. People would stomp on the grapes on the top and the wine would flow into the bottom. (Add copyright)

DISCUSSION QUESTION: What do you think? What does the Bible say about alcohol? How should Christians treat wine and alcohol? Write some thoughts below and then discuss with your neighbor.

Figure 17: Black Olives (Add Copyright)

Olives are harvested from olive trees.

Olive oil comes from pressing olives. It could be used for food, cooking, lamps, bathing & grooming, and anointing for a special job.

Wine is made by fermenting grape juice. Grapes are crushed similar to the way you make olive oil. The juice changes to alcohol when it sits with the right ingredients.

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D. How would middle eastern people drink wine?

E. What happens to people who drink wine?

F. How do Christians feel about wine & alcohol?

G. What does the Bible say about alcohol?

H. What did mealtime look like.

I. When did they usually rest. Why?

Wine was an important part of ancient middle east culture. Wine with little alcohol would be used as a safe everyday drink or mixed with water. Wine with higher alcohol was drank as food and as a special treat for meals and special occasions like weddings.

Drinking a little wine in moderation is safe for adults. Moderation is not having too much of something. Drinking too much wine can lead to health problems and alcohol addiction. Being an alcoholic is one of the most serious, life-ruining addictions.

Figure 21: A painting of the story when Jesus turned water into wine. His first miracle at a wedding in Cana.

Some Christians don’t drink alcohol at all to be safe. Others are fine with drinking in moderation.

BIBLE ACTIVITY: Look up and write the meaning of the following verses.

Psalm 104:14-15 Ephesians 5:18

The Bible talks of alcohol as a gift of God to be enjoyed like other foods. However, it always talks of getting drunk as a sin and strictly warns against it in verses such as Proverbs 23:20-21, 29-35.

People usually ate two meals and a snack each day.

The middle of the day is very hot in the middle east. Because of this many people in these countries take a break around noon.

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J. What would they do in the evening?

IV. 3.3: The Phoenicians: A Seafaring People A. Where was Phoenicia located.

B. What were its most important cities.

C. What natural gifts helped the Phoenicians?

D. How were the Phoenicians great traders?

E. How were they great sailors?

People would work until the light was gone. People might draw water from a spring or well. The main meal of the day took place. Servants would wash the feet of guests.

A narrow strip of coast north of Israel on the Mediterranean Sea. Mostly in what is today modern Lebanon.

Figure 23: Map of Phoenicia. (Add Copyright)

Tyre, Sidon, & Byblos

Great ports on the coast and strong cedar and fir trees to build ships with.

They were Middlemen – People who carry one person’s goods to another person. They traded papyrus – a paper like material made from the papyrus plant. They also were famous for blown glass and purple dye made from murex sea snails. The dye was very expensive and worn only by royalty.

They used their ships to sail all over the Mediterranean, trade with others, and found important cities like Carthage in North Africa.

Figure 24: A murex shell with dye that is made out of its juices. (Add Copyright)

Figure 22: Some magnificent cedars of Lebanon. Since trees are rare in the middle east, they are a precious resource. (Add Copyright)

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F. Describe the Phoenician Alphabet. Why was it important?

V. 3.5: The Hittites: Empire Builders A. The Hittites lived in Asia Minor. Where is that?

B. Why were the Hittites important to Biblical history.

C. What were the Hittites famous for?

Phoenicians invented one of the first alphabets. Instead of just writing symbols they matched symbols with sounds. Their alphabet was shared and developed by others including the Greeks.

Asia Minor is a large peninsula made up mostly of modern day Turkey. A peninsula is a body of land that is surrounded by water on three sides. They lived there around 2000 B.C.

Figure 25: The Phoenician alphabet.

COMPREHENSION QUESTION: How was Sumerian writing different from Phoenician writing? Which one was easier to use and why?

Figure 26: Map of Hittite Empire showing its greatest extent. (Add Copyright)

For many years people doubted the existence of the Hittites who were mentioned in the Bible, until archaeologists confirmed they were real.

The Hittites were famous warriors who conquered a great empire using their swords and iron chariots. An empire is a group of countries or kingdoms under the control of a powerful ruler, usually called an emperor.

Sumerian writing was made up of symbols, while Phoenician writing was an alphabet made up of sounds. Phoenician writing was easier because it had 1) less symbols to remember, 2) they could reuse symbols, and 3) It was easier to read because it was based on sounds.

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VI. 3.6: Lydians: Makers of Money A. Describe the country of Lydia.

B. Most ancient people traded by barter. What is barter? Give an example.

C. What did the Lydians invent to improve trade? What effects did it have?

VII. 3.7: The Israelites: God’s Chosen People A. What are some of the different names given to the land of Israel?

B. What made the land of Israel important.

Lydia was also in Asia Minor. It was a great trading center.

Barter is giving some of one kind of good for another kind of good. Some examples would be trading pottery for flour or trading cattle for metal tools. This allowed people with different kinds of goods to trade with each other.

Figure 28: Map of Ancient Lydia

Figure 27: An Egyptian drawing of a Hittite Chariot. (Add Copyright)

The Lydians invented coined money which was better than using bars or lumps or precious metals. Around 700 B.C. they minted the world’s first coins. Which were much easier to use and transport.

Figure 29: Lydian Coins (Add Copyright)

This land has had many different names. It was called Canaan before it was renamed Israel the Israelites lived there. It was also called Judah and later Judea during the time of Jesus after the tribe of Judah/the Jews. In modern times it has been called Palestine.

It was an important land bridge between Egypt, Asia Minor, and Mesopotamia.

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C. Why was Israel also not an important country?

D. What are some important Geographical features of Israel?

E. How did Israel’s history start?

F. How did Israel get the land of Israel?

Israel was never as big or powerful as its neighbors like Egypt or Assyria. It was a relatively small and insignificant country. God loves to use the weak to accomplish his plan.

The Jordan River is the longest and most important river in Israel, though it is not very big compared to other rivers.

Figure 30: A picture of the Jordan River. It is not a particularly big river, but it is the most important river in Israel (Add Copyright)

The Sea of Galilee is a large lake which is an excellent place to fish.

The Dead Sea is the saltiest body of water in the world and is the lowest place on earth, about 1,300 feet below sea level.

Israel is descended from the family of Abraham. During the time of Joseph Abraham’s family went down to Egypt to escape famine. Eventually they became enslaved by unfriendly Pharoah’s, or rulers, in Egypt.

God raised up Moses to be a deliverer. He led the Israelites out of Egypt. On the way to their new home they stopped at Mt. Sinai to learn the law of God.

FAMILY TREE ACTIVITY: Draw Abraham’s Family Tree Below

God had promised the land to Abraham and his descendants. After Moses Joshua became the leader or Israel.

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G. Describe the Conquest

H. Who were the Judges?

I. How did Israel become a kingdom?

Joshua led the Israelites over the Jordan to the promised land. They first conquered the city of Jericho and over many years took control of most of the land of Canaan. For years after they would fight against remaining Canaanites, Philistines, and other enemies.

After Joshua, Israel was ruled by different judges, a leader chosen by God to rule and deliver his people. Some famous Judges were Samson, Samuel, Gideon, and Deborah.

Eventually Israel wanted kings like the other countries. They chosen Saul and their first king, who eventually disobeyed God. David became king next and was known as a man after God’s own heart. Solomon his son became one of the wisest and richest men who ever lived. Jerusalem became the capital of Israel.

MAP ACTIVITY: A) Color the following bodies of water blue 1)

The Great Sea (Mediterranean), 2) Sea of Galilee, 3) The Jordan River, 4) The Dead Sea

B) Color the following nations different colors from other nearby: 1) Israel, 2) Judah, 3) Philista, 4) Phoenicia, 5) Kingdom of Damascus, 6) Ammon, 7) Moab, 8) Edom.

C) Circle the cities of 1) Jerusalem, 2) Samaria, 3) Tyre, 4) Sidon, 5) Damascus.

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J. How did the kingdom become divided?

K. What happened to the nation of Israel?

VIII. 3.8: The Assyrian Empire A. Where was Assyria located?

B. Assyrians were feared conquerors. Describe their empire.

After Solomon, Israel was divided into two kingdoms, Judah in the south and Israel in the north. Most of the kings who reigned during this time disobeyed God and worshipped Idols. Some of the kings in Judah were godly men.

Because Israel would not repent of its sins or follow God faithfully, God allowed both kingdoms in Israel were conquered by the powerful Assyrian and Babylonian empires. They would be ruled by other empires up to the time of Jesus 600 years later.

Assyria was in the fertile hill country near the source of the Tigris River. Its capital was the city of Nineveh.

Under King Tiglath-pileser III Assyria conquered a large empire stretching from Mesopotamia, to Asia Minor, to Egypt. They were brutal conquerers who destroyed cities, tortured captives, and uprooted entire populations.

Figure 31: Map of the Neo Assyrian Empire.

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A. What advantage did the Assyrians have over their enemies?

B. How are the Assyrians a part of biblical history?

C. How do Jonah and Nahum relate to Ninevah?

IX. 3.9: The Babylonian Empire A. Describe the city of Babylon.

They had iron helmets and armor, drove fast moving chariots, and had iron weapons, sharper than the bronze ones of their opponents. Their fierce reputation terrified their opponents.

Figure 32: Ancient carving of Assyrian soldiers skinning opponents alive. They were brutal conquerers.

Assyria was the nation God used to judge the wicked Northern kingdom of Israel. They defeated them and took them into captivity.

Later God miraculously rescued godly king Hezekiah and the kingdom of Judah from Sennacherib king of Assyria when he sent an angel to kill 185,000 soldiers during the night. This amazing defeat is recorded in history.

God sent Jonah to preach to Nineveh. Jonah chose to run away instead of obey God until getting swallowed by a fish changed his mind. Nineveh did repent but eventually turned again to their wicked ways. The prophet Nahum prophesied Assyria’s destruction by the Babylonians.

Babylon is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. It’s name is similar to “Babel” which it may have been close to. It was a very important city. It was large and well planned with two walls and a bridge over the river.

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B. Describe the First Babylonian Empire.

C. What was the Code of Hammurabi?

D. Describe the New Babylonian Empire.

E. What were the hanging gardens of Babylon?

Around 3,700 years ago, before the Israelites were in Egypt, a great leader named Hammurabi conquered the cities around Babylon and built an empire. This was the first Babylonian Empire.

Hammurabi was also famous for his law code called the Code of Hammurabi. It contained over 300 laws about marriage, business, farming and many other things. He had it carved on stone so it could be remembered. Many laws were similar to laws in the Bible.

Figure 33: An artist's impression of Babylon (Add Copyright)

Many years later. Babylon would become great again when the Chaldeans from southern Mesopotamia under kings Nabopolasar and Nebuchadnezzar II defeated the Assyrians and set up a mighty empire.

Figure 34: The Hammurabi Stele. By Mbzt - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16931676

One of the seven wonders of the ancient world were the hanging gardens in Babylon. A magnificent stepped garden built for Nebuchadnezzar’s wife.

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F. Describe Daniel’s time in Babylon

G. Describe Daniel’s time under the Persians.

X. 3.10: The Persian Empire A. Describe Cyrus the Great and the Persian Empire.

The Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar defeated the kingdom of Judah and took many of its people into captivity, including Daniel. Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about a statue representing future kingdoms. Later Nebuchadnezzar would go insane for a time as judgment for his pride. He would also try and throw Daniel’s friends into the fiery furnace.

Daniel later interpreted writing on the wall for King Belshazzar, predicting the fall of Babylon to the Persians.

Figure 35: Nebuchadnezzar's dream.

Figure 36: Daniel in the Lion's Den

Daniel continued to serve under Cyrus and Darius of Persia. During this time he became a ruler and was miraculously saved from the lion’s den after a plot against him.

Babylon was defeated by Cyrus the Great, leader of the Persians and Medes, also known as the Persian empire. They came from what is modern day Iran today. The Persians built a great empire that stretched from Greece, to Egypt, to India.

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B. How was Cyrus a wise ruler?

C. How did God use Cyrus to return Israel to their land?

D. What happened to the Persian Empire?

Instead of scattering or taking conquered territories into captivity, Cyrus would allow conquered peoples to follow their old customs, officials keep their same jobs, and follow their old religious practices as long as they obeyed him. Giving people these freedoms helped them have loyalty to their new ruler.

Cyrus allowed the captive Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple, just like God had promised and prophesied. The Jews would stay in their homeland until they were kicked out by the Romans after the time of Jesus.

The Persian Empire fell when it was conquered by the Greeks under Alexander the Great.

Figure 37: The Persian Empire (By This vector image was created by Ali Zifan [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)