Pre-class

• What is more diverse, the United States or the Middle

East?

• Why?

The Middle East

Chapter 25

Where is the Middle East?

• The region was named by Europeans comparing where they lived to Asia, the far east.

• Middle Eastern culture is in Northern Africa and Southwestern Asia

The Crossroads of the World

• The region connects Africa, Asia, Europe

• It became a trade crossroads over land and water

• Goods would travel across Asia through the Middle East – Across the Mediterranean to Europe– Down the Red Sea to East Africa

The Crossroads: Even Today• Military and Economic Positions• Commands major sea routes

– Suez Canal: Mediterranean to the Red Sea to Indian Ocean

– Bosporus and the Dardanelles– Strait of Hormuz: mouth of the Persian

Gulf

• Oil

Diffusion

People

The population

• Ethnic Groups – Arabs, Persians, Kurds, Pakistanis, Afghans, Jews, Turks

• Total in Middle East – 197,090,443

• Languages – Arabic and Persian are most common

Population Denisty for Israel

Outsourced

• Stereotypes– American– Indian

• Cultural Differences– American – Indian

Religion

•Judaism

•Christianity

•Islam

Goods/Trade/Inventions

• Our Alphabet

• Iron Making• Sails

Pre-Class

• What ethnic groups live in the Middle East?

• What are the predominant language groups in the ME?

• Name three monotheistic religions that began in the Middle East

Major Regions

The Northern Tier

• Across Turkey and Iran–Anatolian Plateau: ringed by

mountains, fertile region, supports farming, large population

–Iranian Plateau: ringed by mountains, dry region, no farming, small population

Arabian Peninsula

• About 1/3 the size of the United States

• Borders major bodies of water• Small population b/c most of it is a

desert• Major role in world economy

– OIL

• Home of Islam

Fertile Crescent

• Arc-shaped region

• Mediterranean

• Tigris & Euphrates

• Persian Gulf

Fertile Crescent

• Home to first civilizations: Mesopotamia

• Few natural barriers led to being conquered often throughout history

• Region floods unpredictably in spring or summer – Too much=disaster; too little=drought

Nile Valley

• Geographic Advantages–Ample natural barriers

•Deserts in the east and west

–Predictable & dependable flooding

The Maghreb

• Maghreb means ‘Western Isle’ in Arabic

• Northern Africa

• People concentrated near Mediterranean Coast

• Small population in Sahara and Atlas Mtns

Climate & Resources

• High Population Density in well-watered areas

• <10% of the land is farmable• Resourceful irrigators since early

civilizations• Salt, phosphate, & copper = major

resources• Uneven oil distribution creates economic

disparity

Early Civilizations

Sumerians

• The first civilization in the Middle East

• Collection of city-states

• Polytheistic religion

• Built Ziggurats

• Writing was called cuneiform

The Babylonians

• Conquered the fertile crescent

• King Hammurabi wrote a code of laws– Minor laws– Major laws

• Hammurabi's Code

Hammurabi’s Law

• One of 1st written set of laws

• Posted in public for people to see

• Most of the nearly 300 laws written on the pillar pertain to property rights of landowners, slavemasters, merchants, and builders.

The Hittites

• Conquered the Fertile Crescent from the Northern Tier

• Used iron weapons

• Spread their culture through warfare

The Phoenicians

• Set up city states along the Mediterranean

• Created the alphabet that evolved into what we use today

• Diffusion spread the alphabet across the Middle East

The Persians

• The largest empire - Turkey to Indus River

• Divided the empire into provinces and each province had a governor (Satrap)

• Created roadways to encourage trade

• Used coins for money

The Romans and Greeks

• Blended Middle Eastern Culture with European Culture

• Alexander the Great united the two regions

• The Romans spread the culture west as far away as England

Early Civs Chart

Civilization Location Accomplishments

Sumerian Mesopotamia; Fertile Crescent

Babylonians Mesopotamia; Fertile Crescent

Hittites Fertile Crescent

Phoenician Mediterranean Coast

Persian Iran; across Fertile Crescent

Development of Religion in the Middle East

• First religions – Polytheistic – animism (all parts of nature)

• Judaism – monotheism – 5717 years old– 10 commandments – Torah – prophets

• Christianity – monotheism – 2010 years old– Based on Jesus – Bible– prophets

• Judaism – 5621. How did Judaism differ from

other early religions?

2. Who is the father of Judaism?

3. What are the best known Jewish laws?

4. What was promised to the Jews?

5. What is the remaining wall of the temple called? Why is it important?

6. What is a Diaspora?

7. Define prophet

8. What do Jews believe about the Messiah?

9. What are 3 Jewish Holidays? What do they celebrate?

1. Christianity – 565 1. Out of what religion did

Christianity grow

2. How do Christian beliefs about Jesus differ from other religions?

3. How is the bible divided? What are the parts called?

4. Why are the resurrection and ascension important to Christians?

5. Why were Christians persecuted?

6. Why did Christianity appeal to people? Why did it spread?

7. What is the eastern Orthodox Christian Church?

8. What are 3 Christian Holidays? What do they Celebrate

Judaism• The first monotheistic religion• The land they lived on was called Judea; today it

is Israel• King David, military general, and King Solomon,

wisdom and peace, were two of the greatest leaders

• Jewish power ended when the Persians conquered their land

• 70 AD a Jewish revolt against the Romans forced Jews from their lands (Diaspora)

Video questions

1. Who was Abraham?

2. What was the exodus?

3. Why were Jews persecuted?

4. What are the basic Jewish teachings?

5. Why is Jerusalem a sacred city?

6. What are 2 important Jewish celebrations or holidays?

7. What is Passover?

Christianity

• Christianity grew out of Jewish traditions

• Jesus was born in Israel when it was ruled by the Romans

• Some people saw Jesus as the messiah, others saw him as a trouble maker

• Christianity stressed compassion for others using parables, stories with moral lessons

The spread of Christianity

• Christianity appealed to people because it offered hope and eternal life to rich and poor

• People could make their own choices to impact their salvation

• The trade routes of the Romans helped spread Christianity

Chapter 25 Vocab Terms

• Hammurabi• cuneiform• ziggurat• city-state• Sumer• Peninsula• Strait

• Satrap• Hellenistic Civilization• Oasis• Messiah• Parable• Torah• Abraham• Monotheism• Diaspora• Crossroads of the World

• Why was the Middle East called the “crossroads of the world”?

• Why is the Arabian Peninsula home to a small population?

• Describe two achievements of early Middle Eastern Civilizations

• Why did Christianity spread so rapidly?

• List two continents connected by the Middle East

• List 3 ethnic groups that are native to the Middle East

• What innovation made the Hittites so powerful?

• What is the major geographic feature of the Maghreb?

• How do the Old and New Testaments differ?

• Why did the Romans persecute the Jews and Christians?

• Why did Christianity appeal to people?

Identifications

• Oasis

• Peninsula

• Strait

• Ziggurat• Cuneiform

• Parable

• Martyr

• Pope

• Ten Commandments

• Gospels

Identifications

• Western Wall

• Carriers of Civilization

• Hittites

• Byzantine Church

• “First Civilization”

• Torah

• Abraham

• Monotheism

• Diaspora

• Crossroads of the World