The Mediterranean

Mediterranean civilizations are not as old as the River Valley Civilizations

River Valley Civilizations

• 3500 to 500 B.C.E
• Mesopotamia (Tigris and Euphrates)
• Egypt (Nile)
• Indus River
• China (Huang He)

Mediterranean Civilizations

• 2000 to 500 B.C.E
• Hebrews
• Phoenicians

Better tools, and new technology (like boats) helped these people take advantage of their environment.

The Phoenicians

Geography

Mediterranean coast
(part of Fertile Crescent in Southwest Asia)

Untitled Slide

Government

Kings ruled through Dynasties chosen from "elite" families

City-states (colonies) were almost as powerful because of their trade networks.

The Phoenicians are famous for their ships and trading, which brought them tons of money

They are particularly known for "Tyrian Purple" a special purple dye that was loved by royalty

Phoenician ships were some of the best in the world, and allowed them to navigate the dangerous Mediterranean waters

Untitled Slide

Religion

Phoenicians were Polytheistic

Writing

The Alphabet!

Phoenicians were first to make a written language the represented sounds

The Alphabet spread through trade to the Greeks, and to our own languages today

The Hebrews

Geography

Between the Mediterranean Sea
and the Jordan River (part of Fertile
Crescent below Phoenicia)

Untitled Slide

Religion

Hebrews are the first Monotheistic believers

Most of what Hebrews believe comes from their holy book known as the Torah

The Torah contains both the written records and beliefs of the Jewish people

Hebrews in the Torah

Abraham

• First to believe in 1 god (Yahweh)
• Made a deal (or "covenant") that he would only obey Yahweh in exchange for protection
• Yahweh commands Abraham to move his family from Mesopotamia to Canaan

Untitled Slide

Hebrews in the Torah

• Hebrews leave Canaan after a drought
• They are enslaved by the Egyptians
• Moses eventually helps to free the Hebrews

While the Hebrews travel back to Canaan, Yahweh gives Moses the 10 Commandments

The 10 Commandments become the written moral code for the Hebrew people

The Hebrews later set up a capital for their kingdom in the city of Jerusalem

Untitled Slide

Today Jerusalem is considered a holy sight for the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions

These three religions are known as the "Abraham religions" as they are all connected to Abraham

Eventually, the Jewish kingdom was conquered by neighbors, leaving Hebrews without a home

Diaspora: Spread out, or disbursed, throughout the world