Chapter Preview

This chapter will introduce you to

the civilizations of an ancient
region of the Middle East known
as the Fertile Crescent.

Sectiom I
Land Between Two Rivers
Section 2
Fertile Crescent Empires
Sec&iom 3
The Legacy of Mesopotamia
Section 4
Mediterranean Civilizations
Section 5
Judaism

Target
Reading Skill
Clarifying Meaning ln this chapter
you willfocus on clarifying, or bet-
ter understanding, the meaning of
what you read.

") A shepherd,grazes his sheep

along the banks of the Euphrates
River in Syria.
'&'t
#!
Objectives Target Kelt Terms
ln this section you will Reading Skill . scribe Gkryb) n. a profes-
1. Find out how geography made the rise of Reread Rereading is a sional writer
civilization in the Fertile Crescent possible. strategy that can help you . Fertile Crescent (run tul
2. Learn about Sumer's first cities. to understand words and rnrs unt) n. a region in
3. Examine the characteristics of ideas in the text. lf you do Southwest Asia; site of
Sumerian religion. not understand a certain the first civilizations
passage, reread it to look . city-state (srn tee stayt)
Taking Notes for connections among the n. a city that is also a
As you read, look for details about words and sentences. When separate, independent
Mesopotamia and Sumer. Copy the outline you reread, you may gain a state
below, and use it to record your findings. better understanding of . polytheism (pnul ih thee
the more complicated ideas. iz um) n. the belief in
l. The geographic setting many gods
A. Mesopotamia . myth (mith) n. a tradi-
1.
2.
tional story; in some cul-
B. The Tigris and tures, a legend that
Euphrates rivers explains people's beliefs
lt.

T;" following words from the past come from a student at one
of the world's first schools. He tells what happened to him when
his homeworkwas sloppy or when he spoke without permission.

((My headmaster read my tablet and said, 'There is some-

thing missing,'and hit me with a cane. . . . The fellow in
charge of silence said, 'Why did you talk without per-
mission?'and caned rn". ))

-A Sumerian student_
The first known schools were set up in the land of Sumer
(soo mur) over 4,000 years ago. Sumerian schools taught boys-
The Work of Scribes
and possibly a few girls-the new invention of writing. Graduates
The language on this tablet-
Sumerian-is the oldest known of the schools became scribes, or professional writers. Scribes
written language. Analyze were important because theykept records for the kings and priests.
lnformation Why were scribes Learning to be a scribe was hard work. Students normally began
important in Sumer?
school at about the age of eight and finished about ten years later.
The writings Sumerian scribes left behind help to tell the story of
this early civilization.

30 History of Our World

The Geographic Setting
Sumer was located in a region called Mesopotamia (mes uh puh
TAY mee uh). Look at the map titled Mesopotamia. Like the place
where you live, ancient Mesopotamia had special attractions that The ruinsof Uruk, an ancient
drew people to settle there. Most impor- Sumerian city on the Euphrates
River; nofthwest of Ur
tant, it had rich soil and- life-giving rivers.
These attractions drew people who became
farmers and city builders. Sumer's central
location within the ancient world drew
many traders from other regions. Sumer
became one of the most prosperous areas
of the ancient world.

The Location of Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia's name describes its loca-
tion. The word Mesopotamla comes from
Greek words that mean J'between the riv-
ers." The map above shows that Mesopota-
mia lies between two rivers, the Tigris and
the Euphrates.

Chapter2Sectionl Sl
 Mesopotamia is part of the Fertile Crescent, a region in
Southwest Asia that was the site of the world's first civilizations.
Tirrn to the map titled The Fertile Crescent on page 29. To see
how this region got its name, place your finger at the eastern edge
of the Mediterranean Sea (med uh tuh RAY nee un) on the map.
Move eastward from the Mediterranean coast to Mesopotamia.
Then move southeast to the Persian Gulf. Notice that the region
you've traced is shaped like a crescent moon. The rivers of this
crescent-shaped region helped to make it one of the best places in
Southwest Asia for growing crops.

Rivers of Life and Death The Tigris and the Euphrates riv-
ers were the source of life for the peoples of Mesopotamia. In the
Peacetime in Sumer spring, melting snow picked up tons of topsoil as it rushed down
Around 2500 e.c., artists from the from the mountains and flooded the land. The floods left this
Sumerian city-state of Ur created
topsoil on the plain below. Farmers grew crops in this soil. The
this mosaic recording of peacetime
activities. Shown are two out of the rivers also supplied fish, clay for building, and tall, strong reeds
three rows of figures. used to make boats.
i) The king sits facing members of The floodwaters sometimes brought sorrows as well as gifts.
the royal family at a banquet.
The floods did not always happen at the same time each year.
Q Servants stand ready to wait upon
the royal family. Racing down without warning, they swept away people, animals,
fl A musician playing a harp and a crops, and houses. Then, the survivors would rebuild and pray
singer provide entertainment.
that the next flood would not be so destructive.
@ Servants deliver animals, fish,
and other items for the feast.
lnfer How do the activities shown ffiHowdidfloodingriversaffectpeoptewhosettled
in Mesopotamia?
provide clues about jobs and social
c/asses in Ur?

:kr .e
32 History of Our
k";':*il-ffi%
-
The First Cities
As farming succeeded in Mesopotamia, communities began to
build up surpluses of food. In time, food surpluses encouraged
the growth of cities. By 3500 B.c., some of the earliest known cit-
ies arose in the southern region of Sumer, along the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers.

lndependent Cities Form Although cities in Sumer

shared
a common culture and language, they did not uniie under a sin-
gle ruler. Instead, they remained politically independent city-
states. A city-state is a city that is also a separate, independent
h5 Rereadinq
state. Each Sumerian city acted as an independent state, with its b:!6 Reread thJparagraph at
own special god or goddess, its own government, its own orlnl, left. tn what ways did Sumerian
and, eventually, its own king. cities act as states?

A Brief Tour of a Sumerian City Public squares bustled with

activity. In the marketplaces, merchants displayed goods in out-
door stalls. Musicians, acrobats, beggars, and water sellers filled
the streets. For a fee, scribes wrote letters for those who could not
read or write. Sumerian houses faced away from the crowded
streets, onto inner courtyards where families ate and children
played. On hot nights, people slept outdoors on their homes'flat
roofs. Oil lamps supplied light for Sumerian homes.

ffi How were the cities of sumer governed?

::? r i . :

Chapter 2 Section 1

"ru*ffir&4
 Sumerian Religion
A stranger coming to a Sumerian city could easily notice a giant
brick building at the heart of the city. It was the ziggurat (ztc oo
rat), the site of the temple to the main god or goddess of the city.

Sumerian liemples Reiigious, social, and eco-

r}"'b nomic activities all took place at the temple sites. Zig-
gurats were pyramids made of terraces, one on top of
another, linked by ramps and stairs. Some were more
than seven stories high. At the top of each ziggrxat
was a shrine. The Sumerians believed that gods
descended to Earth using the ziggurat as a stairway.

Ancient Religious Beliefs The people of Sum-

er worshiped many gods and goddesses. This practice
is known as To
understand this word, break it up into its parts. Poly-,
a Greek prefix, means "many." Theism means "belief
Sumerians placed prayer figures
in a god or gods."
on altars. The eyes of the wor-
shiping figures were made wide, Sumerian myths, or stories about gods that
as though they were fixed on explain people's beliefs, warned that the gods would punish
t[e gods. people who angered them. The myths also promised rewards to
people who served the gods well.

Stairway to the Heavens

This partially restored brick ziggurat was part of the ancient
city of Ur. Analyze Images Why do you think the
Sumerians believed the gods could use the ziggurat to
descend to Earth?

34 History of Our World

 Honoring the Gods The S'umerians honored their gods in
religious ceremonies. Temple priests washed the statues of gods
before and after each meal was offered. Music sounded and
incense burned as huge plates of food were laid before them. In
most ancient religions, the food was often eaten after it was pre-
sented to the gods. Perhaps the worshipers thought that by eating
the offering, they would be taking in the qualities they admired
in the gods. The religious beliefs of the Sumerians give us an idea
of what was important to them. Foetry was also used to express
what was important to them:

((eehold the bond of Heaven and Earth, the city. .. .

Behold . . . its well of good water.

Behold . . . its pure canal. ))
Sumerian poem
-A
The Fall of Sumer Unfortunatelyfo. Sumer, its wealthbecame
its downfall. Sumerian city-states fought each other over land and
the use of river water. Rulers from various city-states won and lost A reconstructed musical instru-
ment called a Iyre (lyr), about
control of all of Sumer. Around 2300 n.c.,.Sumer was conquered 2500 e.c., from Ur
by the armies of neighboring Akkad (er ud. Its ruler, King Sar-
gon, united the Sumerian city-states and improved Sumer's gov-
ernment and its military. Sumer remained united for about 100
years until it dissolved once more into independent city-states.
Sumer was no longer a major power after 2000 B.c. It fell to a
northern rival, Babylonia, in the 1700s B.c.
rlfu#k* What weakened the cities of Sumer?

Key Terms (b) Find the Main ldeas How did Writing Activity
Review the key terms at the Mesopotamia's geography help Write a journal entry from the
beginning of this section. Use civilizations to develop in viewpoint of a student scribe in
each term in a sentence that the area? Sumer. Describe what you see on
explains its meaning. 2. (a) Compare ln what ways your walk to school.
were Sumerian cities alike?
'@ farget Reading Skill (b) Contrast ln what ways were
What word or idea Were you the cities of Sumer different?
able to clarify by rereading 3. (a) Explain How did Sumerians
certain passages? practice religion? .Go Snline
Comprehension and (b) lnfer What do the religious
practices of the Sumerians tell us
-+Hschool.com
Critical Thinking about their values?
For: An activity on Sumer
Visit: PHSchool.com
1. (a) Recall Describe the geogra- Web Code: lbd-2201
."phy of Mesopotamia.

Chapter 2 Section , ,,
ff
 Fur.r,irrg the land "between the rivers" required skill and
determination. The life-giving rivers could be generous one year
and stingy the next. Frosts, droughts, floods, weeds, or insects
could bring starvation. For survival, families worked together in
farming communities. As cities rose above the Mesopotamian
plain, governments created huge farms. From the river-fed land,
farmers cultivated the crops-wheat, barley, cucumbers, and
figs-that nourished kingdoms for many years to.come.
, ,o.r..\,1

Mesopotamia were allowed a cer- ft

e '',;1t
tain amount of water each year to
prepare their soil for planting and t't
;I
fi1r
?]r :{
fr :,i].:{i,'
., , 2t'
1' ":;:' i' * .it
rs. Local ofiicials {
often decided when to open the ._. tI . . ir-. f r
$4:g.*
floodgates in canals, allowing fi; jk"ffiq_ ' u''..}j
water into the fields. .., -' -jt 'ila

Farmers would let their animals ;

and ffi
graze in the wet soil, to trample
eat the weeds. The earliest farmers Ms;
then broke up the soil using hand .'-fr&'.. i'tii,r

tools. This work became easier with *:

the invention of the ox-drawn plow.
After plowing, the seeds could be
planted.
At first, farmers spread seeds by
hand. ln the 2000s a.c., they
attached a funnel to the plow, as
shown in the illustration, to spread
the seeds easily and more evenly.
After the grain was harvested, it
was threshed, or pounded to sepa-
rate the grain from the straw.

36 History of Our World

 Farming Tools a-.'
Early farmers in Mesopotamia first used simple tools-
sticks for plowing and stone-bladed sickles, like the
one shown here, for harvesting grain. ln time, more
efficient tools were invented.

_:ji'r::'l:,

Analyze lnformation Describe how

farmers in Mesopotamia prepared the Pottery
The pottery made by Mesopotamians had many
soil and planted their crops.
uses. The spouted vessel above, from about 3000 e.c.,

Draw Conclusions How did Mesopota- was found in lraq. lt may have been used to carry
mians improve their farming methods water. The cup, dated to 2200-1900 8.c., was found
in lsrael. lt was probably used to measure grain.
over time?

Chapter2Sectionl ST
Prepare to Read
Objectives za f31qa1 Key Terms
ln this section you will \gf nealins skill . empire (rv pyr) n. many
1. Learn about the three most important Paraphrase When you territories and peoples
empires of the Fertile Crescent. paraphrase, you restate controlled by one
2. Find out what characterized the Babylo- what you have read in your government
nian and Assyrian empires. own words. You could . Babylon (eae uh lahn) n.
3. lnvestigate the achievements of the paraphrase the first the capital of Babylonia;
Persian Empire. paragraph of this section a city of great wealth
this way: "King Sargon ll of and luxury
Taking Notes Assyria learned that two . caravan (ra ruh van) n. a
As you read, note the similarities and the kingdoms were joining group of travelers jour-
differences between Babylonia and Assyria. together to resist him. ln ,r neying together
Copy the Venn diagram below and record 714 e.c., he attacked the bazaar (buh znHn) n. a
your findings in it. weaker forces of Urartu market selling different
Mesopotamian Empires and Zikirtu." kinds of goods
As you read, paraphrase o Zoroastrianism (zoh roh
or "say back" the informa- As tree un iz um) n. a
tion following each red or religion that developed
blue heading. in ancient Persia

Krn, Sargon II of Asspia (uh sEER ee uh) heard

King Sargon ll of Assyria (center) the news: Assyria had attacked the nearby kirg-
and two officials doms of Urartu and Ztkirtu as planned. But the
two kingdoms had then joined forces against him.
How dare they resist the most powerful monarch
in the world? In the summer of 7I4 B.c., King Sar-
gon II set out to confront his enemies.
The two kingdoms were no match for the pow-
erful Assyrian ruler. His armies quickly overcame
the forces of Urartu and killed all who resisted. The
Assyrians howled with laughter when they saw the
king of Urartu fleeing on an old horse. Sargon II let
him go. He knew that the defeated king would serve
as a warning to others who might later be tempted
to challenge the mighty Assyrians. Sargon II was
one of many kings who ruled the Fertile Crescent
after the fall of Sumer.
The Babylonian Empire
A ruler who conquered all of Mesopotamia created an empire,
or an area of many territories and peoples that is controlled by
BabylonEan Mathennaties
one government. Rulers of empires gained great wealth from The Babylonians developed a
trade and agriculture. Hammurabi (hah muh nen bee) created useful system o_f mathematics
the Babylonian Empire in 1f787 s.c. by conquering cities in for solving everyday problems.
For example, they learned to
Sumer. Then he conquered lands far to the north. The beautiful
calculate areas of geometric
city of Babylon was the capital of the Babylonian empire. Find shapes. Such calculations were
the boundaries of the empire on the map titled Fertile Crescent important for making building
Empires, on page 39. plans. Their number system
The Babylonians built roads throughout the empire. The roads was based on numbers from l
to 50. We still divide minutes
made travel easier, which encouraged trade. Babylon's location and hours into 60 parts.
made it a crossroads of trade. Caravans, or groups of travelers,
stopped in Babylon on their way between Sumer to the south and
Assyria to the north. In the city's shoppers
could buy cotton cloth from India and spices from Eg1pt.
Trade made Babylon rich. But all the wealth that Babylon had
gathered could not save it from conquest. The empire that
Hammurabi had conquered shrank and was finally destroyed by
invaders in the early 1500s B.c.

/meadlnrg Cheek Who was Hammurabi, and what did he accomplish?

Chapter 2 Section 2
 The Empire of the Assyrians
The kingdom of Assyrialay in open land, making it easy for other
peoples to invade. Since they were constantly defending them-
selves, the Assyrians became skilled warriors. About 1365 B.C.,
they decided the best method of defense was to attack. By 650
B.C., Assyria had conquered a large empire. It stretched across the
Fertile Crescent, from the Nile River to the Persian Gulf.

Assyria's Contributions The Asspians were clever when it

came to waging war. They invented the battering ram, a powerful
weapon having a wooden beam mounted on wheels. Battering
rams pounded city walls to rubble. Warriors used slings to hurl
stones at the enemy. Expert archers were protected with helmets
Assyrian warriors carry and armor. But most feared were the armed charioteers who
slashed their way through the enemy troops.
As the empire grew Assyria's capital of Nineveh (xrN uh vuh)
became a city of great learning. It had a remarkable library that
held thousands of clay tablets with writings from Sumer and
Paraphrase
Paraphrase the para- Babylon. Because the Assyrians kept these records, we now know
graph that follows the heading a great deal about life in early Mesopotamia.
Assyria's Contri butions.
Assyria Overthrown The Assyrians had few friends in the
lands that they ruled. Conquered peoples attempted a number of
revolts against Assyrian rule. Two groups, the Medes (meedz)
and Chaldeans (kal oee unz), joined together to defeat the Assyr-
ian Empire in 612 r.c.

ffiWhatwerethestrengthsoftheAssyrianEmpire?
Babylonia Rises Again
Under the Chaldeans, Babylon rose again to even greater splendor.
It became the center of the New Babylonian Empire. The New
Babylonian Empire controlled the entire Fertile Crescent.

Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon King Nebuchadnez-

zar II (neb you kud NEZ ur) rebuilt the city of Babylon, which the
Assyrians had destroyed. He put up massive walls around the city
for protection. He also built a gigantic palace, decorated with
colored tiles. Nebuchadnezzar's royal palace was built on several
terraces that rose to the height of some 350 feet (110 meters). It
had a dazzlinglandscape of trees and gardens. According to leg-
ends, he built the towering palace and gardens for his wife, who
hated the dry plains of Mesopotamia.

Advances in Learning Under the rule of the Chaldeans,

Babylon again became a center of learning and science. Building on
earlier Babylonian knowledge of mathematics, Chaldean astrono- Assyrian and Arab Troops
mers charted the paths of the stars and measured the length of ayear. in Battle
This stone panel shows Assyrian
Their measurement was only a few minutes different from the length soldiers fighting Arabs mounted on
modern scientists have found. And Chaldean farmers raised "the flies camels.
that collect honey''-honey bees. fl Sturdy shields protected the
Assyrian soldiers.
Like other Mesopotamian empires, the Chaldeans were open
to attack by powerful neighbors. In 539 B.c., the New Babylonian
fl) The Arab archers fought from
swift camels.
Empire fell to the Persians,led by Cyrus the Great. But the city of qp The Assyrians fought from horse-
Babylon was spared back and from chariots.
fl) The Assyrian army was well
armed and highly trained.
ffi who was Nebuchadnezzar il?
Predict Judging by what you have
read about the Assyrian army, who is
likely to have won the battle shown
on this carving?
 The Persian Empire
lust to the east of the plains of Mesopotamia is a region of moun-
tains, valleys, and deserts that is today the nation of Iran. This
region was the homeland of the Persians who conquered Babylon
in 539 n.c. The Persians built the largest empire that the Fertile
Crescent had ever known. By 490 n.C., their empire stretched from
Greece in the west to India in the east.

A Rich and Tolerant Culture Persian culture included

Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian religion. Zoroastrians origi-
An Ancient Persian Earring nally worshiped one god, unlike their neighbors, who worshiped
This golden earring shows the Zoro- many. To rule their giant empire, the Persians developed a
astrian god, Ahura Mazda.
bureaucracy, or a complex structure of government offices. The
Synthesize What does this object
show about Persian culture? Persians also built a road network across their vast empire, which
enabled trade with neighboring civilizations.
The Persians tolerated peoples with different cultures. For
example, they freed Jews who had been held captive in Babylon.
They also supported Babylonian science and mathematics.

Lasting lnfluence Through conquest and trade, the Persians

spread their religion, their system of bureaucraqr, and Babylonian
rGo <ilnline
L---+Hsbhool.csm science to neighboring peoples, including the Greeks of Europe.
Use Web Code
mup-0816 for an interactivity These Persian cultural achievements survivedto help shape ourmod-
on Persia's capital, Persepolis.
ern civilization.

ffi How did the Persians promote trade?

Key Terms (b)Analyze How did the New Writing Activity

Review the key terms at the Babylonian Empire build on the Epitaphs are messages carved into
beginning of this section. Use achievements of earlier empires? tombstones. They praise and
each term in a sentence that 2. (a) Recall How did the Assyri- honor the deceased. Write an epi-
explains its meaning. ans build an empire? taph in remembrance of Neb-
(b) Compare How was the Assyr- uchadnezzar ll.
rB farget Reading Skill ian empire similar to or different
Paraphrase the last paragraph in from other Fertile Crescent
this section. empires? Writing Tip Keep yoLir mes-
3. (a) ldentify Where was the sage short and to the point. To
Comprehension and
homeland of the Persians? get started, summarize what
Critical Thinking (b) Synthesize What were the you know about Nebuchad-
ldentify Where was the city
1. (a)
main achievements of the Persians nezzar ll.
of Babylon located, and why was it
an.d what has been their lasting
important?
inf luence?

42 History of Our World

Obiectives Target Key Terms
ln this section you will Reading Skill code (kohd) n. an orga-
1. Learn about the importance of Summarize You can better nized list of laws and
Hammurabi's Code. understand a text if youi rules
2. Find out how the art of writing developed pause to restate the key Hammurabi (hah muh
in Mesopotamia. points briefly in your own nau bee) n. the king of
words. A good summary Babylon from about
Taking Notes i ncl udes im portant events 1792to 1750 e.c.; creator
As you read, lookfor details summarizing the and details, notes the of the Babylonian
achievements of Mesopotamian civi lizations. order in which the events Empire
Copy the table below, and record your f ind- occurred, and makes cuneiform (kyoo Nrr uh
ings in it. connections between the fawrm) n. groups of
events or details. wedges and lines used
The Legacy of Mesopotamia Use the table at the left to write several lan-
to help you summarize guages of the Fertile
Hammurabi's Code The Art of Writing
what you have read. Crescent

Sorn.,i-es the customs and iaws of other countries may

seem strange to us. Imagine what it would be like to have
to obey the laws set down by early civilizations.

((lt a man has destroyed the eye of a man of the

class of gentlemen, they shall destroy his eye. If
he has broken a gentleman's bone, they shall
break his bone. lf he has destroyed the eye of a
commoner or broken a bone of a commoner, he
shall pay one mina [measure of weight] of silver.
If he has destroyed the eye of a gentleman's
slave, or broken a bone of a gentleman's slave, he
shall pay half [the slave's] price. lf a gentlemant
slave strikes the cheek of a gentleman, they shall
cut off [the slave's] ear. ))
Hammurabi's Code
-from
King Hammurabi standing
before Shamash, the sun god
and the god of justice

Chapter2Section3 43
 Hammurabi's Code
What kind of justice system do you think we would have if our
laws were not written down? What would happen if a judge were
free to make any law he or she wanted, or if the judge could give
any punishment? Would people think that the laws were fair? A
written helps people knowwhat is
expected of them and what punishment they will receive if they
disobey a law.
We live by the idea that all laws should be written down and
* ilr#il::hepara.
graph at the right. Give the
applied fairly. The Babylonians held similar beliefs about law.
main point and two details.
Hammurabi ruled Babylonia from about L792 to 1750 s.C. He
set down rules for everyone in his empire to follow. These rules
are known as Hammurabi's Code. The code told the people of
Babylonia how to settle conflicts in all areas of life.
Hammurabi's Code, which was based partly on earlier Sume-
rian codes, contained 282laws organized in different categories.
These included trade,labor, property, and family. The code had
laws for adopting children, practicing medicine, hiring wagons or
boats, and controlling dangerous animals.

An Eye for an Eye Reread the first law from the

This clay Iion once
stood guard at quotation on page 43. Hammurabi's Code was based
a Babylonian on the idea of "an eye for an eye." In other words,
temple. punishrygn! s_hould be similar to the crime commit-
tedt'owe"eifBe ffia];pri-.q*;uy io un
Fopl.. The harshness of the punishment depended
on how important the victim and the lawbreaker
were. The higher the class of the victim, the greater
the penalty was. For example, an ox owner would pay
half a mina of silver if the ox gored a noble. If the vic-
tim was a slave, however, the owner would pay only
one third of a mina.
A person who accidentally broke a law was just as
guilty as someone who meant to break the law. People
who could not always control the outcome of their
work, such as doctors, had to be very careful, as the
following law shows:

((f a surgeon performed a major operation on

a citizen with a bronze lancet [knifel and has
caused the death of this citizen . . . his hand
shall be cut off. ))
Hammurabi's Code
-from
Laws for Everyone You proba-
bly know many rules. There are rules
for taking tests, playing ball, and living o lf any one steal the minor son of anothel he shall be put
in your home. People have followed- to death.
or broken-rules for thousands of o lf any one is committing a robbery and is caught, then he
years. What, then, was the importance shall be put to death.
of Hammurabi's Code? . lf any one open his ditches to water his crop, but is
The laws are important to us careless, and the water flood the field of his neighbol
because they were written down. then he shall pay his neighbor corn for his loss.
With written laws, everyone could . lf a man adopt a child [as his] son, and rear him, this
grown son cannot be demanded back again.
know the rules-and the punish-
ments. Hammurabi's punishments . lf a son strike his father; his hands shall be hewn (cut) off.
may seem harsh to us, trut they
improved upon previous laws. Ham-
murabi's laws were not the first
,., Chart Slcills
attempt by a society to set up a code of The table above shows five of
the nearly 300 laws that make
laws. But his laws are the first orga- up Hammurabi's Code. At the
nized, recorded set that we have found. left is a detail of the stone
pillar on which the laws were
lReading Check What was Hammurabi's Code? carved. ldentEfy Which of
the laws in the table deals
with the crime of kidnapping?
The Art of Writing Generaliae What do the laws
shown above tell us about the
Think how much more difficult life would be if no one knew Babylonians' ideas of justice?
how to read and write. But writing did not suddenly appear.It
took a long time for the art of writing to be developed. I

Ancient Scribes Writing first developed in Mesopotamia

around 3100 e.c. Long before Hammurabi issued his code, the
people of Sumer had developed a system of writing. Writing met
the need Sumerians had to keep records. Record keepers were
very important-and busy-people in Sumer. The Sumerians'
earliest written documents are records of farm animals. Since
FIew Discoveries ln 2000,
only a few people could write, it was one of the most valuable archaeologists uncovered a
skills in the ancient world. Scribes held positions of great respect small stone with an unfamiliar
in Mesopotamia. type of ancient writing
inscribed upon it. Scientists
The scribes of Sumer recorded sales and trades, tax payments,
estimate that the stone, found
gifts for the gods, and marriages and deaths. Some scribes had in the present-day country of
special tasks. Military scribes calculated the amount of food and Turkmenistan, dates back to
supplies that an army would need. Government scribes figured about 2300 e.c. The stone and
out the number of diggers needed to build a candrl. Written other findings in the area indi-
cate the existence of an
orders then went out to local officials who had to provide these ancient culture that had bedn
supplies or workers. None of these records were written on paper, entirely unknown. ' "- :'j
" ""<*"/
however. Paper had not yet been invented. Instead, the scribes of &?

Mespotamia kept their notes and records on clay.

Chapter2Section3 45
 A Record in Clay The Tigris and the Euphrates rivers pro-
vided scribes with the clay they used to write on. Each spring, the
rivers washed down clay from the mountains. Scribes shaped the
soft, wet clay into smooth, flat surfaces called tablets. They
marked their letters in the clay with sharp tools. When the clay
dried, it was a permanent record.
The shape and size of a tablet depended on its purpose. Larger
tablets were used for reference purposes. Like the heary atlases
and dictionaries in today's libraries, they stayed in one place.
Smaller tablets, the size of letters <ir postcards, were used for
personal messages. Even today, these personal tablets can be fun
to read. They show that Mesopotamians used writing to express
the ups and downs of everyday life:

((rhir is really a fine way of behaving! The gardeners

keep breaking into the date storehouse and taking
dates. You yourselves cover it up and do not report it to
me! Bring these men to me-after they have paid for
Scribes sometimes enclosed a the dates. l)
message (above) in an envelope
(top) made from wet clay. As the
-from a Mesopotamian tablet
envelope dried, it formed a seal
around the tablet. A sharpened How Writing Was lnvented Like most inventions, writing
reed (below) is used to write
cuneiform script on soft clay. developed over time. Long before the Sumerians invented writ-
ing, they used shaped pieces of clay as tokens, or symbols. They
used the clay tokens to keep records. Tokens could keep track of
how many animals were bought and sold, or how much food had
been grown. By around 3100 B.c., this form of record keeping
had developed into writing.
At first, written words were sym-
bols that represented specific objects.
Grain, oxen, water, or stars-each
important object had its own symbol.
As people learned to record ideas as
well as facts, the symbols changed.
Eventually, scribes combined symbols
to make groups of wedges and lines
known as cuneiform (kyoo NEE uh
fawrm). Cuneiform script could be
used to represent different languages.
This flexibility was highly useful in a
land of many peoples.

46 History of
 The Development of Cuneiform .,i Chart Slcills
The table at the left shows
Word Outline Sumerian, Assyrian, Chaldean, how cuneiform changed
Charactet About About About over time. ldentify The
About 2000 a.c. 700 e.c. 500 e.c. simplest symbols came from
3000 e.c. which time period? Gener-
alize How did the symbols
for each word change over
time?

God or

_P:::-: )e 'fl< >+-

{V1o**r*tmin
ar

Refer to the table above titled The Development of Cunei-

form. Notice how the symbols developed over time. Scholars ,-Go l*nline
HHSchool.com Use Web Code
believe that the Sumerians developed their system of writing mup-0817 for an interactivity
on ancient writing.
.... independently. That means that they did not borrow ideas from
the writing systems of other civilizations. Working independently
meant that they had many decisions to make. They decided that
. the symbols should be set in rows, that each row should be read
from Ieft to right, and that a page should be read from top to
bottom. What other languages are written this way?

ffiWhen,whergandhowdidwritingfirstdevelop?

Key Terms (b)Analyze What does the Writing Activity

Review the key terms at the expression "an eye for an eye" Reread the quote on page 46 in
beginning of this section. Use mean in relation to the laws in which the writer complains about
each term in a sentence that Hammurabi's Code? the gardeners. Write a law that
explains its meaning. ti) npply Information applies to the gardeners who stole
Hammurabi's Code was fair in the dates. What do you think
rBrarget Reading Skill some ways and unfair in other should happen to the people who
Summarize the information in the ways. Explain. didn't tell about the theft?
Iast paragraph of this section. 2. (a) Describe What were some
uses of writing in Sumer?
Comprehension and
Critical Thinking
(b) Contrast How do the early
forms and methods of writing dif-
rco &nline
1. (a) Recall What was Hammu- fer from the way we write today? '-JHSchool.com
rabi's Code, and what was its pur- (c) Draw lnferences Why was the For: An activity on cuneiform
pose in ancient Babylonia? writing
development of writing an impor- Visit: PHSchool.com
tant step in human history? Web Code: lbd-2203

Chapter2Section3 47
Prepare to Read
Objectives 1q f31qg1 Key Terms
ln this section you will \d)n.riains skill . alphabet (el fuh bet) n.
1. Understand how the sea power of the Read Ahead Reading ahead a set of symbols that
Phoenicians helped spread civilization is a strategy that can help represent the sounds of
throughout the Mediterranean area. you to understand words a language
2. Learn about the major events in the and ideas in the text. lf you . monotheism (runHru oh
history of the lsraelites. do not understand a certain thee iz um) n. the belief
passage, read ahead, in one god
Taking Notes because a word or idea may . famine (rau in) n. a time
As you read, create anoutline of the history be clarified later on. Use when there is so little
of the Phoenicians and the lsraelites. Copy this strategy as you read this food that many people
the outline below and record your findings section. starve
in it. . exile (er syl) u to force
someone to live in
l. The Phoenicians another country
A.Sea-trading power
1.
2.
B. Phoenician alphabet
1.
2.
ll. The lsraeliteq

Ulfnu. the great empire of Hammurabi was ris-

ing and falling, the people of a city on the shores of
the Mediterranean Sea were becoming rich by
gathering snails.
The snails collected near the coastal city of Tyre
(tyr) were not ordinary snails. These snails pro-
duced a rich purple dye. Cloth made purple with
the dye was highly valued by wealthy
Above, ancient vats from a people throughout the Mediterranean
site in Tel Dor, Israel, once region. Ships from Tyre sold the purple
contained purple dye of the cloth at extremely high prices. The
type used by the Phoenr-
profits helped make Tyre awealthy city.
cians. The stained pottery
piece in the middle proba-
bly came from a vessel that
held the dye. The purple dye
comes from the glands of the
murex snail, shown at the right.

48 History of Our World

Phoenician Sea Power
Tpe was the major city in a region called Phoenicia (fuh Nrsu
uh). Locate Phoenicia and its colonies on the map below. The
Phoenicians' outlook was westward, toward the Mediterranean
Sea and the cities that were growing around it.

Masters of Trade TheoPhoenicia.-rr l{ud settled in a land that

had limited, but very important, tesburces. Besides the snails
used to dye cloth, Phoenicia had a g-&l amount of dense cedar
forests. The Phoenicians s51d thi:ir dyed iloth and the wood from
their forests to neighboring peoples:'..
As trade grew, the Phoenicians looked to the sea to increase A silver coin from Sidon showi'ng
a Phoenician galley, a ship pow..
their profits. In time, they controlled trade throughout much of ered by oars
the Mediterranean. From about 1100 to 800 n.c., Phoenicia was a
great sea power. Phoenician ships sailed all over the Mediterra-
nean Sea and into the stormy Atlantic Ocean. They came back
from these trips with stories of horrible monsters that lived in the
ocean depths. These stories helped keep other peoples from
trying to compete for trade in the Atlantic. --\-

Chapter2Section4 49
 Exotic Marketplaces Trade brought valuable goods from
lands around the Mediterranean Sea to the Phoenician cities of
Tyre and Sidon (sv dun). Bazaars swelled l,vith foods brought
from faraway places. These foods included figs, olives, honey,
and spices. In the bazaars, merchants sold strange animals, such
as giraffes and warthogs from Africa and bears from Europe.
The overflowing markets of Tyre awed visitors. Here is one
description of Tyre's bazaars:
((wh"n your wares came from the seas, you satisfied
many peoples. With your great wealth and merchan-
ico {&nline
'-?'ilschool.com Web Code dise, you enriched the kings of the earth. ))
Use
rnup-0818 for an interactivity
on ancient trade. Bible, Ezekiel 27:33
-the
;#.ne8t What resources did the Phoenicians first use to
build their wealth?

The Phoenician Alphabet

The Phoenicians relied on writing to help them conduct trade.
They developed a writing system that used |ust 22 symbols. This
system was the Phoenician
It forms the basis of the alpha-
ps- bet used in many languages today, including English. In the

c1 Phoenician alphabet, however, each letter stood for one conso-

nant sound.
The simple Phoenician alphabet was far easier to learn than
DA cuneiform. Before the alphabet, only highly educated scribes
Ea were skilled in writing. Now many more people could rvrite using
the new alphabet. The alphabet simplified trade between people
FY who spoke different languages. The Phoenician sea trade, in turn,
helped the alphabet to spread.
G4 dmead;ng eheek How did the Phoenician alphabet differ from
cuneiform script?
HE U

t'2 V

'J2 WY
KV Chart Shills
The chart at the left shows the Phoenician letters that correspond to
our alphabet. The symbols for A, E, l, O, and U originally repre-
\[ sented consonant sounds. The Greeks later used the symbols to rep-
resent vowel sounds. The Phoenician stone inscription above dates
Mhl to about 391 e.c. ldentify Which letters in the Phoenician alphabet
seem similar to the letters in our alphabet? Bdentify fiffeets How
did the Phoenician alphabet affect other civilizations?

50 History of Our World

 Movement The lsraelites
are said to have spent 40 years
in the desert of the Sinai Pen-
insula trying to reach the land
of Canaan. Locate ln what
SYRIAN direction did the lsraelites
DESERT
travel to return to Canaan
from the Sinai Peninsula?
lnfer What physical features
of Canaan made it suitable for
KEY settlement?
_l
I canaan

200
rGo tfunline
t----PH$chool.eom Use Web Code
0 kilometers 200 lbp-2254 f o r step- by-step-
Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area
map skills practice.

The Rise of the lsraelites

South of Phoenicia, a small band of people settled in the hills
around the Jordan Riyer valley. Called Hebrews at first, they later
became knoivn as Israelites. Although the Israelites never built a
large empire, they had a_great influence on our civilization.
Much of what is known about the early history of the
Israelites comes from stories told in the Torah (rou ruh), the
Israelites'most sacred text. Historians compare biblical and other
religious stories with archaeological evidence to piece together
:events from the past. In this way they have determined that
Abraham, whose story follows,mdy have lived around 2000 B.C.

Abraham the Leader The Israelites traced their beginnings

to Mesopotamia. For hundreds of years, they lived as shepherds in
'affi
Read Ahead
and merchants who grazedtheir flocks outside Sumerian cities. The Torah says that
According to the Torah, a leader named Abraham taught his Abraham was told to leave
Mesopotamia and settle
people to practice monqtheism, a belief in one god,. Mono- is the
elsewhere. Keep reading to
Greek prefix for "one." The Torah says that God told Abraham to see what that means.
leave Mesopotamia and settle elsewhere:

((C"t you out of your country, and from your kindred [iel-
atives], and from your father's house, to the land that I
will show you. And I will make of you a great nation. )l
12:1-2
-Genesrs

Chapter2Section4 51
 From Canaan to'Egypt The Torah goes on to that Abra-
say
ham led the Israelites from Mesopotamia to settle in the land of
Canaan (xev nun). Find this region on the map titled Canaan on
the previous page. According to the Torah, a famine then spread
across Canaan. A famine is a time when there is so little food
that many people starve. The famine caused the Israelites to flee
south to Egypt.
In Egypt, the Israelites lived well for a few hundred years. But
then, an Egyptian king forced them into slavery after he grew
suspicious of their power.

ln the Desert According to the Torah, an Israelite leader

named Moses led his people out of Egfpt. The Israelites' depar=
ture from EgFpt is called the Exodus (Ers uh dus). For the next
Old and New Jerusalem 40 years, the Israelites wandered through the desert of the Sinai
People have lived in Jerusalem since
1800 B.c. Today, centuries-old build-
(sv ny) Peninsula. Locate the Sinai on the map titled Canaan.
ings stand near modern hospitals, The Torah says that while in the desert, God gave the Israelites
apartments, and hotels. Analyze the Ten Commandments, a code of laws. Eventually, the Israel-
lmages Using clues from the
photo, describe featu'res that point
ites returned to Canaan. There, over time, the Israelites moved
to Jerusalem's ancient past. from herding to farming and built their own cities.

*.:

52 History of Our World

i S :,#-e
Settlement in Canaan As they moved farther north, the rrL
i4,
Israelites were able to settle in many parts of Canaan. They .l.l:,i.
*, {
united under their first king, Saul, who defended them against
their enemies. The next king, David, established his capital in the
city of |erusalem.

A Divided Kingdom After David died, his son, Solomon,

inherited the kingdom. After Solomon's death, the country split
into two kingdoms. The northern kingdom was called Israel. The
southern kingdom took the name Iudah. The divided kingdom
was ripe for invasion. Its neighbor, Assyria, conquered the Israel-
ites and gained control of Judah.

Sent Into Exile In 722 B.c., the Israelites resisted Asspian

rule. In response, the Assyrians exiled thousands of people to dis-
tant parts of their empire. To exile means to force people to live
in another place or country. The Assyrians controlled |udah until
612 t.c, when Assyria was conquered by the Chaldeans. Judah
then fell under control of the Chaldean Babylonians. Later, in 587
King Solomon
B.C., the King of Judah rebelled against the Chaldeans. King Neb-
rchadnezzar responded by destroying the capital city of Jerusa-
lem. He exiled the people of Iudah to Babylonia.

ffi who were the tsraelites?

Key Terms 2. (a) Explain What are some fea- Writing Activity
Review the key terms at the tures of the Phoenician alphabet? Reread the description of Tyre.
6eginning of this section. Use (b) ldentify Effects Describe Using what you have read, write a
each term in a sentence that the importance of the Phoenician poetic verse about Tyre's markets.
explains its meaning. alphabet. How did it affect Or work with a partner to write
the Mediterranean wor,ld and song lyrics on the same subject.
Target Reading Skill later civilizations?
What word or idea were you able 3. (a) ldentify Sequence Briefly
to clarify by reading ahead? trace the history of the lsraelites I Writing fip Poetic verses and ')

from the leadership of Abraham to I song lyrics don't have to rhyme, i

Comprehension and King Solomon. I but tfrey usually have rhythm. To I

Critical Thinking (b) ldentify Central lssues I supply rhythm to your verse or I

1. (a) Identify Who were What important events in the I lyrics, it sometimes helps to I

the Phoenicians? history of the lsraelites were I tnint of a familiar song as you I

(b) Recall How did the shaped by movement and by war? I write. Match words and phrases I

Phoenicians gain their wealth I in your verse to the beats and I

and power? of the music.

f.ohrases )
t
Chapter2Section4 53
 "That movie was really confusing," Brandon said to his friend Juan as
they left the theater.
"The action was great, though," said Juan. "Can you believe how
much that explorer had to go through to find the treasure?"
Juan's comment gave Brandon an idea. "l guess that was the
whole point of the movie-to show all the adventures they had
while they tried to find the lost treasure."

Brandon were right. To understand any-

Irru;i u read or see, you need to identify the
main idea.

Learn the Skill

These steps will explain how to find the main idea
in a written paragraph or in any kind of informa-
tion that carries a message or a theme.

fo fook for an idea that all the sentences in

the paragraph have in common. In a well-
written paragraph, most of the sentences
provide details that support or explain a
particular idea.

fo Identi&th. subject of the paragraph. You

may find the subject stated in several sen-
tences. Or, you may find the subject in a '
topic sentence, one sentence that tells what
the paragraph is about. The subject may
also be stated in a title.

€) State the main idea in your own words.

Write one or two versions of the main idea
or topic. Then reread the passage to make
sure that what you wrote accurately identi-
fies the main idea.

54 History of Our World

Practice the Slcill
Read the text in the box b.lo*, and then use the steps
on page 54 to identif, the main idea of the text.

fo Wt rt idea do the sentences in the paragraph have

in common?

This paragraph does not have a title, so you will

need to find the sentence or sentences that state
the main idea. Is there a topic sentence?

fu First, try to come up with a title for the paragraph.

Then turn the title into a complete sentence that
identifies the main idea.

ln 190'1, an archaeologist discovered a

stone pillar with an ancient set of laws-
Hammurabi's Code. The black stone is
almost eight feet tall and more than seven
feet around. At its top is a carving of
Hammurabi receiving the code of laws
from the Babylonian god of justice. About
3,500 lines of cuneiform characters are
carved into the stone. These inscriptions
are Hammurabi's Code.

Apply the Slcill

Turn to page 44, and read the paragraph titled An Eye
for an Eye. Follow the steps on page 54 to identifl, the
main idea of the paragraph.

The stele, or stone pillari on which

Hammurabi's Code was written

Chapter 2 55
I

Objectives ri. Tarqet Key Terms

ln this section you will \gl nea?ins skill covenant (ruv uh nunt)
1. Learn about the basic beliefs of Judaism. Summarize When you n. a binding agreement
2. Find out about the effect that Judaism has summarize, you review and Moses (tvtoH zuz) n. an
had on other religions. state, in the correct orde[ lsraelite leader whom
the main points you have the Torah credits with
Taking Notes read. Summarizing what leading the Israelites
that characterize
As you read, list details you read is a good from Egypt to Canaan
Judaism. Copy the concept web below, and technique to help you prophet (pnnHr it) n. a
use it to help you summarize this section. comprehend and study. As religious teacher who is
you read, pause to regarded as someone
summarize the main ideas who speaks for God or
about Judaism. The for a god
'diagram you are using to diaspora (dy as pr.lr uh)
take notes may help you n. the scattering of peo-
to summarize. ple who have a common
background or beliefs

T;. Torah, the most sacred text of Judaism, says God made a
promise to the Israelite leader Abraham:
((l will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make
nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you. And
I will . . . be God to you and to your descendants . . . )t

17: 6-7
-Genests
The ancient Israelites viewed this promise as the beginning of a
long relationship between themselves and God.
The early Israelites came to believe that God was taking part
in their history. The Torah records events and laws important to
the Israelites. It is .made up of five books. They are called Genesis
(EN uh sis), Exodus, Leviticus (luh vIT ih kus), Numbers, and
Reading from the Torah Deutefonomy (doo tur AHN uh mee). Later, Christians adopted
these books as the first five books of the Old Testament. The
promise that you just read is from the Book of Genesis. In
Genesis, we learn of the very beginnings of ]udaism, the world's
first religion that was monotheistic. Monotheistic means "having
only one god."

56 History of Our World

 .r,t:, -.!!#3.ti+!-:41t' r|@r+0i++s
i!

trystm
.;t@t**

t*wt$$ -t53p !'"s !H$#f

-- ,A-'
&Y
The Beliefs of Judaism The Dead Sea Scrolls
To the Israelites, history and religion were closely The Dead Sea Scrolls (above)
were discovered in 1947 in
connected. Each event showed God's plan for the jars like the one shown at the
Israelite people. Over time, Israelite beliefs devel- left. The scrolls helped histo-
oped into the religion we know today as fudaism. rians reconstruct the early
history of the lsraelites.
You already know that Judaism was monotheistic
Generalize What is the
from its beginning. It differed from the beliefs of i m porta nce of a rchaeo log ica I

nearby peoples in other ways as well. finds like the Dead

Sea Scrolls?
A Promise to the lsraelites Most ancient people thought
of their gods asbeing connected to certain places or people. The
Israelites, however, believed that God is present everywhere. They
believed that God knows everything and has complete power.
Accordins to the Torah, God promised Abraham that his
people would become kings and build nations. God said to
Abraham,'1$ll keep my promise to you and your descendants
J5)
-?}fo. s,]***,i"*
summarize the para-
in future generations as an everlasting covenant." Because of this graph at the left. Be sure to
covenant, or hinding agreement, the Israelites considered include the key points and
important details about God's
themselves God's "chosen people." This covenant was later promise to the lsraelites.
renewed by Moses, an Israelite leader who lived sometime
around 1200 r.c. He told the Israelites that God would lead them
to Canaan, "the promised land." In return, the Israelites had to
obey God faithfully.

Chapter2Section5 5V
 The Ten Commandments At the heart of Judaism are the
Ten Commandments. The Israelites believed that God dqlivered
the Commandments to them through Moses. Some Comniand-
Kosher ln Judaism, laws
ments set out religious duties toward God. Others are rules for
require that certain foods be
kosher (ron shur), meaning correct behavior. Here are some of the Commandments.
"fit for use." These laws are
based on passages from the
((l tfr" Lord am your God who brought you out of the land
Hebrew Bible. For seafood to of Egypt. . . . You shall have no other gods beside Me. . . .
be kosher, for example, it Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God
must have scales and fins. So, has commanded. . . . You shall not murder. You shall not
codfish is kosher; but clams are steal. ))
not. Other laws tell how ani-
mals meant for consumption Ten Commandments
-the
should be slaughtered and
how food must be prepared In addition to the Ten Commandments, the Torah set out many
and eaten. Not all Jews follow other laws. Some had to do with everyday matters, such as how
these strict dietary laws today.
food should be prepared. Others had to do with crimes. Like
Hammurabi's Code, many of the Israelites' laws tried to match
punishments to crimes. At the same time, religious teachers
called on leaders to carry out the laws with justice and merry.

Judaism and Women Some laws protected women. One of

the Commandments, for example, requires that mothers be
treated with respect. In fact, women enjoyed more rights under
Judaism than under other religions of that time. A woman's
rights and duties were different from those of men. Only a hus-
band could seek a divorce. Hewever, women had the right to
avoid physical contact with their husbands.
Early in Israelite history a few women, such as the judge
Deborah, won honor and respect as religious leaders. Later on,
Before sunset on Friday eve- however, women were not allowed to take part in many religious
nings, Jewish women !ight leadership roles.
white Shabbat candles and
say a blessing.
Justice and Morality The history of the Israelites tells of
prophets, or religious teachers who are regarded as speaking for
God. The prophets told the Israeiites how God wanted them to
live. They warned the people not to disobey God's law.
Prophets preached a code of ethics, or moral behavior. They
urged the Israelites to live good and decent 1ives. They also called
on the rich and powerful to protect the poor and weak. All
people, the prophets said, were equal before God. In many
ancient societies, a ruler was seen as a god. To the Israelites,
however, their leaders were human. Kings had to obey God's law
just as shepherds and merchants did.
y'neadlng Check What did the prophets tellthe lsraelites?

The Effects of Judaism

After their exile from Judah in 587 8.c., the Jews, or people ryho
follow ludaism, saw their homeland controlled by various for-
eign powers, including the Romans. The Romans drove the Jews
out of ]erusalem in e.o. 135. While some Jews remained in the
region, others scattered to different parts of the world.

Chapter2Section5 59
 New Settlements The Romans car-
ried on the Jewish diaspora (dy ns pur
uh), the scattering of a group of people,
begun by the Assyrians and Chaldeans.
See the.map titled Jewish Settlements,
A.D. 100-300, on page59.
Wherever they settled, the Jews pre-
served their heritage. They did so by
living together in close communities.
They took care to obey their religious
laws, worship at their temples, and follow
their traditions. The celebration of Pass-
over is one such tradition. It is a cele-
After defeating the Jews in bat-
bration of the Israelites' freedom from
tle in n.o. 70, Roman soldiers slavery and their departure, or Exodus, from Egypt. Over time,
carried off precious objects from such long-held traditions helped to unite Jews.
the temple in Jerusalem,
Effects on Later Religions Iudaism had an important in-
fluence on two later religions, Christianity and Islam. Both reli-
gions have their beginnings in Judaism. Both faiths originated
from the same geographical area. Both were monotheistic. Jews,
Christians, and followers of Islam all honor Abraham, Moses,
and the prophets. They also share the same moral point of view
that the Israelites first developed.
y'Reading €heck How did the Jews preserve their heritage?

Key Terms (b) Explain What did God's Writing Activity

Review the key terms at the covenant with Abraham require of Suppose you have a friend who
beginning of this section. Use the lsraelites? wants to learn more about Juda-
each term in a sentence that (c) Analyze Information Why ism. Write him or her a letter
explains its meaning. did the lsraelites believe that they explaining the basic beliefs and
were God's chosen people? history of Judaism.
Target Reading Skill 2. (a) Recall What religious laws
Write a summary of the last did the lsraelites follow?
paragraph in this section. (b) Compare and Contrast How
does Judaism compare and con- Writing fip When writing a
Comprehension and trast with the beliefs of other peo- lettel remember to include the
Critical Thinking ples in the ancient world? date, a salutation, or greeting,
'1. (a) ldentify What promise did (c) Draw lnferences What do the and a closing. lt might help to
the lsraelites believe God made laws of Judaism say about the have a specific friend in mind
to Abraham? moral values of the lsraelites? when you write your letter.

6O History of Our WQrld

 Review and Assessment

r Chapter Summary
Section 1: Land Section 4: Mediterranean Civilizations
Between Two Rivers . Phoenicia was a major sea power from 1 100 to
n Mesopotamia'sattractive 800 B.c. lts wealth came from trade.
location between two rivers . The Phoenician alphabet forms the basis of
drew people to settle there. alphabets used in English and other languages.
r Some of the earliest cities . The lsraelites practiced monotheism and
grew up in Sume4 in the established a capital in the city of Jerusalem.
region of Mesopotamia. Cuneiform
. tablet
Sumerians worshiped and
honored many gods. Section 5: Judaism
. The religion practiced by the Israelites was very
Section 2: Fertile Crescent Empires different from other religions practiced in the
. The Babylonian Empire included the conquered ancient world.
cities of Sumer and lands reaching into Asia . The Ten Commandments
Minor. are the core beliefs
The Assyrians overthrew the Babylonians and of Judaism.
created an even larger empire.
' Judaism has
The Assyrian Empire fell to the Chaldeans, who inf luenced
created the New Babylonian Empire under Neb- other major
uchadnezzar ll. religions of
The Persians created the largest empire the Fer- the world.
tile Crescent had ever known and tolerated the
cultures of conquered peoples.

Section 3: The Legacy of Mesopotamia

. The earliest existing set of written laws, known
Babylonian
as Hammurabi's Code, established rules and pun-
statue
ishments for Babylonians.
n Writing developed in Mesopotamia in about
3500 e.c., and was first used to keep records.

r Key Terms
Use each key term below in a sentence that shows
the meaning of the term.
1. city-state 8. cuneiform
'2. polytheism 9. monotheism
3. myth 1O. famine
4. empire 11. exile
5. caravan i.l 12. covenant
6. bazaar 13. prophet
-..{ code 14. diaspora

Chapter 2 61
 I
2 ', Review and Assessment (conrinue,

I
r Comprehension and (c) Compare and Contrast Compare and cot
trast cuneiform and the Phoenician alphabet.
Critical Thinking 19. (a)Recall Who were the lsraelites and what dl
15. (a) ldentify What is the Fertile Crescent? they believe?
(b) Apply lnformation Explain the impor- (b) Explain Describe two major events in the
tance of the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers in the history of the lsraelites.
Fertile Crescent. (c) Analyze Information Choose an event
(c) Draw Conclusions How did the geography from the history of the lsraelites and describe
of the Fertile Crescent help the Sumerians to its importance.
prosper?
16. (a) Recall Describe the Babylonian, Assyrian,
New Babylonian, and Persian empires.
r Skills Practice
" (b) ldentify Cause and Effect Explain howthe ldentifying Main ldeas ln the Skills for Life Acti
Fertile Crescent's location shaped the develop- ity, you learned how to identify main ideas. You als
ment of its civilizations. learned how to summarize main ideas in a brief
(c) Find the Main ldeas What patterns do you statement. Review the steps you followed to lear
see in the rise and fall of the many civilizations in this skill. Then turn to page 45 and read the thre,
the Fertile Crescent? paragraphs on that page underthe heading The A
of Writing. ldentify the main ideas and then sumn
17.(a) Define What was Hammurabi's Code?
rize them in a few sentences.
(b) Explain What was the purpose of Hammu-
rabi's Code?
(c) Make Generalizations What effect did r Writing Activity: Math
Hammurabi's Code have on future civilizations? Turn to page 3 at the beginning of this unit. Acco
18. (a) Name Who were the Phoenicians? ing to the dates for Chapter 2, how long did the
(b) Explain Describe two cultural contributions ancient civilizations of the Fertile Crescent last?
of the Phoenicians and explain their importance. Write a sentence explaining your answer.

Place Location For each

place listed below write the
letter from the map that
shows its location.
1. Tigris River
2. Euphrates River
3. Mesopotamia
4, Fertile Crescent
5. Canaan
6. Mediterranean Sea

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lbp-2275 for an interactive

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map.
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62 History of Our World