Mesopotamia, the Indo-Europeans and Beyond
to early India, China and the AmericasMesopotamian Empires: TIMELINE
Semitic Peoples
Indo-Europeans (Black Sea: modern day Ukraine and southern Russia)2000 BCE move to Anatolia (modern Turkey)
2 Technological Advances
1) Horse and war chariot (this is an Assyrian bas relief)
2) Improved iron weaponsc. 1286 Battle of Kadesh ends in stalemate btn. Egypt (Ramses II) and Hattusilis III
Third Great State in Mesopotamia Empires: The Assyrians
1000 - 612 BCE: Era of Assyrian dominance in Mesopotamia
Nineveh: their most famous city
Map of Babylonian and Assyrian Empire
Empire of conquest: good example: 722 BCE conquest and destruction of northern kingdom of Israel
612 BCE: Empire crumbles Nineveh captured
Rise of Neo-Babylonian Empire (New Babylonian Empire) or Chaldean Empire
Babylon is key city
King Nebuchadnezzar (605 - 562 BCE)
586 BCE: Destruction of Jerusalem (Babylonian Exile of the Jews)
562 BCE: Nebuchadnezzar dies: Neo-Babylonian Empire Crumbles
The Persians
Map of Persian Empire, ca. 500 BCE
Darius I
Persian Religion: Zoroastrianism: Zoroaster
Key concepts: duality, afterlife and judgment
Early India
Indus River Valley: Pakistan
Harappan Civilization: Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
Aryans: Sanskrit (Indo-European)
Discontinuity vs. Continuity
India: with Aryan invasion, marked by discontinuity
China: marked by continuity and cultural uniformity
Early Chinese Culture
Three River Systems of China
1) Yellow River (Huanghe)
2) Yangtze River or Long River (Chang Jiang)
3) River system around modern Hong KongEarly American Cultures
Caral: America's Earliest City
