Page 74 - Western Civilization A Brief History, Volume I To 1715 9th - Jackson J. Spielvogel

TABLE 2.2 A Comparison of the Phoenician, Greek, and Latin Alphabets (Letters A–F)
Phoenician Greek Latin
Phoenician Phoenician Modern Early Greek Classical Greek Greek Name Early Latin Classical Name Symbol Latin
’aleph ’ alpha A
beth b beta B
gimel g gamma C
daleth d delta D
heh epsilonE
waw w digamma F
Source: Andrew Robinson, The Story of Writing (London: Thames & Hudson, 1995), p. 170.
much while independent, but they ultimately fell sub-
the empire’s size contributed to its undoing. Ashurbani- pal (ah-shur-BAH-nuh-pahl) (669–627 B.C.E.) was one of the strongest Assyrian rulers, but it was already becom- ing apparent during his reign that the Assyrian Empire was greatly overextended. Internal strife intensified as powerful Assyrian nobles gained control of vast
ject to the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and
The Assyrian Empire
Q FOCUS QUESTION: What methods and institutions did the Assyrians use to amass and maintain their empire?
The existence of independent states in Canaan was possible only because of the power vacuum existing in the ancient Near East after the demise of the Hittite kingdom and the weakening of Egypt. But this con- dition did not last; new empires soon came to dominate vast stretches of the ancient Near East. The first of these empires emerged in Assyria, an area whose location on the upper Tigris River brought it into both cul- tural and political contact with south- ern Mesopotamia.
Although part of Mesopotamia, Assyria, with its hills and adequate if not ample rainfall, had a different terrain and climate. The Assyrians were a Semitic-speaking people who exploited the use of iron weapons to establish an empire that by 700 B.C.E. included Mesopotamia, parts of the Iranian Plateau, sections of Asia Minor, Syria, Canaan, and Egypt down to Thebes (see Map 2.2). Yet
Persians.
ASIA MINOR
CYPRUS
Mediterranean
Caspian Sea
ELAM Susa
BABYLONIA Ur
Assyrian Empire, ca. 700 B.C.E. Neo-Babylonian Empire, ca. 562 B.C.E.
Khorsabad Nineveh
Nimrud
Babylon
Ashur
r
SYRIA
PHOENICIA Byblos
S e a
Memphis EGYPT
Sahara
Tyre Jerusalem
Persian Sea Arabian Gulf
D
Dead
Thebes
Red 0 Sea 0
Desert
200 400 200
600 Kilometers 400 Miles
MAP 2.2 The Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian Empires. The Assyrian Empire expanded in large part due to its brutal military methods. It maintained its rule through use of a common language and religion, along with extremely violent suppression of internal revolts. It was overthrown by Chaldeans in Babylonia, leading to the Neo-Babylonian Empire epitomized by Nebuchadnezzar.
Q Why was control of Babylonia crucial to both empires? 36 Chapter 2 The Ancient Near East: Peoples and Empires
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