THE PHOENICIANS (1200-800 B.C.)

PHOENICIA comes from the word PHOENIX, the name of

a famous purple dye extracted from a special variety of

shellfish.

The most famous of the Phoenician monarchs was

King Hiram.

King Hiram is a good friend of King Solomon of the Jews.

Phoenician Contribution to Civilization

* They established colonies in various parts of the Mediterranean

world.

* They introduced not only the Asian goods to the

countries of the Mediterranean world but

also the cultural influences of Mesopotamia, Egypt,

Palestine, Persia and India.

* They invented the alphabet. They were the first to use alphabetic writing. Their

alphabet contained 24 letters, all consonants.

The Phoenician Alphabet

THE JEWS

Also called HEBREWS. They were a pastoral Semitic

people who originally lived in the Arabian Desert and later migrated to Mesopotamia.

About 1800 B.C. at God’s command, Abraham led them

out of the city of Ur and settled in Palestine, then

called CANAAN. --“The land of milk and honey”

Abraham

Pharaoh Rameses II conquered Palestine and

carried them off into captivity and slavery in Egypt. For

many years, they suffered from bondage.

Pharaoh Rameses II

In 1225 B.C., Moses led them out of Egypt across the Red Sea to the wilderness of the

Sinai Peninsula. Their fight to freedom, called EXODUS, is

recorded in the Old Testament.

After reaching Palestine, the Promised Land, the Jews established their cities and

homes and fought many wars.

David, who killed Goliath and conquered the Philistines. He made Jerusalem the capital of Israel, the homeland of the

Jews.

King Solomon; Son of David

King Solomon is the wisest and richest king of his time.

He built the Temple at Jerusalem.

Diaspora and Fall of the Jews

In 70 A.D., the Jewish rebellion against the Roman Empire

was crushed by Emperor Titus. He slaughtered more than 1 million Jews and drove the

rest into exile.

Emperor Titus

Jewish Contribution to Civilization

* Monotheism- the belief in one God.

*Judaism and Christianity

* The Bible

*Great men and women.

* Modern banking and finance

THE PERSIANS(1500-330 B.C.)

Cyaxares founded the Median empire which included

the Iranian Plateau, Mesopotamia, and Armenia.

Persia’s Golden Age and Downfall

Cyrus the Great founded a dynasty called Archaemenid

The greatest ruler of the Archaemenid dynasty was

Darius I, during whose magnificent reign Persia

attained her Golden Age. He assumed the proud title of King of Kings. He was the richest monarch during his

time.

Emperor Darius established an excellent administrative

system. He divided the empire into 20 provinces called

satrapies, each governed by a local governor called

satrap.

He granted political autonomy to his subjects and respected their religions, languages, and

customs. He fostered domestic and foreign trade.

He introduced coinage to facilitate business.

Alexander The Great

Persia’s Contribution to Civilization

* Zoroastrianism, is a religion based on the belief

that life is a constant struggle between good and evil.

Zoroaster

The founder of this religion was Zoroaster, the Prophet

of Iran. The bible of Zoroastrianism is called

Zend-Avesta. The priests of Zoroastrianism were called

Magi.

* System of provincial administration, which covered

provincial executives, the local system of taxation, and

the first postal service.

* Persia gave the world the elaborate system of court

etiquette.

Hindus of India

As early as 3000 B.C. civilization dawned at the Indus Valley in India. The

relics of this ancient civilization can be seen today at Mohenjo-Daro in Sind and

Harappa in Punjab.

About 2000 B.C., after the disappearance of the

Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa civilization, the fair-skinned Aryans invaded the Indus

Valley.

The Aryan conquerors latter called themselves as Hindus. They were hardly farmers and herders. They are also skilled potters, carpenters, masons, silversmiths, and weavers. They traded with foreign

countries.

Hinduism

The Hindus believed that man can attain true happiness if his soul merges with that of

Brahma.

Transmigration of the soul or Reincarnation – the soul

of the good man is reborn in a person of higher status, while an evil person is reborn in a

lower creature.

Trinity of Hindu Gods

Brahma - the creatorVishnu – the preserverSilva – the destroyer

Caste System

the people was divided into rigid classes or castes.

1. Brahmas – priests and scholars

2. Kshatriyas – nobles and warriors

3. Vaishyas – farmers, merchants, and craftsmen

4. Sudras – laborers or slaves

No high caste person could marry or live with one of a

lower caste.

Untouchables – persons who lived miserably in their own section of a village or city. They performed the lowest

kinds of jobs. They were forbidden to use the public baths, enter the temples, or

eat in public restaurants.

Buddhism

He was a rich Hindu prince who felt deeply moved by the

poverty of the masses.

He thought the poor deserved a better and wanted to find

out how they could be helped. He abandoned his rich palace

and easy life to become a hermit.

After much thought (meditation), he started to

teach a new religion and was called Buddha, “the

Enlightened One.” He taught that all men can know the truth and attain perfect

happiness regardless of caste.

Four Noble Truths

1. Man’s life is filled with suffering.

2. Man’s suffering is caused by his selfish desires.

3. Man can end his suffering by conquering his self-desires.

4. After conquering his self-desires, man reaches the state of Nirvana (perfect

happiness).

Eight-Fold Path

1. right belief2. right aspiration

3. right speech4. right conduct

5. right livelihood6. right effort

7. right remembrance8. right meditation

Growth and Spread of Buddhism

Two branches of Buddhism

1. Mahayana Buddhism (greater vehicle)

2. Hinayana Buddhism (lesser vehicle)

India’s Contribution to Civilization

1. India gave the world four religions – Hinduism,

Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism

2. India developed philosophy ahead of the West. Long

before the ancient Greeks and Romans, Indian thinkers had

already founded several philosophical systems.

3. India has enriched world literature by giving mankind the first fable (Panchatantra), first dramatic epics (The Clay

Cart by Sudakra and Sakuntala by Kalidasa), the great epic poems (Mahabharata and

Ramayana), and the world’s greatest philosophical poem

(the Bhagavad Gita).

4. The music, art, and architecture of India are well-known throughout the world.

5. India invented the zero and the numerals in mathematics.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.

Reported by:Mr. Berlee Losande Apundar

BSED II-C (Soc. Sci.)