Assyria and EgyptMore than Pyramids and Fish

swallowing preachers.

• These are the world’s first two Political Superpowers.• While Egypt is the older of the 2, eventually the

Assyrian Empire would conquer Egypt by 700B.C.

3100 B.C. Menes unites Upper and Lower Egypt.

• Before 3100 B.C. Egypt was divided into an upper Kingdom and Lower Kingdom.

• After unification, the Nile river would be the main avenue of transportation, life, and center of Egyptian life for the next 3000 years.

History: Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms

• All pyramids were built during the Old Kingdom• One of Egypt’s Most well known rulers, Tutankhamen was actually

not a very great ruler. He lived during the new Kingdom, 2500 years after the building of the last pyramid.

• Complete in groups of two the chart on pg. 45, comparing the three kingdoms or periods of Egyptian History. Be prepared to discuss with me!

Religious/Political

• There was no word for Religion in Egypt. This was because it was such a part of everyday life, that Religion was not separate but totally intertwined with everything.

• The political and religious institutions were one in the same in Egypt. On the next slide, you will be asked to discuss, analyze, and describe this combination of Egyptian culture.

Assessment

• Describe Egyptian Polytheism, in particular, the role of Re, Osirius, Isis, and Seth.

• What dual roles did the Pharaoh play regarding Egyptian Government and Egyptian Religion?

• How are Dynasty’s different from a Democratic General Election?

Mummification

• Explain the role of Mummification in Ancient Egypt with regards to the afterlife…………..

• Explain the role of Bureaucracy in the administrative role of Egyptian Government………….

• How were women’s role in Ancient Egypt different and similar to Men.

Assyria

• The Assyrians were a very powerful people in what is now modern day Iran, Eastern Turkey, and Syria. By 700 B.C. they had conquered most of the Middle East(Mesopotamia) and Egypt.

• They spent more time building than ruling their empire. It would be conquered by an even more powerful group of people known as the Persians in 612 B.C.

• It was the capital city of Assyria, Ninevah, that God sent the famous Jonah, who ended up spending 3 days in a fish belly!

Persia

• Unified from nomadic loosely associated tribes by Cyrus who ruled from 559 B.C. until 530 B.C.

• The Persian empire would grow to be the largest empire in the world up until that time.

Persian Religion

• Explain the theology of Zoroastrianism• Compare and contrast the two monotheistic religions of

the ancient world: The religion of the Hebrews(Judaism) and the religion of the Persians (Zoroastrianism) in the Venn Diagram on the last slide. Try to see the plot and similarities of both theologies.

Persia:Government, Expansion, and decline.

• How are Satrapies and Satraps similar to States and Governors?• Explain how an efficient system of communication and an

efficient system of roads is a key component to maintaining a powerful and large empire.STUDENTS: THIS CONCEPT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. THIS WILL COME UP LATER IN THE SEMESTER.

Persian final fall and Decline

• Persian Kings grew steadily weaker after the reign of Darius.• IMPORTANT CONCEPT! When Empires get too ambitious or too big

to rule, they tend to decline and fall. Can you with a partner possibly explain why this is so?

• Explain why it is a negative thing for Kings to have so many children? Pg. 64

• What happened at Thermopylae?

Compare and Contrast the question from slide 9.

Compare and Contrast the question from slide 9.