Vocabulary - diverse, mixed, fusion, universal, conquest, conquer, conqueror, conquered, phonetic, trade routes, stimulate, standard, standardized, articulate (verb), Diaspora, outlawed, authorities (person), official, literacy, “come through,” “come from,” “from all sides,”
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY
1.) How has the geography of The Middle East made it easy for other people to conquer it?
2.) Who has conquered the Middle East over the years?
3.) Why have the Israelites (The Jews) moved from place to place for the last 3,500 years?
4.) What is Islam? When did it start? Who started it?
5.) How is Islam a good example of cultural diffusion?
6.) How did Islam change The Middle East?
7.) Why did Sunni and Shiite split? Which modern day countries are Sunni? Which modern day country is Shiite?
8.) What are the Five Pillars of Islam?
9.) Who were the Ottomans? What modern day country did they come from?
10.) How did European colonization affect the Middle East? What were the main resources that European countries were looking for in each Middle Eastern country?
11.) Describe the Modern day economies of the Middle East.
MIDDLE EASTERN HISTORY
Timeline of the Middle East - http://library.thinkquest.org/3526/facts/timeline.html
Think about what we discussed about the geography of The Middle East (Southwest Asia). One advantage that Middle East countries have is that they are close to Europe, Africa, Asia, and India. Therefore, they can trade with all of these places. Pay attention to the story of the Phoenicians, and how the Islamic faith developed. Since people can come to the Middle East from all sides, it is easy to trade, experience cultural diffusion, and learn about new inventions.
However, this advantage can also be a disadvantage. If a merchant can come from Persia to The Fertile Crescent, can a soldier? If a trading vessel can come from Greece, can a warship? The history of The Middle East is a very violent and bloody one. Many different people conquer the Middle East over the centuries. In this lesson, we are going to take a look at all the different nations that have come through and come from the Middle East.
PHONECIANS
Phoenicians (1200 B.C.) - http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0044-phoenicians.php
The Phoenicians never actually conquered the Middle East or Egypt. Rather, they set up trading colonies. This ship you see above, which was diffused from sailboats used by Ancient Egyptians, allowed the Phoenicians to sail around the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and up into Northern Europe. The map shows their ancient trade routes. The Phoenicians stimulated trade between all the people in the Middle East and Europe, diffused their cultures, and spread the use of the Phonetic alphabet that all European Languages use today.
Phoenician trade stimulated the use of the Phonetic Alphabet because they had to communicate with people who spoke Latin, Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, etc. So, they needed to find a standardized set of characters that could be used to write down what people in different places said. Even if you couldn’t understand a foreigner, you could both use this writing system to articulate what you meant to say. Since it was easy to write, many people in many different countries began to use it. As a result, literacy spread throughout all the areas that traded with the Phoenicians.
Israel - http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0047-Israels-beginnings.php
Israelis Move to Egypt - http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0048-Israel-leaves-canaan.php
Exodus (1200 B.C.) - http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0049-the-exodus.php
Jews Begin the Diaspora - http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0052-israel-declinesl.php
MIDDLE EASTERN CONQUERERS
Assyrians (950 B.C.)- http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0055-assyrian-empire.php
Chaldeans - http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0056-chaldean-empire.php
Persians (500 B.C.) - http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0057-persian-empire.php
Israelites return to Israel - http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0053-jews-return-to-canaan.php
Alexander the Great and The Macedonian/Greeks Conquer Middle East and Egypt (300 B.C.)- http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0074-alexander-the-great.php
Rome Conquers Most of the Middle East and Egypt (100 B.C.) - http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0082-roman-conquest.php
The Parthians (Persians after Alexander the Great’s conquests) - http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/westasia/history/parthians.htm
Pax Romana (30 B.C. – 180 A.D.) - http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0090-pax-romana.php
The Rise of Christianity (4 B.C. – 30 A.D.)- http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/religion/christians/christianity.htm
At first, Christianity is outlawed by The Roman authorities. However, by 300 A.D., Constantine, an Emperor of Rome converted to Christianity. After that, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. This is why the first formal Christian group was called (and is still called to day), The “Roman Catholic Church.” The word “Catholic,” means “universal” in Latin, the language of the Romans.
ISLAM
Islam - http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/islam/religion/
Mohammed (632 A.D.) - http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/islam/history/mohammed.htm
OTTOMANS
The Ottoman Empire (1200 A.D. -1900 A.D.) - http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0330-ottoman-empire.php
HOMEWORK
Your jobs for this lesson are to…
1.) Take notes during class
2.) Read all the links on the blog
3.) Read Chapter 22, Section 1
4.) Complete the Middle Eastern History Homework Sheet Before Monday, March 6th
5.) Read the rest of Chapter 22 and Chapter 18
6.) Begin your research project (more on that later J) and turn it in by Sunday, March 12th, before 10:00 p.m.
Jia you!
Mr. Gibson
P.S. – I’ve decided that from now on, I am only going to say “人海人山.” I am never going to say “人山人海.” I think it is much cooler my way. Is that weird? Please tell me if that is weird. J
