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Ancient Middle EastCulture and Religion
Social Classes• High Social Class
King, priests Wealthy Merchants/High Families
• Middle Class Most Others (Farmers, Traders, Craftsmen)
• Lowest Class Slaves (Prisoners of war/Criminals/Debtors)
King/PriestsRich
MerchantsMost Others
Slaves
Ancient Culture
• Most were farmers, traders, craftsmen
• Lived in or near city-states
• Theocratic governments- Priests and god-kings
• Replaced by military governments - empires
Farming
Permanent Agriculture: grains, vegetables, and dates.
Domestication of Animals:Cows, sheep, and goats (dairy
industry).Oxen for plowing.Donkeys for pulling carts.
Men and Women
• Educated were privileged elite (Male)•Government officials, scribes
• Men had more authority and rights than women.
• But women were allowed to own land, businesses and seek divorce– * Exception: a man could sell his wife and
children to pay his debts.
• Each society had its most important gods
Marduk (Babylonian)
Ashur-"bull of heaven" (Assyrians)
Anu- Sky God (Sumerian)
Review
Mesopotamian Beliefs
Zoroastrianism
Judaism
Teachings:
History:
Teachings:
History:
Teachings:
History:
The human-like gods were agents in mythology, of greater or lesser status
• Polytheistic (Pantheon-Many Gods)
• Gods represented forces in the world
• Gods feared- “super-human”
• Sacrifices (Animal and sometimes human)
• Magic (Divination, Astrology)
Teachings• One society built off the
last
• Incorporated gods of captured peoples (Hittites)
• Many shared common traits through cultural contact
History
Mesopotamian Beliefs (Sumer-Akkad, Assyria, Babylon)
During the reigns of Cyrus and Darius in Persia a new religion called Zoroastrianism took hold, based on the teachings of Zoroaster.
• Ahura Mazda, source of good
• Dualism = good and evil
• Heaven and Hell
• Recognize individual responsibility
Teachings
• Much of Persian Empire
• Darius worshipped Ahura Mazda
• Other religions discouraged
• Foundational
Spread
Zoroastrianism (Persia)
Set of beliefs and practices originating from the ancient Israelites, embodied in the Hebrew Bible
• First monotheistic religion (Yahweh )
• Belief in divine revelation (Covenant)
• Code of ethics, or moral standards of behavior
• No central authority -Sacred Texts
Teachings
• Land of Israel Sacred (Promised)
• 11c BC Israelite Kingdoms
• Series of Deportations-Diaspora
History
Judaism (Israel/Palestine)