CLAS 2120 Week 1

Early Bronze Age

The period from 3500-2250 BCE marked by the emergence of cities and long-distance trade.

Middle Bronze Age

The phase from 1950-1550 BCE characterized by the second phase of Levantine cities.

EBIV-MB IV Transition

A period of collapse in urbanism leading to more nomadic/pastoralist lifestyles, decline in art and writing, and population decrease.

Sumeria

An ancient civilization in southern Mesopotamia, known for the first writing system (cuneiform), ziggurats, and city-states.

Akkad

The first known empire in Mesopotamia, founded by Sargon of Akkad around 2334 BCE, that unified Sumerian and Semitic peoples.

Canaan

A region covering modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Syria, crucial for trade between Egypt and Mesopotamia.

Hyksos period

Period (c. 1650–1550 BCE) when Semitic Hyksos people ruled Lower Egypt, introducing chariots and bronze weapons.

Hazor

One of the largest Bronze Age cities in Canaan, serving as a major trade and political center.

Megiddo

A crucial city in the Jezreel Valley known for important military engagements and its strategic location.

Ashkelon

A coastal city in Canaan with extensive fortifications, serving as a trade hub between Egypt, Canaan, and the Aegean.

Tel Dan

An important settlement in northern Canaan showing continuity from the Bronze Age into later biblical history.

Urbanization

The growth of large, organized cities with specialized labor, leading to advances in administration, economy, and culture.

City

A permanent settlement featuring economic, political, and social institutions.

State

A governed territory with laws, administration, and military forces.

Emergence of Writing

The evolution of writing for record-keeping, enabling bureaucracy, legal codes, and literature.

Arts/Crafts

Includes pottery, metalwork, sculpture, and textiles, reflecting daily life and elite culture.

Causes of Urban Collapse

Factors such as climate change, war, resource depletion, and internal strife that led to the decline of cities.