NES 336R (ANES) ch. 1

What US state is similar to the state of Israel?

New Jersey

how is NJ similar to Israel?

population, land size, population density

Biblical readers saw Israel as in the _____?

midst

What two powerful places was Israel stuck between?

Egypt and Mesopotamia

what did Israel function as between Egypt and Mesopotamia?

a land bridgeWha

what dangerous forces pushed Israel to be even more traveled between Egypt and Mesopotamia?

the Arabian Desert and Mediteranean Sea

What does the word Mesopotamia mean?

between two rivers?

what 2 rivers was mesopotamia between?

Tigris and Euphrates

What does the “Levant” mean?

raised up

What is the order of the land areas between the Med sea and the Jordan Rift Valley called from south to north?

Negev, Judah, Samaria, and Galilee

What are the places paralleling in biblical terms in the phrases “from NY to LA” to mean the entirety of the land of Israel?

from Dan to Beer Sheba

What are the different land types from west to East starting at the Med sea?

Coastal Plain, Shephelah, Central Hill Country, Jordan Rift Valley, and Transjordan Plateau

How is the relationship with water different in Egypt and Mesopotamia vs. Jerusalem?

Jerusalem was fed by rainfall rather than consistent rivers. they relied on the Lord

Which two trade routes were international?

Via Maris and the Kingshighway

Which two trade routes were local and connected with the Via Maris?

Way of the Patriarchs and the Rift Valley Route

What is the rain shadow?

the mountain stops the rain from getting over the hill. the backside of the hill and beyond is a desert

The Near East covers roughly from what two countries in the west?

modern Turkey and Egypt

The Near East touches what country in the East?

Iran

The Near East touches what in the north?

the Black Sea

The Near East touches what in the south?

the Indian Ocean

The Near east was used by whom to refer to what?

the Europeans to refer to the region to their East

The Middle east was used by whom to refer to what?

North Americans to refer to the region between the med and the Indus River Valley

What time period does Near East refer to opposed to Middle east?

near east refers to ancient history and culture of this region

-middle east refers to medieval-modern history and culture

important resource of the NE which is over half of what climate?

water, desert

In order to access this important resource, most inhabitants lived near what?  For those who depended upon seasonal rains, how did they store this resource?

near major river systems

Cisterns and pools

The Near East was home to the earliest societies that domesticated plants & animals and thus created what? Biblical prophets frequently taught the coming of rain and bounty was dependent upon what?

created agriculture

Obedience to God's commandments

In some parts of the Near East, the problem was not lack of water, but rather what? What was the difference between the flooding of the Nile River and the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers?

Flooding

Nile was predictable and beneficial leading to a positive view of the gods as benevolent and giving

Mesopotamian was unpredictable and destructive to see them as capricious and vengeful

What are the names of the two greatest trade routes in the eastern Mediterranean?

Via Maris

Kings Highway

Which trade route ran along the Mediterranean coast from Damascus (Syria) to Egypt?

Via Maris

Which trade route ran through the Transjordanian mountains (i.e. Ammon, Moab, Edom) from Damascus (Syria) to the Red Sea?

Kings Highway

What body of water was also an important international highway and trade route? In many ways, what made sea travel preferable to overland travel? What made sea travel unsafe?

Mediterranean Sea. Cost effective. Less safe and dependent on weather conditions. Impossible in the winter

Of the two rivers, which one was more navigable and had better floodplains suitable for agriculture?

Euphrates was more navigable and more land suitable for agriculture

What civilization was the earliest on the planet and occupied Mesopotamia? What is the name given to the crescent-shaped fertile land which extended from southeast Mesopotamia, into Syria and south into Palestine?

Sumer

Fertile Crescent

What is the name of the easternmost region of the Near East? Did it become as agriculturally productive as Mesopotamia? Why or why not?

Persia

no because it lacked large rivers. it needed rainful for its needs

Arabia is home to the largest what in the world?  What is it called?  What type of trade routes dominated ancient Arabia?  What religion had its origin in Arabia?

sand desert in the world called the empty quarter

Incense trade routes

Islam

The Moabites and Ammonites were descendants of whom? Were they friends or enemies of ancient Israel? The ancient capital of Ammon is also the capital of what modern country?

dependents of Lot by his two daughters

Enemies of ancient Israel

Rabbit Ammon is the cattail of Jordan and called Amma

Egypt contains the longest what in the world? What is its name? Which region of Egypt is referred to as Lower Egypt and which region is referred to as Upper Egypt? Why?

river nile. Lower Egypt is north region because it is lower in elevation

Upper Egypt is the south at a higher elevation

Why did Egypt not suffer as many invasions & was less impacted by outside influences than other regions?

geographic features of deserts on the eat and west and the med sea in the north and catartct rapids in teh south

What is the name of the important land bridge between Africa and Asia? The primary history of the Sinai Peninsula has been as a region for what?

sinai peninsula

Trade and transportation routes

Somewhere on the Sinai Peninsula is the site of what famous mountain? What happened there?

Mount sinai or horeb where the Israelites are described as gathering under Moses

The ancient region of Anatolia is known today as what country? Anatolia was homeland to what early Near Eastern empire? What was one of the Hittite’s greatest contributions?

turkey. Hittites.

Introduced iron weaponry to near eastern warfare

What is the name of the geographical area that includes the modern countries of Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, and Jordan?

the Levant

What was Lebanon known as anciently? More than anything else, they were important for what? What was Syria often called in the Old Testament? What was the capital of Syria (anciently and now)?

Phoenicia is known for Carthage in north atria. Produced purple dyes in clothing for royals. Mostly for seaports and shipping commercial and military.

Syria was called Aram. Capital Damascus.

What is the name scholars typically use to identify the territory bordered by the Mediterranean (west), Jordan valley (east), mountains of Lebanon (north), and Sinai desert (south)?

Palestine

The name Palestine derives (originates) from what word? When was it first used for this whole area? Why is the name Holy Land sometimes more helpful than the names Israel or Palestine today? What was the land known as in Old Testament times?

derives from philistine. Not applied before roman times but now for academic studies.

Politically neutral and identifies user as one drawn to the land for religious reasons. Respect current inhabitants.

Land was known as Canaan.

What is the name of ancient Israel’s northernmost city? …southernmost city?

northernmost is Dan. Sourthenmost is Beer-sheba

What is the name of the region of Palestine on the western side next to the Mediterranean Sea?  Because of its flatness, it was a favorite area used for what purpose?

coastal plain used for sufficient rainfall. Flatness was good for military and trade traffic.

What is the name of the region of Palestine with low rolling hills between the coastal plain and the highlands? The hills of this region are not made of hard limestone, but of what?

shephelah: soft chalk making caves

What is the Arabic name for a valley that has a stream during the rainy winter months, but is dry during the summer months?

wadi

What is the name of the central region of the land of Palestine? In this region, how would people collect precious water and store it for their needs?

hill country, central highlands.

Manmade cisterns cared into the stone

What is the name for the region to the east of the hill country that is part of a long rift valley? Within this region, what is the lowest spot on earth?

Jordan valley

Dead Sea 400 meters below sea level

What is the name for the region that is a high plateau to the east of the Jordan valley? What three groups of people (who competed with the Israelites over territory) lived in this region?

transjordan plateau

Ammonites, moabites, and edomites

The entire southern region of Palestine is known as what? This region was used by Abraham and Isaac for what purpose?

Negev used for herding

Jerusalem is located in which of the regions described above? The elevation and topography of each region or city determined what three of things?

hill country.

What crops, how waters was supplied and stored, and how defense was militarily

Most notably, which two other cultures strongly affected the history of Near East?

Greeks and Romans

The synthesis of Greek and local cultures is referred to as what? What was the lingua franca (the common language) during the period of Roman domination?

Hellenization

Greek

What was one of the most enduring innovations of the ancient Near East?

writing

What are pieces of broken pottery called? Why are pieces of broken pottery very useful in helping archaeologists date sites to particular periods?

potsherds, styles and techniques evolved over time

What is missing? Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Early Bronze Age, Middle Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age, Iron Age 1, Iron Age 2, Persian Period, Hellenistic Period, Hasmonean Period, Roman Period, (Sub period Herodian, and sub period late roman), Byzantine, Early Arab, and Crusader.