CLAS 2120 Week 1

CLAS 2120 Week 2: Early and Middle Bronze Ages:

• Early Bronze Age

  • Description: 3500-2250 BCE emergence of cities and long-distance trade 

• Middle Bronze Age

  • Description: 1950-1550 second phase of levantine cities 

• EBIV-MB IV Transition

  • Description: Collapse of urbanism, more nomatic/pastralist lifestyles, decline in art and writing, population decrease 

  • Significance:

  • Analysis 

Places:

• Sumeria

  • Description: An ancient civilization in southern Mesopotamia, home to Ur, Uruk, and Eridu.

  • Significance: Known for the first writing system (cuneiform), ziggurats, and city-states.

  • Analysis: Sumerian innovations influenced later civilizations, but frequent conflicts between city-states made them vulnerable to outside invasions.

• Akkad

  • Description: First known empire in Mesopotamia, founded by Sargon of Akkad (c. 2334 BCE).

  • Significance: Unified Sumerian and Semitic peoples under one rule.

  • Analysis: Demonstrates the transition from city-states to territorial empires.

• Canaan

  • Description: Region covering modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Syria.

  • Significance: A crucial trade hub between Egypt and Mesopotamia.

  • Analysis: Canaanite cities rose and fell in response to larger imperial forces.

• Egypt: “Hyksos” period

  • Description: The Hyksos (c. 1650–1550 BCE) were a Semitic people who ruled Lower Egypt.

  • Significance: Introduced chariots, bronze weapons, and new military tactics to Egypt.

  • Analysis: The Hyksos were later expelled by Egyptian rulers, leading to the powerful New Kingdom.

Sites:

• Hazor

  • Description: One of the largest Bronze Age cities in Canaan.

  • Significance: A major trade and political center.

  • Analysis: Its destruction layers reflect cycles of conquest and rebuilding.

• Meggido

  • Description: A key city in the Jezreel Valley, frequently contested.

  • Significance: Site of important military engagements.

  • Analysis: Its strategic location made it vital for controlling trade routes.

• Ashkelon

  • Description: A coastal city in Canaan with a large fortification system.

  • Significance: A hub for trade between Egypt, Canaan, and the Aegean.

  • Analysis: Its development reflects interactions between different cultural spheres.

• Tel Dan

  • Description: An important settlement in northern Canaan.

  • Significance: Shows continuity from the Bronze Age into later biblical history.

  • Analysis: Demonstrates the long-term development of urban centers.

Concepts:

• Urbanization

  • Description: Growth of large, organized cities with specialized labor.

  • Significance: Allowed for advances in administration, economy, and culture.

  • Analysis: Urbanization was both a strength (trade, innovation) and a weakness (dependence on resources, vulnerability to collapse).

• Defining City and “State”

  • City: A permanent settlement with economic, political, and social institutions.

  • State: A governed territory with laws, administration, and military.

  • Analysis: The Middle Bronze Age saw the transition from city-states to territorial states.

• Emergence of Writing

  • Description: Writing evolved for record-keeping, administration, and communication.

  • Significance: Enabled bureaucracy, legal codes, and literature.

  • Analysis: Writing was a powerful tool for maintaining complex societies.

• Arts/Crafts

  • Description: Includes pottery, metalwork, sculpture, and textiles.

  • Significance: Reflects both daily life and elite culture.

  • Analysis: Trade influenced artistic styles, spreading technological and aesthetic ideas.

• Causes of Urban Collapse

  • Description: Cities declined due to climate change, war, resource depletion, and internal strife.

  • Significance: Shows the fragility of early civilizations.

  • Analysis: Many collapses were followed by periods of adaptation and recovery.