P- Political - Leaders, state structure, war, diplomacy, courts/laws
500BC-200BC: Alexander the Great invades the Persian empire in the battle of Gaugamela, which stretches from Syria to Palestine. Alexander the Great conquers Egypt. After the death of Alexander, Ptolemy rules over Egypt, Judea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and India.
200BC-200CE: The Middle Eastern region divides into two major powers, Rome to the west, and Parthia to the east. The Roman empire launched two major invasions forced into the Parthian Empire. The Parthians under Artabanus II conquer Babylonia from the Seleucids, who now solely control Syria. Syria and the Phoenician cities are then conquered by the Roman general Pompey. The Seleucid dynasty ends.
200CE-500CE: The Roman Empire takes control of the western Middle East region, which consists of Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt. The Eastern region is controlled by a new Persian empire (the Sasanian dynasty), which consists of Iran and Mesopotamia. Syria was a Byzantium (Roman) province.
E - Economic - Type of system, technology/industry, trade, money, types of businesses
The countries of the Middle East traded fruits and spices along the Indian Ocean Trade.
The Middle East was also incorporated into the Saharan trade.
Types of industries included the production of clothing and textiles.
Smelted iron products emerged in the Middle East. Bronze was primarily used in Egypt.
Types of inhabitants occupations included becoming priests, scribes, merchants, artists, teachers, and government officials.
The Egyptians developed and used a number of simple machines, such as the ramp, to help n the construction processes.
The gold coin, daric, was used within the Persian Empire.
R - Religious - Holy books, beliefs, conversion, sin/salvation, deities
Major religions included: Zoroastrianism, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.
Zoroastrianism was created by a Persian prophet named Zarathustra. It was the first monotheistic religion that spawned Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, in which there is a consistant battle between good and evil.
Zoroastrianism's main belief was that choices affect one's fate.Zoroastrianism was very tolerant of other religions.
Zoroastrianism followers' sacred form of literature was the "Avestas".
Zoroastrianism believed in free will, purity of the earth, and equality between people.
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam's origins all trace back to the Middle Eastern region.
Religion in Egypt was generally based on polytheism, or the worship of many deities.
The writings of Herodotus provided as the source for the cultural history and religion of the ancient Middle East.
The Hebrew Bible was the single most important source for knowledge of the ancient Middle East. The Hebrew Bible reflected the life from Egypt to Iran, and from the Bronze Age beginnings to the Hellenistic Age.
S - Society - Family, gender relations, social classes, inequalities, lifestyles
All Middle Eastern civilizations were male-dominant.
The women would generally take care of the children,perform their household chores, and perform the daily needs of the family.
Women gained more rights when their husbands were away on business or at war.
Sons were preferred over daughters.
Women could own property, and were involved in managing their assets.
Women Participated in economic activities of the estate.
Some woman of the Middle Eastern region would wear a head piece known as a veil.
The veil served as a way of protecting a father or husband’s interest in his daughter or wife.
The veil was a sign of the delineation between elite and common women.
The Quaran indicates that women and men were spiritual equals.
The Quaran gave women rights if they are divorced by their husband.
I - Intellectuals, Innovation, and Inventions - Writing, literature, philosophy, math, science, education
The first vertical-axle windmills was built in Sistan, Persia.
Burning glass was used for lenses and jewelry.
The "Greek Fire Method"was introduced and was commonly used in warfare.
Canals were restored to expand sea power.
The discovery of tides being cause by the moon was and a geocentric model of the solar system were established.
Aristotle's philosophies on the soul, dreams, on nature, sense and the sensible, sleep and sleeplessness, and memory and reminiscence.
The water-mill and the ox-drawn plow were commonly used innovations.
Scientist Claudius Ptolemy’s observation described earth as a spherical object which he argued remains suspended freely in the center of the universe; and that the stars were fixed bodies attached to a solid exterior of the universe which lay beyond the orbit of Saturn.
A - Art and Architecture - Arts, music, dances, buildings
During the reigns of Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes the most beautiful artwork was developed.
Dragon from the Ishtar Gate at Babylon was completed and is one of the most iconic pieces in the Middle Eastern Classical Art.
Egyptian art was generally designed to benefit a divine or deceased recipient.
Most of the great works of ancient Egypt depict gods, goddesses, and Pharaohs.
To clearly define a specific social hierarchy , figures were drawn to sizes that were based on their importance.
The walls of the Assyrian palaces were lined with slabs of stone, and were colored.
The kingdoms of southern Arabia produced a wide range of sculpture, ceramics, and precious objects that served both religious and luxury purposes.
Arts such as calligraphy stucco work, mirror work, and mosaic work, became closely tied with architecture in Iran.
The ancient Egyptians built their pyramids, tombs, temples and palaces out of stone; it served to be the most durable.
In ancient Egypt, powerful rulers constructed monumental pyramids, temples, and shrines.