6. Considerable stimulus for international trade throughout the Near East.

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Session 4 - Lecture 1 I. Introduction The Patriarchs and the Middle Bronze Age Genesis 12-50 traces the movements of the Patriarchs, the ancestors of the Israelites.

1 Session 4 - Lecture 1 I. Introduction The Patriarchs and the Middle Bronze Age Genesis traces the movements of the Patriarchs, the ancestors of the Israelites. These movements carried the Patriarchs across the whole Near East, from Mesopotamia to Egypt. Many scholars place the journeys of the Patriarchs in the Middle Bronze Age. As such, this lesson will explore the Middle Bronze Age. II. Middle Bronze Age 2,000-1,550 B.C. A. General Characteristics of the Middle Bronze Age 1. Establishment of urbanization throughout the Near East. 2. Emergence of several powerful city-states and kingdoms in Mesopotamia. 3. Unification of Egypt under the powerful Twelfth Dynasty, and subsequent division again in the Hyksos Period (18th-16th centuries). 4. Emergence of Classical Canaanite culture in Palestine. 5. Influx and influence of new groups such as Amorites, Hurrians, and others in Mesopotamia and parts of the Levant. 6. Considerable stimulus for international trade throughout the Near East. B. Mesopotamia 1. Towards the end of the third millennium B.C., political stability returned to southern Mesopotamia with the Neo-Sumerian Age. By 2000 B.C., the power of Ur III ebbed under pressure from new groups of people migrating into Mesopotamia. Of particular importance were the Amorites. They were a Semitic people who penetrated Mesopotamia, overthrowing the rulers of city-states and establishing the Amorite dynasties at the cities of Isin and Larsa. From about 2000 to 1800 B.C., Amorites dominated most cities in Mesopotamia. 2. By 1800 B.C., two major Amorite cities were emerging: Mari and Babylon.

a) Mari - The city of Mari was located along the Euphrates River in north-central Mesopotamia. Mari was a powerful city who exerted much influence over Mesopotamia.

2 a) Mari - The city of Mari was located along the Euphrates River in north-central Mesopotamia. Mari was a powerful city who exerted much influence over Mesopotamia. A library of clay tablets were found at Mari that provide valuable information on social customs of the Middle Bronze Age. b) Babylon - The city of Babylon was the center of a kingdom that controlled most of central and southern Mesopotamia between the 18th and 16th centuries B.C. The height of Babylon occurred under the reign of Hammurabi ( ). He conquered Mari and established the aforementioned empire. After Hammurabi, the Babylonian empire gradually declined. In 1595 B.C., the Hittites destroyed the Babylonian empire. Click map to see a larger image 3. Culturally, Mesopotamia in the Middle Bronze Age is especially known for two items: a) Literary Epic - Several stories or epics were written during the Middle Bronze Age. These epics were adapted from earlier Sumerian prototypes. 1) Gilgamesh Epic - This is the Babylonian Flood Story and has literary parallels with the flood story in Genesis 7-8. The story itself concerns the adventures of Gilgamesh, a legendary king of Uruk. It is during one of the adventures that Gilgamesh comes across Utnapishtim, the Babylonian Noah, who tells him of the Great Flood.

3 2) Enuma Elish - This is the Babylonian creation story. It recounts the birth of generations of primeval deities to Apsu and Tiamat, the primordial monsters. These deities became so noisy that Apsu decided to kill them. However, his plan was discovered and he was killed by the deities. Tiamat, Apsu's mate, attempted to seek revenge but was killed by Marduk, the great Babylonian god. Marduk then creates the heavens and the earth from Tiamat's body.

b) Law Codes - Several different Law Codes have been discovered which date to the Middle Bronze Age including the

4 3) Atrahasis Epic - This story tells of the creation of humans to carry out the tiresome toil that the greater gods had assigned to the lesser gods. b) Law Codes - Several different Law Codes have been discovered which date to the Middle Bronze Age including the Lipit-Ishtar law code, the Eshnunna law code, and the law code of Hammurabi. Hammurabi's is by far the most famous and shows the high levels of social and cultural refinement during the period.

5 C. Egypt 1. Like Mesopotamia, Egypt also recovered from the decline of civilization at the end of third millennium. Apparently, Mentuhotep I, a pharaoh who ruled at the end of the Eleventh Dynasty, defeated several rival claimants to the throne and paved the way for a reunification of Egypt. 2. The Twelfth Dynasty ( B.C.) finished the unification under Amenemhet I and established a new capital just south of Memphis. This period of time is known as the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. 3. The Twelfth Dynasty accomplished the following important things: a) They expanded and exploited trade relationships to Nubia, Byblos, the Sinai, and Palestine.

b) The arts grew and flourished. c) Medicine and mathematics reached new heights. d) Literature of all types flourished, especially didactic or teaching works.

6 b) The arts grew and flourished. c) Medicine and mathematics reached new heights. d) Literature of all types flourished, especially didactic or teaching works. e) The pharaohs built the "wall of the Ruler or Prince" to keep a check on Asiatic migrations. f) They developed the Fayum region which was an oasis area south of the Nile delta. Click map to see a larger image g) They maintained a secure, stable, and prosperous period. 4. Two literary works are of special importance. a) Tale of Sinuhe - This is the story of a disgraced Egyptian official who flees into Syria to escape the Pharaoh. It is important because it shows that the Egyptian sphere of influence included Palestine and Syria.

b) Execration Texts - These texts were simply curses inscribed on jars, bowls, or figurines. The inscribed objects were then smashed to bring the magical powers of the curse to bear.

As a result, Egypt entered a time of instability. Unified Egypt collapsed.

7 b) Execration Texts - These texts were simply curses inscribed on jars, bowls, or figurines. The inscribed objects were then smashed to bring the magical powers of the curse to bear. Many of these texts mention people in Palestine again showing the sphere of Egyptian influence. 5. Second Intermediate Period a) The Twelfth Dynasty begin to decline around 1786 B.C. As a result, Egypt entered a time of instability. Unified Egypt collapsed. Native dynasties ruled certain parts of central and southern Egypt, while the delta area came under the domination of Asiatics. b) The Asiatics are known as Hyksos and they formed the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Dynasties. c) Hyksos means "foreign ruler or chief". They were a Semitic (Amorite) people who may have been a part of the Amorite migrations discussed previously.

8 d) The Hyksos ruled from approximately 1650 to 1550 B.C. at their capital of Avaris in the delta. Click map to see a larger image e) In addition to Egypt, the Hyksos also controlled portions of Palestine and Syria. f) Some scholars feel that these were the rulers in the story of Joseph from Genesis. They state that Joseph's rise to power could more easily be achieved under Semitic rulers since Joseph was Semitic himself. g) Eventually native Egyptian rulers arose and expelled the Hyksos from Egypt. These rulers were Kamose and Ahmose, the founders of the Eighteenth Dynasty. D. Palestine 1. After approximately 200 years of decline, urban life returned to Palestine in the Middle Bronze Age. This period became known as the Classical Canaanite Era because the Canaanite culture reached it zenith during this period. 2. Characteristics of the Period

Click map to see a larger image a) Re-urbanization of Palestine 1) Over 400 Middle Bronze Age sites are known in Palestine. These sites were well fortified with massive walls on earthen ramparts.

9 Click map to see a larger image a) Re-urbanization of Palestine 1) Over 400 Middle Bronze Age sites are known in Palestine. These sites were well fortified with massive walls on earthen ramparts. 2) The coastal plains and fertile valleys were the most heavily settled areas. 3) 5% of the sites were large urban cities, 10% were small towns, and 85% were villages. 4) The city-state was the political organization of the time. b) New Technologies 1) Tin-bronze metallurgy brought new forms of weapons and tools 2) The introduction of the fast wheel in pottery allowed the production of some of the most beautiful, well-made pottery in Palestine's history. c) International contacts increased greatly 1) Contact with Egypt is well documented. 2) Pottery from Cyprus appears for the first time.

The excess of agricultural products allowed trade and other industries to grow.

10 3) Trade with Mesopotamia is well attested. d) Canaanite Culture 1) Canaanites had an Agrarian based economy with large scale agriculture. The excess of agricultural products allowed trade and other industries to grow. 2) The Canaanites developed a simple script from Egyptian hieroglyphics which eventually transformed into a local alphabet. Called Proto-Canaanite, this script allowed a person to write what he/she heard. 3) The Canaanites had a very developed polytheism which was well attested to by numerous temples and high places.

11 E. The Middle Bronze Age as the setting for the Patriarchal Period 1. Albright/Bright Hypothesis - This hypothesis is based on the following evidence and states that the Patriarchs were Middle Bronze Age figures. a) Literary Parallels between Genesis and the Babylonian epics. b) Social customs found in the Mari tablets which were the same or similar to the customs of the Patriarchs found in the Bible. c) Similarities between the Middle Bronze Age law codes and the law codes in the Bible. d) Dimorphic society - The Middle Bronze Age had both urbanization and groups of semi-nomadic wanderers just as is pictured in the Bible. 2. It must be remembered that many scholars now reject the Albright/Bright Hypothesis. However, the details of the Patriarchal narratives in the Bible fit well in the Middle Bronze Age.

Chapter 2. The First Complex Societies in the Eastern Mediterranean, ca B.C.E.

Chapter 2. The First Complex Societies in the Eastern Mediterranean, ca B.C.E. Chapter 2 The First Complex Societies in the Eastern Mediterranean, ca. 4000-550 B.C.E. p26 p27 The Emergence of Complex Society in Mesopotamia, ca. 3100 1590 b.c.e. City Life in Ancient Mesopotamia Settlers