REL 328: History and Culture of the Ancient Near East. Comparative Historical Outline. RJDKnauth
DATE EGYPT*(dates see sep’t sheet) SYRIA-PALESTINE MESOPOTAMIA
Hunter/Gatherer culture, as at Carmel Caves.
8000 (BCE)
Neolithic Revolution:
Development of Agriculture, Domestication of Animals.
massive tower at Jericho
6000
Invention of Pottery, possibly developed from clay-plastered floors in
fire-pits.
Pre-dynastic agricultural villages.
Natufian culture.
N: Hassuna, Sammara, Halaf. S: Ubaid.
4300
Chalcolithic (Copper) Age:
Ghassulian culture. Ubaid culture dominates.
En-Gedi cultic enclosure, copper treasure hoard.
N: Tepe Gawra. S: Uruk
Abrupt end to culture: Biblical Flood????
3300 Early Bronze Age: emergence of cities (e.g. Arad).
3200 Beginnings of the Development of Writing.
3100
Early Dynastic Period. Writing
Develops.
Sumerian Culture flourishes.
Dynasties
1-2. Narmer/Menes. Memphite royal culture.
2700
Old Kingdom (Dyn. 3-6):
Age of Pyramids.
Early Dynastic Period
Djoser/Zoser,
Snefru (Dahshur), Khufu/Cheops (Giza), Khafre, Menkaure.
2340
Akkadian Period: Sargonid
Empire.
Sargon, Naram-Sin, Shar-Kali-Sharri
2200
First Intermediate Period
Dynasties
7-11.
EB-IV/MB-I Interlude: scattered, nomadic.
Chaos of Gutian Hordes; Gudea of Lagash.
2190
Neo-Sumerian Renaissance: Ur
III Dyn
Ur-Nammu, Shulgi. Ibbi-Sin fall to Ammorites
2000 Middle Kingdom (Dyn.
12) Middle
Bronze Age: Mighty Canaanite city-states.
Isin / Larsa
Amunemhet
(Thebes/Memphis), Sesostris.
Abraham moves from Ur.
Ishbi-erra,
Ishme-dagan, Lipit-Ishtar/Gungunum, Rim-sin
Old Babylonian/Old Assyrian
Period
1792
Patriarchal period
Larsa: Rim-sin. Ashur: Shamshi-adad.
Mari: Zimri-lim. Babylon: Hammurabi.
1730 2nd Intermediate (Dyn. 13-17, Hyksos) Joseph
raised to power in Egypt?
1595
Sack of Babylon - "dark ages"
1550 Hyksos expelled from Avaris/Tanis
1550
New Kingdom (Dyn. 18-20)
Late Bronze Age: under
Egyptian domination.
Kassites, Old
Hittite Kingdom
[18:
Ahmose, Thutmose, Akenaton, Tutankhamen.] Israelites
enslaved in Egypt.
Ugarit flourishes.
1500 Queen Hatshepsut Invention of Alphabet in Canaan/Phoenicia! Hurrian Kingdom of Mitanni in Syria
1375 Akhenaton/Amunhotep Neo-Hittites: Suppiluliumas, Hattusilis
1303 [19: Rameses, Seti, Rameses II, Merneptah. Capital moved to Delta.] Middle Assyrian (capital at Ashur)
1280
Rameses II
Inconclusive Battle of Kadesh: Stand-off between Egypt and Hittites (Hatti)
– Treaty.
1240?
Rameses II
Israelite Exodus under Moses, Aaron.
1209 Merneptah “Israel Stela” Israelites in Canaan area, not settled. Fall of Troy, Ugarit, Hatti, Canaan…
1200
Queen Tausert/Tawosre Iron
Age I: Israelite “Conquest”/Settlement
Wave of destruction. Weakness.
1185 [20:
Rameses III-XI]
Israelite Tribal League/period of judges
1175
Wars w/ Sea Peoples (incl. Philistines) Philistines settle in Canaan
1150 Post
Empire Period (Dyn. 21-26). End
of Egyptian control over Canaan. Tribal
League.
1000
3rd Intermediate period
Iron Age IIa: United Monarchy
(David, Solomon)
960
Dyn. 21 at Tanis.
1st Temple built by Solomon
925 Libyan (D. 22-25): Sheshonq Iron Age IIb: Divided Monarchy [Shishak/Sheshonq invades 923]
883
Osorkon
Omri Dynasty (N): moved capital to Samaria
Neo-Assyrian Period -
Ashur-Nasirpal
853
Battle of Qarqar (Shalmaneser III)
Shalmaneser, Tiglath-Pileser, Sargon
732
Fall of Damascus to Assyria (Tiglath Pileser) Sennacherib,
Esarhaddon, Ashurbanipal
722/1
Iron Age IIc: Fall of
Samaria (Israel) to Assyria (Shalmaneser V, Sargon II).
701
Assyria
invades Judah, Jerusalem survives (Sennacherib).
664 Saite
Dynasty (Dyn. 26)
612
Psamtik
Babylonians conquer Nineveh [Assyria]
609
Neko/Necho II
Josiah killed by
Pharaoh Neko.
Neo-Babylonian
(Chaldean) Period.
605
Battle of Carchemish.
Nebuchadnezzar, Nabonidus, Belshazzar
597
Psamtik II
Babylonians conquer Jerusalem, 1st deportation.
587/6 Apries, Amasis
Jerusalem destroyed by Babylonians (Nebuchadnezzar):
Exile.
539/8
Israelites allowed to return to Jerusalem.
Persian Cyrus takes over Babylon.
525
Persian Cambyses takes Egypt
Restoration
Period
Persian/Achaemenid
Period
515
2nd Temple built in
Jerusalem
Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes, Artaxerxes
333/2 Greek Alexander the Great takes over entire ANE from Persians. Beginning of Hellenistic Age.
65 BCE Roman Julius Ceasar takes over Syria-Palestine from Greeks. Beginning of Roman Period.
70 CE Jewish Revolt, 2nd Temple Destroyed by Romans.