NPS

1.3 THE MIDDLE EAST

Assyria: (ASSZÍRIA)
• emerged as an independent kingdom in the 14th century BC
• Assyrians spoke Akkadian language
• their state was located at the middle part of Tigris, the most important cities were:
Ashur ,Nineveh , in Babylon stood the Ishtar gate

Economy:
• this territory was rainy so they didn’t build canals, were engaged in cattle breeding
• developed metallurgy and had lead mines and a vivid trade with Asia Minor,
merchants became the most powerful part of society BUT later lead mines were
found in Asia Minor so the trading connection ended and they transformed the
kingdom into an aggressive military state: soldiers were the leading class
• farmers became the infantry
• nobilities formed the cavalry
• for food production they deported large segments of conquered population

• the most important rulers were:

Nabu-kudurri-usur conquered Phoenicia and Palestine
Sennacherib had a campaign against Syria and Palestine and sieged Jerusalem
Ashurbanipal was the last great king of Assyria, by his time they have already ruled
Egypt; after his death in 626 BC the power of Assyrian Empire began to decline

Neo-Babylonian Empire : ÚJBABILONI BIRODALOM := 626-539 BC

• due to internal rebellions the Assyrian Empire weakened, then arrived the Medes
(Médek) – who were ancient Iranian nomadic tribes
• demolished Nineveh

Persian Empire: PERZSA BIRODALOM:

• Persians were nomadic stockbreeders who lived at the west part of the Iran Basin;
their name means: ’horsemen’
• Medes territory was incorporated into the Persian Empire under Achaemenid
Dynasty founded by Cyrus the Great (Kürosz) in 559
• the Persians did not enslaved or deported the defeated peoples nor destroyed
conquered cities. Subdued peoples were allowed to worship their own gods and kept
their cultural autonomy.
• The Empire was divided into 20 satrapies governed by satraps supervised by king’s
representatives who were “the king’s eyes and ears”.
• Persian Empire reached its height during the reign of Darius I. the great-king
He extended the Persian borders to the Indus River on the east to Aegean Sea and
Egypt on the west.
he had huge income of taxes
built the 2700km long King road
had 3 capitals: Susa, Ecbatana, Persepolis
NPS

Religion:
• has dualistic cosmology in its concept of good and evil,
• the most important texts of the religion are those of the Avesta, /Tudás könyve/
which includes the writings of Zoroaster (Zaratusztra )
• the 2 gods are: Ahura Mazda and Ahriman