Ancient Middle East - Essay Example

This civilization started with the Sumerians at about 5000 BC and continued through the bronze and iron ages until the conquest by the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BC or Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. In fact, the iron age, the final technological and cultural stage in the Stone–Bronze–Iron-Age sequence, started in the Ancient Near East in about 1300 BC (Waldbaum 1978).

During the Iron Age, there were several regional powers, each vying for dominance of the region. These powers include the kingdoms of Assyria, Babylonia, Luwian, Aramaic, Urartu, and the Persian Empires. Following the reforms of Tiglath-Pileser III, Assyria assumed a position of great regional power, competing with its southern Mesopotamian rival Babylonia. The Persian Empire at the height of its power, rule over significant portions of Greater Iran. It was the largest empire of classical antiquity, spanning three continents that include Asia Minor, Thrace, many of the Black Sea, Iraq, northern Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and all significant population centers of ancient Egypt as far west and east as Libya, Afghanistan, parts of Pakistan, and Central Asia. These kingdoms were, indeed, the center of civilization (Waldbaum 1978). They were the first to practice intensive year-round agriculture by taking advantage of the accessible water supply, which provides water for irrigation and the ideal climate. They also gave the rest of the world the first system of writing in addition to inventing the potter’s the wheel and the vehicular- and mill wheel.

Notable among their influence in history and contribution to civilization is their centralized system of government, law codes, social stratification, and organized warfare. In fact, the idea of political or legal authority is exerted or coordinated by a de facto political executive (king) to which all other authorities must submit have its root in the Ancient Near East. Furthermore, these empires gave the world the first codified legal system. The Babylonian Code of Hammurabi provides an example: “If anyone ensnares another, putting a ban upon him, but he cannot prove it, then he that ensnared him shall be put to death.” Their tax structure, which was basically rent, was apparently based on the principle that all of the conquered lands were the actual property of the king.

One of their most influential contributions is their religious thoughts. For instance, the cosmogonies of Egypt, Babylonia, Phoenicia, and Anatolia were transmitted in part to the West and formed the basis of much of the cosmogonies of Hesiod and the Orphics before 600 BC, as well as the background for the cosmogonies of Thales and Anaximander in the 6th century BC (Encyclopædia Britannica). In addition, the religious tradition of the Near East Kingdom also influenced Pythagorean and Platonic thinking. Furthermore, Stoic philosophy was influenced by Babylonian astrology.

As mentioned above, the empires of the Near East are reputed for their centralized system of government. At the center of government were the Kings, known as kings of kings. His court is composed of powerful hereditary landholders, the upper echelons of the army, the harem, religious functionaries, and the bureaucracy that administered the whole (Encyclopædia Britannica). The provinces were administered by governors, appointed by the king of kings. The king, in addition to being the last court of appeal, was also the commander-in-chief of the army.

Furthermore, their organized military was another contribution to the modern era. For instance, the Persians maintained a professional standing army, which was sustained by troop levies from subject peoples in times of intensive military activity. The road network in the Persian Empire greatly facilitated civil and military administration. It also facilitated the government-run postal system (Encyclopædia Britannica).

The Persian king's respect for human rights was remarkably humane. Unlike colonial masters in the 19th and late 20th centuries, they permit conquered nations to retain their own religions, customs, methods of doing business, and even to some extent forms of government. This policy was exemplified by Cyrus’s attitude toward the Babylonians, which led to his being accepted as the rightful successor of Nabonidus, and his willingness to permit the Jews to return to Palestine and to their own way of life.

Indeed, the Near East Empires (kingdoms) contributed immensely to the political and social development of the region as well as the modern era.