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Module 4: First Empires in Africa and Asia - Coggle Diagram
Module 4: First Empires in Africa and Asia
Nomadic Invaders
At the end of its second period of
glory, power struggles weakened Egypt.
New invaders, the Hyksos, arrived. They
had chariots. Egyptians had never seen
this type of machine before. The Hyksos
ruled Egypt for many years. Some
historians believe that the Hyksos
encouraged the Israelites to settle there.
Around 1600 BC, a series of warlike
rulers began to restore Egypt’s power.
Eventually, the Hyksos were driven
completely out of Egypt
The New Kingdom
The time from 1570 to 1075 BC is
called the New Kingdom. In this third
period, Egypt was richer and more
powerful than ever.
Hatshepsut was one of the rulers of
the New Kingdom. She encouraged
trade. Her stepson, Thutmose III, was
more warlike
Their
armies also moved south into Nubia.
This was a part of Africa near where the
Nile originated. Egypt had traded with
Nubia and influenced the region since
the time of the Middle Kingdom.
Some pharaohs also
built huge palaces for themselves or
temples to the Egyptian gods.
Ramses II stood out among the great
builders of the New Kingdom. He
reigned from about 1290 to 1224 BC
THE EMPIRE DECLINES
Around 1200 BC, invaders attacked
the eastern Mediterranean. They
brought trouble with them.
Some of these invaders were called
the Sea Peoples. They attacked the
Egyptian empire.
As Egypt’s power lessened, the land
broke into many small kingdoms. People
from Libya began to invade Egypt. They
took control of the land around 950 BC
and ruled it until 730 BC. They followed
the Egyptian way of life.
The Rise of Persia
Their king was Cyrus, an excellent
general. Cyrus led his army to conquer a
huge empire. It stretched from the Indus
River in India all the way to Anatolia.
The empire covered about 2,000 miles.
Cyrus took all this land in just over
10 years.
He
allowed the people to practice their old
religions, too. Cyrus let the Israelites
return to Jerusalem and rebuild their
temple there. Cyrus was also a great
warrior. He was killed in battle.
Persian Rule
The next king, Darius, proved as able
as Cyrus. Darius put down several
revolts. He won more land for the
empire and created a government for the
empire. Only Greece did not go under
Persian control.
Darius divided the land into 20
provinces, each holding a certain group
of people. He allowed each group to
practice its own religion, speak its own
language, and obey many of its own
laws. He also put royal governors—
satraps
Darius built the Royal Road to unite
his large empire. This excellent road
system ran 1,677 miles. The Royal Road
made communication better within the
empire.
The Persian Legacy
During the Persian Empire, a new
religion arose in Southwest Asia. A
prophet named Zoroaster said there
were two powerful spirits. One stood for
truth and light. The other represented
evil and darkness. The two spirits were
in a constant struggle. People needed to
take part in the struggle. They would be
judged on how well they fought. These
ideas influenced later religions.