The Great Ancient Civilizations of Asia Minor

The Great Ancient Civilizations of Asia Minor



By Madison Nef

I am giving a review of what I have learned so far from my history course. Before I get too into things, I would like to translate some of the words I’m going to use so that there are no misconceptions. It’s very basic:
Anatolia = Asia Minor which is today Turkey.
When I use the word “Asia”, I’m talking about the Roman province in Turkey, NOT the continent.

The first thing I’d like to talk about is the Anatolian Plateau- it was a very large part in the beginning of agriculture and raising cattle and livestock. It was basically a large plain and it was very good for planting. In 7000-8000 BC, Neolithic people and villages started living on the Anatolian Plateau and thus came the beginning of or “The Cradle” of civilization. Even before that time, however, women had already discovered basic agriculture: that if you put seeds in the ground and came back the next year, food would have grown.

The Konya was the first Turkish civilization known, and was well known for good agriculture. It was they who first discovered how to plant and even how to begin taming animals as livestock. Pigs are thought to be one of the first domesticated animals, followed by cows and eventually horses. Catal Huyuk (mentioned below) was also notable for its raising of livestock.

Catal Huyuk was one of the first main Neolithic cities- it is well known for its early architecture and artwork. Archeologists today have discovered some of the earliest statues of the sun god or the weather god that come from Catal Huyuk and most of the artifacts are on display in museums. In one museum there is a whole ROOM that was found to be a sort of offering chamber to a “Bull God” – there was an altar, large statues of gods with bull heads and offering paintings. One of the first paintings thought to have been made dates back to 6500 BC.  The Neolithic people also figured out how to make basic pottery using their hands and leaving the clay to dry in the sun, and discovered that the pottery could be formed into rat-proof urns for storing food in.

The pottery pictured above is likely from the Copper Age (4500 BC). The Sumer, (pronounced soo-mar) was the first civilization to discover writing. Using large clay tablets (or cuneiforms) to write, they formed the first language and really, the first political reign. The clay tablets were used for record keeping and business only- it wasn't until much later on that writing began being used for entertainment purposes.

Alaca Huyuk, or Troy 2, as it is sometimes called, was one of the leading cities. It is responsible for the first real kingship and the first trading routes between different cities. The city’s king was Labarnas the first, the first Hittite king. He started trade routes to Catal Huyuk and began trading furs, salted meats, and metals with them.  However, all the trading attracted the attention of the Akkadian empire, ruled by King Sargon and his grandson Naram-sin. They ambushed Alaca Huyuk, trying to gain control but failed. I should also mention that Alaca Huyuk was an illiterate city, but still had great agriculture and architecture.

Livestock were useful to have for Labarnas because they provided him with furs, leathers, meats and dairy products, all of which could be traded to traveling merchants and attracted more business to Alaca Huyuk.

Another common good among traders was jewelry, made from the obsidian and other metals that were found naturally. Textiles, metal tools, and the jewelry were given to the merchants before they set out. Traders were called ‘Karum’.

Then came the “Bronze” age, from 1600-1200 BC. It was in this time period that war started to break out amongst the rulers, and the invention of chariots came about. But what started all the fighting? It was the cause of Egyptian ruler Akhenaton, who ruled from 1352-1335 BC. He worshipped the Sun God and was too busy with his religion to focus on his people- sparking a religious civil war in Egypt.

 Meanwhile, the Hittites were switching rule a lot- from Labarnas to Hattusalis to finally, Mursilis. Mursilis ruled from 1620-1590 BC and was responsible for the capture of Babylon. He used the trading routes and followed then down the river where he and a few men sacked Babylon. However, the conquest took longer than expected and they lost a lot of loot and men, and Mursilis returned to a fallen city- he was later murdered in the year 1500 BC by one of his own men.

All the while, chariots had been invented. The Hittite people had discovered that by hitching horses to wooden carts, you could go faster and attack much easier. Each chariot needed 3 people: a charioteer and often 2 archers. This gave a need to start domesticating horses, and so land in the Anatolian Plateau was given to nobles who raised the cattle and taught the charioteers.

It all came down to a war between the Egyptians and the Hittites at the battle for the Levant territory in 1360 BC. The Hittites struck down the Mitanni and Kassite people against all odds, and a battle was fought. In the end, it was believed that the Egyptians conquered the territory, but no one can be sure. Drawings depict both men in chariots riding towards each other, and on each side of the battle the story is told differently. In the Hittite version, the Egyptian soldiers are lured away from their ruler to go raid a camp and then the Egyptian king is killed; while in the Egyptian version it depicts the king in large form on a chariot rushing towards the Hittites. It has been called a draw.

To wrap things up, here is a short review:

Reflection on the time periods:

The Copper Age began in the year 4500 BC.
The Bronze Age lasted from the year 1600-1200 BC.
The years 1680-1590 BC are considered the times of the Hittite “Old Kingdom”.
The Conquest of the Levant happened in 1360 BC.
Mursilis was murdered in 1500 BC.
3500 BC: The Iraq and the Sumer immerge and the “Cradle of Civilization” begins: the start of the first cities, agriculture, and writing.
7000-8000 BC: The first Neolithic people and villages. The first civilization, learning about farming and stock raising.
11000-9000 BC: Women discover planting and how it works. The pig becomes the first domesticated animal, soon followed by the cow and horse.

Meanings for words/terms used:

Neolithic: New Stone Age
Anatolia: Asia Minor
Assuwa: Asia, the province in Turkey
The Euxine Sea: The Hospitable Sea, or the Greek name for the Black Sea. The Greeks believed that if they called it the hospitable sea, the Gods would be kind to them.
Assyrian: The name for a person who lives in Anatolia.
Centum: West Asia Minor ~ Satem: East Asia Minor