THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST Historical Introduction Civilization developed at an early age in many different parts of the ancient Near East. At first, this development appears to have been a rather uniform progression, with different peoples advancing at a similar pace. By 8000 B.C., small groups had come together in tiny mudbrick villages, cereals and vegetables were domesticated, and animal husbandry had made its appearance. From 7000-5000 B.C., permanent village life became the norm over an extensive area, as attested by sites as distant as Hacilar in Anatolia (modern Turkey) and Jericho in Palestine. The manufacture of pottery in a variety of local styles was widespread, while trade in obsidian (volcanic glass), semi- precious stones, and shells demonstrates commercial and cultural contacts between people in distant regions. In the 4th millennium, urban centers made their appearance, many with monumental buildings, extensive temple complexes, and large-scale sculpture. By about 3000 B.C., the cylinder seal had replaced the stamp seal, and writing was in use in Mesopotamia. During the 3rd and 2nd millennia, the distinctness of individual groups living in specific areas became more apparent as reflected by the number of regional kingdoms: the Hittites in Anatolia; the Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Kassites, and Mitannians in Mesopotamia and Syria; and the Elamites in southwestern Iran. By about 1200 B.C., however, many of these kingdoms had collapsed or been destroyed, and the Assyrians became the dominant power in the region. The mighty Assyrian empire at one time stretched from Egypt to the Persian Gulf and northward into Iran and Turkey, but it could not withstand the onslaught of the Babylonians allied with the Medes from Iran. In 612 B.C., they established control over Mesopotamia and the western provinces of the Assyrian empire as far as the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The 6th century saw the rise of Persian power under Cyrus the Great (559-530 B.C.). His conquests laid the foundation for a vast empire that at its height stretched from the Aegean to the Indus. Although the battles of Marathon (490 B.C.), Salamis (480 B.C.) and Plataia (479 B.C.) saved Greece, Persian rule prevailed elsewhere until its destruction by Alexander the Great (336-323 B.C.). Under Alexander's successors Hellenic culture transformed the region. MAA 9/99 THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST Chronological Table Chronological information that is relevant to the collections of ancient art has been selected for presentation in this table. Mesopotamia Protoliterate period ca. 3500-3000 B.C. Early Dynastic period ca. 3000-2334 B.C. Akkadian period ca. 2340-2180 B.C. Neo-Sumerian period ca. 2125-2050 B.C. Period of Isin-Larsa and Babylon ca. 2050-1594 B.C. Kassite Dynasty ca. 1594-1100 B.C. Mitannian period ca. 1500-1350 B.C. Assyrian period ca. 1350-612 B.C. Neo-Babylonian period ca. 625-539 B.C. Mesopotamia and Iran Achaemenid Dynasty (the Persians) 559-331 B.C. Seleucid Dynasty 312-175 B.C. Parthian Period 238 B.C.-A.D. 224 Sasanian Dynasty ca. 224-651 A.D. Anatolia Hacilar Aceramic ca. 7000 B.C. Hacilar IX-VI, Neolithic ca. 5750-5600 B.C. Hacilar V-I, Early Chalcolithic ca. 5600-5000 B.C. Yortan Culture ca. 3500-2000 B.C. Hittites ca. 1600-1200 B.C. Urartian Period ca. 850-600 B.C. Phrygian Period ca. 775-690 B.C. MAA 9/99 THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST Chronological Table Cont. Palestine Neolithic Period 6th and 5th millennium B.C. Chalcolithic Period 3100-2900 B.C. Early Bronze Age 3100-2250/2200 B.C. Middle Bronze Age 2250/2200-1550 B.C. Late Bronze Age 1550-1200 B.C. Iron Age 1200-586 B.C. Second Temple Period 586 B.C.- A.D. 70 Babylonian and Persian 586-332 B.C. Hellenistic I 332-167 B.C. Hasmonean/Hellenistic II 167-40 B.C. Herodian/Early Roman 40 B.C. - A.D. 70 Period of the Mishna and the Talmud A.D. 70 - 640 Late Roman A.D. 70-324 Byzantine A.D. 324-640 MAA 9/99 .