The states of Western Asia
Answers are for parents and teachers.
1
Make a table of the states of Western Asia: name, capital, notable feature.
Assyria — Nineveh — Ashurbanipal’s library; Hittites — Hattusa — iron weapons; Urartu — Tushpa; Phoenicia — Tyre/Sidon — alphabet.
2
Why did the alphabet make writing easier? Compare it with hieroglyphs.
An alphabet needs about 22–30 letters; hieroglyphs had hundreds of signs and were hard to learn.
3
On a map find which modern country Phoenicia lay in.
In present-day Lebanon (also parts of the Syrian and Israeli coast).
4
Explain in 3 sentences the relationship between Assyria and Urartu.
They were rivals; the Urartians sometimes defeated the Assyrians and later were weakened by Assyrian attacks.