Hittites

The Mediterranean and Middle East 2000-500 B.C.E Tunisia dominated the commerce of the western Med. for centuries Migration of Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age peoples Iron Age: period during which iron was the primary metal for tools and weapons used iron instead of bronze The Cosmopolitan Middle East (purple) Outsiders that invaded Mesopotamia and Egypt were ejected; conditions of stability and prosperity restored Number of large states dominated controlled the smaller states and kinship groups fought for control of valuable commodities and trade routes Late Bronze Age was a ?cosmopolitan? era of widely shared cultures Diplomatic relations; commercial contacts between states fostered (+goods, ideas) Elite groups shared similar values ???^ Nubia and Aegean Sea