| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| The 4 ancient river valley civilizations | Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus and china |
| Mesopotamia | Greek for "land between two rivers" Between Tigris and EuphratesRiver flooded at least once a year Unpredictable Little natural barriers to offer protection from invaders Limited natural resources promoted trade |
| Pyramids on the Nile | "The gift of the Nile"- predictable flooding Deserts on both sides of the Nile served as a natural barriers to invaders Reduced interactions with others Over 4,000 miles long, flowing from south to north |
| Indus | Flat plain formed by two rivers- the Indus and Ganges Natural barriers of the Himalayas and the Hindu lush mountains offered protection Seasonal winds called monsoons Unpredictable floods, wet and dry season |
| Dynasties in china | Natural barriers isolated china from all other civilizations Pacific Ocean to the east, desert to the west, Himalayan mountains to the southeast.Two main rivers-huang -he (yellow river) and Yangtze 90% of land suitable for farming between these river |
| Sumer is divided into | city states with individual governments |
| Momarchies | Divided into city states with individual governments. |
| Military leaders | Became full time rulers and eventually passed power down to their sons |
| Because rivers flooded unpredictably | Irrigation ditches were needed to carry water to their field |
| Architecture/technology | Sumerians built ziggurats which were temples to the gods Technology achievements include,the wheel,the sail and the plow |
| Religion | First organized religion: Sumerians believed That many gods controlled the forces of nature Polytheism is the belief in many gods |
| System of writing | First to develop a writing system Cuneiform- wedges in clay tablets Used for record keeping, communication Later the phoenicians brought their alphabet to Mesopotamia. We call it the phonetic alphabet,our Latin alphabet was influenced by it. |
| Law and order | Babylonians: conquered this region developed first codes of law.Code of Hammurabi: stressed the idea of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth"Very harsh set of lawsKept order and stability in society |
| Ancient Egypt | Nile river Flooding was predictable Provided siltDeveloped system of irrigation ditches Nile was a highwayWrote on papyrus |
| Indus River valley civilization | Valley developed along the Indus and Ganges rivers Himalayas and Hindu Kush were natural barriers Relied on monsoons or seasonal winds to bring rain to water crops Mohenjo daro and Harrapa Public sewer systems supported 30,000 people Well planed citi |
| Ancient china | Yellow riverFlooded unpredictable Called China's Sorrow because when it flooded dams sometimes broke and killed crops causing starvation Polytheistic Oracle bones I |
| The Zhou dynasty | Group of people claiming ancestry to the Zhou family marched out of their kingdom on the western frontier to over throw the Shang. Promoted the idea of the Mandate of Heaven |
| Mary Leakey | She is an anthropologist. Her and her Husband discovered Lucy,. The oldest skeleton in east Africa. |
| Hammurabi's code | First set of written laws/ harsh: eye for an eye,tooth for a tooth |
| Nile river: why was it important, how was it used by people? | It was predictable and it was used for transportation and irrigation |
| Papyrus | Paper like substance used by Egyptians |
| Natural barriers of Egypt | Eastern/western desert/ Mediterranean/ red sea |
| Civilization: traits of a civilization | Advanced cities specialization, advanced technology |
| Hunter gatherers | Hunt/gather food, nomadic (constantly moving) 20-30 people |
| Neolithic revolution | Major turning point. New Stone Age. Surplus of food leading up to civilizations. |
| What does society need before it can grow? | Surplus of food |
| Cultural diffusion | The spreading of ideas and practices from one culture to another, usually spread through trade. |
| Indus River valley cities: what makes them unique? | They had a sewer systems and water supply that supported 30,000 people, grid pattern and oven baked bricks. |
| Maurya empire: india | First empire in India. India urban planning (grid system). |
| City-state | City and surrounding land functions that are one political |
| Delta | Marsh land formed by deposits of silt at mouth(end) of river. |
| Fertile Crescent | |
| Arc of rich farm land between Mediterranean and Persian gulf | |
| Feudalism | System where nobles granted land in return for loyalty |
| Gilgamesh | First written poem |
| Hieroglyphics | Egyptian writing system that uses pictures to represent ideas and sounds |
| Irrigation | Bringing water to crops by ditches or canals |
| Pharaohs | Gods, kings |
| Polytheism | Beliefs in many gods |
| Silt | Fertile land deposited during flood |
| Sumer | Civilizations in Mesopotamia |
| Slash and burn | Cut trees and grass than burn |
| Monsoons | Winds that shift direction at certain times of the year |
