Ancient River Valley Civilizations Review

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TRASH-KET-BALL ~ FALL 2011

What do archeologists call the preserved

remains or traces of animals, plants & other

organisms from the past?

Fossil.

What do we call a civilization

whose rulers all come from the same family?

Dynasty.

What do archeologists call ancient human-made objects?

Artifacts.

Define Culture.

A group of people’s

WAY OF LIFE.

The Old Stone Age is also

known as the. .

Paleolithic Age.

The New Stone Age is also

known as the. .

Neolithic Age.

What is a nomad?

A person who travels from place

to place in search of food.

_________+_________=the Neolithic Revolution.

Warmer Climate+

the discovery of farming

Why is slash & burn farming so

effective?The ashes fertilize the

soil.

What was the impact of the Neolithic

Revolution?Nomadic life was no longer necessary.

People could SETTLE in one place!!!!

Instead of searching for food, people were producing food!!!

What are the 5 defining

characteristics of a civilization?

1.Advanced Cities2.Specialized Workers3.Complex Institutions

4.Record Keeping5.Advanced Technology

What does the word “Mesopotamia” mean?

“The land b/w the rivers”

The people of Mesopotamia settled between which two

rivers?

The Tigris & Euphrates

What is a scribe?

A Sumerian record keeper.

What type of writing did the

Mesopotamians use?

Cunieform.

What structure was at the center

of every Mesopotamian

city-state?

A Ziggurat.

What does the term “barter” mean?

Trade.

In Mesopotamia, this was known as a city that

functioned as an independent political

unit.

City-State.

Define CULTURAL

DIFFUSION!!!!The spreading of ideas and goods from culture to

culture.

Define polytheism.

The belief in many gods!!

Define monotheism.

The belief in one god!!

Name two of the three environmental challenges

Mesopotamians faced.

1.Unpredictable flooding.2.No natural barriers for

protection.3.No natural resources.

What was the main idea behind

Hammurabi’s Code?

Retaliation.“Eye for an Eye,

Tooth for a Tooth”

How is the Nile River different from any

other river in the world?

It flows from South to North.

When does the Nile River flood?

Every July.

Did Egypt have any natural barriers? If so,

what were they?YES!!!!

Deserts on the east & west, mountains in the

south & the Mediterranean Sea in the north.

Define pharaoh.

God-king!!!

What is the relationship b/w the political authority & religious authority in

Ancient Egypt?

IT WAS THE SAME PERSON!!!

THE PHARAOH!!!!

What type of writing came from the Ancient

Egyptians?

Hieroglyphics

What did the Ancient Egyptians use for

paper?

Papyrus

Define Subcontinent.

A large landmass that is part of a continent but is

considered either geographically independent.

What are the two most important rivers in

Ancient India?

The Indus River&

The Ganges River

What environmental challenge did the farmers of the Indus Valley face that the Sumerians &

Egyptians did not?

MONSOONS.

Why is the Harappan language impossible

to decipher?

Linguists haven’t found any

inscriptions that are bilingual.

How were the planned cities of the Indus

Valley different from other early cities?

They were built on a grid with advanced

plumbing.

What were the three reasons for the

disappearance of the early Indus Valley

civilizations?

EarthquakesFloods

Tired Soil

This person was the first emperor of the first Indian

dynasty. This emperor gave up his

throne, converted to Jainism, and eventually starved to

death while fasting.Chandragupta

Maurya

What did the Jainist teach?

Nonviolence and respect for all life.

After a long, bloody war in which 100,000 soldiers and

even more civilians were killed, this emperor became a Buddhist.

Ashoka

Asoka is responsible for spreading

____________around the world.

Buddhism

This is the name of India’s second great empire, which

began in A.D. 320.

Gupta Empire

This emperor came to power peacefully (through

marriage) in about A.D. 320 and was called the Great

King of Kings.

Chandra Gupta.

This is the type of society in which the eldest male is the

head of the extended family.

Patriarchal

This is the type of society in which the eldest female is the head of the extended

family.

Matriarchal

This group of people from south India were a

Matriarchal society.

Tamil.

ANCIENT RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS

ANCIENT CHINA

What were the two major river systems in China that flowed to the west to the Pacific Ocean?

The Huang He&

The Yangtze

This is the yellowish fertile soil deposited along the riverbanks.

Loess

• Two Rivers:– Huang He– Yangtze

• Plateau of Tibet• Gobi Desert• Mongolian

Plateau• Himalaya

Mountains

What are some of the environmental challenges that the ancient Chinese

faced?1. Flooding of Huang He2. Geographic isolation

3. Lack of natural barriers4. Only 10% of China’s land is

suitable for farming.

What was the first Chinese dynasty to leave

written records?

The Shang

Explain why the Chinese writing

system is so unique.

It was universal.

This is the divine approval that a Chinese ruler must possess to maintain rule.

The Mandate of Heaven

This is the pattern of rise, decline, and replacement

of ruling families in China.

The Dynastic Cycle

This is the ethical system adopted by Shi Huangdi.

Legalism

Explain Shi Huangdi’s quote:

“Strengthen Trunk,Weaken Branches”

Powerful Government,

Weak people.

This is what the philosophy of Laozi came

to be called.

Daoism

From which city-state was

Hammurabi from?

Babylon.

What is the name of the triangular piece of land located at

the mouth of the Nile River?

Delta

Define Theocracy.

A government based on Religious authority!

What is the main purpose of a

pyramid?

To serve as a tomb.

Hieroglyphics, Cuneiform & Chinese

are all based on what?

Pictograph’s.

Why is the Rosetta Stone so useful to

historians?

What season brought the WET winds to India?

Summer Monsoons.

What season brought the DRY winds to India?

Winter Monsoons.

How did Wudi’s Examination System

improve the government in China?

Gave jobs to qualified workers.

True or False:Confucianism is a

religion.

False. It is an ethical system.

Confucius said that __________________

could change a commoner into a

gentleman.

Education.

Which Emperor is responsible for having the Great Wall of China

built?

Shi Huangdi.