ECONOMIC
INSTITUTIONS
INSTITUTIONS
Early river valley farmers depended on these engineered systems of canals, dikes, and levees to manage water
delivery.
What are irrigation systems?
Ancient rulers established these written structures to enforce social order and the rule of law.
What are legal codes / law codes?
Ancient civilizations were structured into these rigid class structures with very limited movement between levels.
What are social hierarchies / social pyramids?
Most ancient civilizations practiced this type of religion, involving the worship of multiple gods.
What is polytheism?
This civilization flourished between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and constructed step ziggurats.
What is Mesopotamia?
This agricultural result allowed citizens to specialize in jobs
other than farming, such as becoming artisans or scribes.
What is an agricultural surplus?
This famous Babylonian set of laws is one of the earliest complete written legal structures in history.
What is the Code of Hammurabi?
This professional group in the middle class was responsible for record keeping and writing.
Who are scribes?
Ancient polytheistic gods were often tied to these natural elements.
What are rain, sun, and soil fertility?
This civilization was dependent on the predictable annual flooding of the Nile River and ruled by Pharaohs.
What is Ancient Egypt?
These geographic features served as natural highways that fostered long-distance trade.
What are rivers?
Governments organized these large-scale efforts, which included constructing city walls, granaries, and irrigation canals.
What are public works projects?
These two groups made up the majority population at the bottom level of the social hierarchy.
Who are farmers and enslaved individuals?
These Mesopotamian step-pyramid structures served as both spiritual centers and administrative hubs.
What are Ziggurats?
This civilization centered along the Indus River featured planned urban centers like Harappa and Mohenjo-daro.
What is Ancient India?
Name one key strength and one key vulnerability of relying on river valleys for agriculture.
Strength: Fertile soil / trade.
Vulnerability: Floods / droughts.
Powerful monarchs, priestly rulers, and divine pharaohs are examples of this form of rule.
What is centralized government / monarchy?
These groups made up the top social class of ancient river valley civilizations.
Who are monarchs, ruling elites, and priests?
Besides religious worship, name two administrative functions performed at monumental architectural hubs.
Grain storage and tax collection.
This civilization built along the Yellow River was governed by dynastic rule and the Mandate of Heaven.
What is Ancient China?
Scribes, merchants, artisans, and farmers represent this economic concept created by food surpluses.
What is specialized labor / division of labor?
In Ancient China, rulers claimed political authority through this religious and political doctrine.
What is the Mandate of Heaven?
Explain why social mobility was extremely limited in ancient river valley social pyramids.
Social status was hereditary and tied to rigid class roles established by law and religion.
In Ancient Egypt, rulers were viewed not just as kings, but as these divine figures.
What are god-kings / living gods (Pharaohs)?
Identify the primary river associated with each of the 4 early civilizations.
Tigris/Euphrates (Mesopotamia), Nile (Egypt), Indus (India), Yellow River (China).