Cry Me a River
If you're tired of carrying buckets, you'd better build canals for this process of guiding river water directly to your crops.
What is irrigation?
Developed by the Sumerians around 3100 BCE, this wedge-shaped writing system literally translates to "wedge-shaped".
What is cuneiform?
This term describes a strict Chinese philosophy that assumed humans are naturally selfish and need harsh laws to behave.
What is Legalism?
This political concept in China claimed god-given authority to rule, but conveniently allowed citizens to overthrow bad rulers.
What is the Mandate of Heaven?
Ancient Egyptians preserved bodies through this multi-step process so the soul could recognize and re-enter its body in the afterlife.
What is mummification?
Mesopotamians couldn't rely on predictable rain, so they had to contend with the violent, unpredictable flooding of these two rivers.
What are the Tigris and Euphrates?
Mesopotamians wrote on clay tablets, but Ancient Egyptians made lightweight sheets to write on using this plant that grew along the Nile River.
What is papyrus?
Rather than a long list of soft warnings, Hammurabi’s 282 laws are famous for using extremely strict and severe types of these.
What are punishments?
Unlike an empire that rules over conquered multi-ethnic groups, this is a family line of rulers passing power generation to generation.
What is a dynasty?
While American pyramids were built as high-climb platforms for public religious rituals, Egyptian pyramids were built for this main purpose.
What are tombs?
Settling near rivers led directly to a surplus of food, which meant not everyone had to farm and people could finally specialize in these.
What are jobs / crafts / trade?
Before smartphones, Pharaoh Amenhotep III sent out royal "news bulletins" about military wins carved into these protective beetle charms.
What are scarab beetles?
Hammurabi’s laws weren't equal for everyone; your punishment depended heavily on where you landed on this ladder of wealth and social status.
What is the social hierarchy?
Shang Dynasty priests tried to peek into the future by scratching questions into these animal bones and heating them until they cracked.
What are oracle bones?
Serving as both the chief political leader and a living god on Earth, this was the official title given to the rulers of Egypt.
What is a Pharaoh?
Living around 7500 BCE in modern-day Turkey, this famous early settlement had people entering homes through roofs before full-blown river cities existed.
What is Çatalhöyük?
Long before people read books, Mesopotamians gathered to hear this epic tale about a king of Uruk searching for immortality.
What is The Epic of Gilgamesh?
Before kings took power, early settlements were often led by military commanders or these spiritual leaders who claimed to speak to the gods.
What are priests/priestesses?
The Zhou Dynasty saw the rise of Daoism and this famous philosopher who preached respect for elders, moral behavior, and family loyalty.
Who is Confucius?
Discovered totally untouched in 1922, this famous boy king's tomb became legendary for all the golden treasure found inside.
Who is Tutankhamun (King Tut)?
It sounds like a bakery item, but it’s actually the crescent-shaped region of rich Middle Eastern farmland where early cities grew.
What is the Fertile Crescent?
Discovered in 1799, this famous artifact was the ultimate translation key for decoding ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
What is the Rosetta Stone?
Hammurabi was the famous ruler of this powerful ancient Mesopotamian city, known for its iconic laws.
What is Babylon?
To keep their unpredictable gods happy and show off their own power, Mesopotamian rulers built these massive, stepped temple towers in the center of their cities.
What are ziggurats?
She was one of Egypt's most successful female pharaohs, famous for expanding trade networks rather than just fighting wars.
Who is Hatshepsut?