Mesopotamia
What is the fertile crescent?
fertile land between the Tigris and the Euphrates river that had a curved shape, best farming in Southwest Asia
What is Theocracy?
- type of government in which rule is based on religious authority
- rulers regarded as splendid and powerful as the Gods of Heaven
What are monsoons?
- seasonal winds affect climate of India
- winter and summer monsoon
- rivers flood, good soil but can destroy crops and villages
- river can change course, dry with no rain drought
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Why did the Chinese built their houses out of wood instead of clay like the Sumerians?
They had forests to supply them with wood.
What is the mandate of heaven?
just ruler had a divine approval
How did floods affect Mesopotamia?
rivers flooded at least once a year leaving behind mud deposit "silt", good for farming, irrigate fields, wheat and barley thrive, surplus of food, villages grow
How did King Narmer symbolized the unity of upper and lower Egypt?
He wore a double crown that showed Upper Egypt white crown on one side and Lower Egypt red crown on the other side.
What made Indus valley a good place for civilization?
- mountains in the north, desert in the west, protected from invaders
- rivers Indus, Ganges provided water and rich soil for farming
How did Yu's technology help the growth of the Shang Dynasty?
flood contrl and irrigation projects made it possible for farming, surplus food
What family obligations did a Chinese have?
respect and obey elders, women obey male relatives
Describe the social classes in Sumer.
- Kings, land holders,priests
- wealthy merchants
- workers(farmers, artisans)
- slaves
What is the Pharaoh's role in Egypt?
- representatives of gods
- responsible for religion, government and army
- promote truth and justice
- responsible for kingdom's well being
What do the planned city tell us about the Indus Valley
culture?
- that the people had a strong central government and a high level of cooperation of the people
How did the Chinese religion reinforce the centrality of the family in Chinese social life?
ancestors' spirits help take care of the living members, people respected elders and ancestors
What are the key characteristics of a civilization?
-advanced cities
-specialized
-complex institutions
-record keeping
- improved technology
What are some achievements of the Sumerians?
- invented wheel,axle,plow, sail,bronze
- number system base on 60
- arches, columns, ramps, pyramids, ziggurats
-writing system cuneiform
Why are pyramids important?
Egyptians believed that kings still ruled after death.
- eternal life force Ka, had needs and pleasures like living kings
- pyramids, tombs
What is the main reason Harappan language has not been deciphered?
No bilingual text has been found to help with the translation of the symbols.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Chinese writing system?
advantages - unite all Chinese with one language even spoken language were different
disadvantage - too mnay symbols to remember
How is the dynastic cycle connected to the mandate of heaven
the mandate of heaven expalined why events happened in the dynastic cycle
Describe Hammurabi's Code.
- King Hammurabi of Babylonian Empire 282 laws
- laws for family relations, business conduct and crime
- laws to protect women and children
- an eye for an eye,punishment similar to crime, government was responsible for what happened in society, government compensate if criminal not found
What are the achievements of the Egyptians?
- writing Hieroglyphics, papyrus like paper
- written numbers, calendars for tracking floods
- mummification, knowledge of medicine( set broken bones, treatments for wounds and fever, surgery, take pulse)
- mathematical knowledge , built pyramids, columns for homes and temples
Describe Indus Valley's sophisticated city planning.
built city walls, human made islands to raise land, precise grid, citadel fortress, oven baked bricks, plumbing and sewage systems, toilet made with bricks with wooden seats, waste went to pipes to underground sewer system. Harappan. Mohejo-Daro, everyhouse had a bathroom and toilet
Describe Feudalism.
- system where a king grants the nobles or lords the use of his land in return for loyalty and military service to the king, protection to those who live on their estates