Early Humans and the Neolithic Revolution
This term refers to the period of human history before the invention of writing.
What is prehistory?
This river, essential to Egyptian civilization, flooded predictably each year, providing fertile soil for crops.
What is the Nile River?
This covenant-based religion, central to the Kingdom of Israel, introduced monotheism to the ancient world.
What is Judaism?
This early civilization is known for its well-planned cities, including Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa.
What is the Indus Valley Civilization?
This river, sometimes referred to as “China’s Sorrow,” was central to the development of ancient Chinese civilizations.
What is the Yellow River?
This term refers to the spread of ideas, technologies, and cultures between civilizations.
What is cultural diffusion?
These scientists study the physical and cultural development of humans by examining artifacts and fossils.
What are anthropologists?
These were the ancient Egyptians' pictorial writing symbols used for religious and official texts.
What are hieroglyphs?
This king of Babylon created a legal code that emphasized "an eye for an eye."
Who is Hammurabi?
This collection of sacred texts is central to early Hinduism and Aryan culture.
What are the Vedas?
This philosophy emphasized strict laws and harsh punishments to maintain order in society.
What is Legalism?
This term describes the belief in a divine force present in nature, seen in early Paleolithic religions and later adapted in Taoism.
What is animism?
This process, essential to the Neolithic Revolution, involves taming animals for human use.
What is domestication?
This artifact, inscribed in three scripts, allowed scholars to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs.
What is the Rosetta Stone?
This region, known as the "land between two rivers," is considered the cradle of civilization.
What is Mesopotamia?
This emperor of the Maurya Empire promoted Buddhism and erected pillars inscribed with his edicts.
Who is Asoka?
This Zhou Dynasty concept justified the rule of emperors by divine approval and could be lost through misrule.
What is the Mandate of Heaven?
In the most general terms, Ancient Sumer, the Neo-Babylonian Empire, and the Indus Valley civilization all practiced this type of religion.
What is polytheism?
This term describes the development of surplus food, which allowed for the rise of specialized roles like artisans and scribes in early civilizations.
What is agricultural surplus?
This pharaoh, known for her extensive trade expeditions, ruled Egypt as one of its few female leaders.
Who is Hatshepsut?
These massive, terraced structures served as temples in ancient Sumerian cities.
What are ziggurats?
This Hindu concept refers to the ultimate spiritual goal of liberation from the cycle of reincarnation.
What is moksha?
This emperor of the Qin Dynasty unified China, began construction of the Great Wall, and is known for the Terracotta Army.
Who is Shi Huangdi?
The Phoenician Alphabet, Egyptian demotics, and Aryan Sanskrit are all examples of this type of linguistic symbol.
What are phonograms?
This Neolithic settlement in Scotland provided valuable insights into early human life with its well-preserved stone houses.
What is Skara Brae?
This ancient Egyptian concept represented order, balance, and justice, and was maintained by the pharaoh.
What is Ma’at?
This epic poem from the city of Kish in Sumeria tells the story of a hero’s search for immortality.
What is the Epic of Gilgamesh?
This Buddhist teaching, introduced by Siddhartha Gautama, outlines the path to enlightenment.
What is the Eightfold Path?
These tools used in ancient Chinese divination were inscribed with the earliest known forms of Chinese writing.
What are oracle bones?
This system of government consists of a strict social hierarchy in which a king or emperor gives land to nobles in return for military and economic support.
What is feudalism?