Early Humans & Agricultural Revolution
What geographic feature attracted the earliest permanent human settlements?
Proximity to rivers
Name a shared problem among city-states in Sumer.
Frequent conflicts over land boundaries
Why is the land around the Nile River so rich and productive?
Seasonal flooding
What is the Holy Land in the context of the Israelites?
The historical and spiritual territory of the Israelites
How were early Greek city-states (poleis) generally described in relation to each other?
Fiercely autonomous and self-governing
During the last Ice Age, what major change in where people lived happened?
People migrated and inhabited new continents
What famous law code from the region taught proportional punishment, described as "an eye for an eye"?
Hammurabi's Laws
What did Egyptians expect about their afterlife?
A life of joy and well-being, better than their earthly one
What important religious idea set Judaism apart from many ancient religions?
belief in a single, all-powerful God
What was one important feature of the Greek alphabet?
It included characters for vowel sounds
What was the main reason Neolithic groups began exchanging goods
To swap surplus food for resources or items they lacked
Who were the Phoenicians and what was their most important cultural invention?
A seafaring people who spread a phonetic alphabet
One early written accomplishment of Ancient Egypt was about medicine. What was it?
Medical and surgical texts
Why was the Hebrew Torah translated into Greek in Alexandria?
Greek had become the common language spoken by most Jews in Egypt
What was the acropolis in a typical Greek polis?
The fortified, elevated hilltop used for defense and temples
Explain what the "Agricultural Revolution" caused in how communities were organized.
People settled in permanent villages, grew surplus food, and developed more complex social structures
Why did Sumerian city-states often fight each other?
They were independent city-states competing for land and water resources
Who is Osiris in Egyptian belief and what is his role?
Ruler of the Duat — the afterlife
Describe one way religion shaped daily life for the ancient Israelites
Religious laws and teachings guided moral behavior, community rules, and festivals
In Athens' Golden Age, who could take part in governing decisions?
Non-elite (free) citizens could participate in governing decisions — note: excluded women, slaves, and foreigners
Describe one long-term effect of humans shifting from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to farming.
Development of cities, specialized jobs, trade networks, and more complex governments
Explain how a phonetic alphabet (like the one spread by the Phoenicians) helped other cultures.
It made writing easier to learn and adapt, spreading literacy and record-keeping across regions
Explain why Lower Egypt is located to the north ?
Because the Nile flows northward and empties into the sea in the north
Explain why translating religious texts into common languages (like Greek) mattered for communities.
It allowed more people to understand their sacred texts, keeping traditions alive across different regions
What general condition did the Greek world face right after the Peloponnesian War?
Fragmented and militarily weakened