Origins of Civilization
Early human societies were organized as these, moving to hunt and gather food.
What are hunter-gatherer societies?
The ability to produce more food than needed, which allowed communities to trade and grow.
What is surplus?
Large populations in organized societies were able to build complex structures and marketplaces in these.
What are cities?
This early civilization developed cuneiform, one of the first writing systems.
Who are the Sumerians?
These two rivers provided water for agriculture in the Fertile Crescent.
What are the Tigris and Euphrates?
This major shift from hunting and gathering to farming began around 10,000 BCE
What is the Agricultural Revolution?
This technology, developed for watering crops, helped increase food production.
What is irrigation?
This is a system that helps organize society, often led by kings or priests.
What is government?
his king of Babylon created one of the earliest known law codes.
Who is Hammurabi?
These rivers created fertile land by depositing this during floods, ideal for farming
What is silt?
The process of breeding animals for food, work, and companionship, started by early societies
What is domestication?
This term describes people doing specific jobs, like tool-making or weaving, rather than just farming.
What is specialization?
The belief in multiple gods, commonly found in ancient civilizations.
What is polytheism?
This Akkadian leader created one of the first empires by uniting city-states
Who is Sargon of Akkad?
These systems controlled water flow and allowed for stable food production.
What are irrigation systems?
One impact of the Agricultural Revolution that allowed populations to grow and villages to form.
What is the ability to settle in one place?
Communities began to form near these natural sources, which provided water for crops.
What are rivers?
An early form of writing that helped civilizations keep records, communicate, and trade.
What is writing?
The name of the pyramid-like structures built by the Sumerians for worship.
What are ziggurats?
The region between these two rivers was known as this “Cradle of Civilization.”
What is the Fertile Crescent?
These were simple tools used by hunter-gatherer societies to help them hunt animals and gather plants.
What are stone tools?
This tool was developed to help with farming by turning soil for planting seeds.
What is the plow?
A self-governing city and its surrounding lands, commonly found in ancient civilizations.
What is a city-state?
These were massive public structures used by the Assyrians for knowledge and infrastructure, such as libraries and roads.
What are libraries and aqueducts?
These bodies of water enabled trade and helped cities grow in this otherwise dry region.
What are the Tigris and Euphrates rivers?