Geography and River Valley Civilizations
These rivers are the most important physical features of the region sometimes known as Mesopotamia
Tigris and Euphrates
another name for Mesopotamia, the region in Southwest Asia between the Tigris and Eu-phrates rivers
Sumer
city located on the Euphrates near what is now Baghdad, Iraq
Babylon
the longest river in the world; located in North Africa. It brought life to Egypt and enabled it to thrive. Egypt was called the gift of this river.
Nile River
the ancient Egyptian writing system that uses picture symbols to communicate
hieroglyphics
means “between the rivers” in Greek
Mesopotamia
established the world’s first empire, or land with different territories and peoples under a single rule. His huge empire stretched from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.
Sargon
a set of 282 laws that dealt with almost every part of daily life. There were laws on everything from trade, loans, and theft to marriage, injury, and murder. It contained some ideas that are still found in laws today.
Hammurabi's Code
This pharaoh combined the white crown of Upper Egypt and the red crown of Lower Egypt as a symbol of his rule of Egypt as one kingdom.
Menes
a long-lasting, paperlike material made from reeds
papyrus
a large arc of fertile lands between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea; the world’s earliest civilizations began in the region
Fertile Crescent
the worship of many gods
polytheism
This army was the most powerful fighting force the world had ever seen. It was large and well organized, and it featured iron weapons, war chariots, and giant war machines used to knock down city walls.
Assyrian Army
a government ruled by religious leaders
theocracy
a huge stone slab inscribed with hieroglyphics, Greek, and a later form of Egyptian; used by scholars to learn how to read hieroglyphics
Rosetta Stone
Every year, floods on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers brought this, a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks, to the land.
Silt
the world's first system of writing
cuneiform
the most famous Chaldean king, rebuilt Babylon into a beautiful city. According to legend, his grand palace featured the famous Hanging Gardens. Trees and flowers grew on its terraces and roofs. From the ground, the gardens seemed to hang in the air.
Nebuchadnezzar
specially treated bodies of the dead wrapped in cloth for preservation purposes
mummies
South of Egypt along the Nile, a group of people settled in the region we now call Nubia. These Africans established the first large kingdom in the interior of Africa. We know this kingdom by the name the ancient Egyptians gave it
Kush
an arrangement in which each worker specializes in a particular task or job
division of labor
a pyramid-shaped temple
ziggurat
These traders developed one of the world’s first alphabets. This alphabet influenced the development of many present-day alphabets.
Phoenician(s)
Huge stone tombs with four triangle-shaped sides that meet in a point on top.
pyramids
The Kushites also sent the Egyptians this, a type of dark, heavy wood, and this, a white material taken from elephant tusks.
ebony and ivory