River Valley Civilzations
Define Civilization
These people created what would eventually become known as the alphabet.
Phonecians
Mesopotamia means "the land between rivers". Which two rivers defined the area?
The Tigris river and Euphrates river.
What two devices were created by ancient Egyptians in order to retain and move the water of the Nile river?
Dams and canals
True or False: the people of Egypt were monotheistic
False. They worshipped many gods and goddesses.
Where were the first 4 major river valley civilizations?
Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, China
What were the names of the northern and southern regions of ancient Mesopotamia?
Northern Region - Assyria
Southern Region - Chaldea
The construction of these structures, which moved water, allowed agriculture to exist in the very arid, dry land of Mesopotamia.
Canals
Roughly how many years did the ancient Egyptian civilization last? What are the names of the 3 phases of the civilization?
3000-3500 years
1. Old Kingdom
2. Middle Kingdom
3. New Kingdom
What is the name of the process by which people's dead bodies were preserved? And the name of the box that held the bodies?
Mummification
Sarcophagus
The Sumerians
Large, stepped towers probably used for astronomical observations, erected near ancient Mesopotamian temples.
Ziggurats
What were the "black lands" and why were they called that?
The black lands were the Nile river flood valley, which was flooded every year and had black soil which was very fertile.
Name 3 of the powers of the Pharaoh.
1. dictated laws
2. ruled the country
3. owned the majority of the land
4. controlled trade
5. supreme commander of the army
Describe the appearance of the Egyptian god Re.
Human body, falcon's head.
What were the 3 main features of river valley civilazations.
2. hierarchical society
3. great architectural works
The people of ancient Mesopotamia were polytheistic, what does that mean?
That they believed in many gods and goddesses.
Describe each of these roles of Mesopotamian society.
1. King
2. Scribes
3. Peasants
4. Merchants
1. King - the ruler of the people and highest religious figure
2. Scribes - officials who could read, write, and count. They recorded taxes.
3. Peasants - did farming and raised livestock
4. Merchants - Traded goods between cities
1. Nobles
2. Priests
3. Scribes
1. Nobles - ruled provinces, collected taxes, and were related to the pharaoh
2. Priests - interpreted the will of the gods, were in charge of temples
3. Scribes - wrote official documents, and controlled taxes and goods entering and leaving palace stores
Explain the role of religious rites within Egyptian society.
Rites were necessary to maintain the balance of the universe, the caused the Nile to flood every year and changed the seasons.
What was the name of the two different types of writing used by Sumerians and Egyptians?
Egyptians -> hieroglyphic writing
Prisoners of war
List, in order of oldest to most recent, the empires of Mesopotamia.
1. Sumerian Period
2. Akkadian Empire
3. Babylonian Empire
4. Assyrian Empire
5. Neo-Babylonian Empire
Egyptian women could own land, buy and sell goods, take legal action, and choose their husband.
Name the 3 types of ancient Egyptian tombs and describe them and their use.
1. mastabas - prism shaped, high officials were buried there, the simplest tombs
2. pyramids - pyramid shaped, had various chambers, Old Kingdom pharaohs were buried there
3. hypogeas - underground tomb with a hidden entrance and several chambers