River Valley Civilizations
Characteristics of Civilizations
Ancient Middle East
Ancient Egypt
Ancient India
Ancient China
100

This river valley was home to the ancient Egyptian civilization.

What is the Nile River?

100

Civilizations typically require this form of permanent living arrangement.

What are cities?

100

This code of laws is one of the oldest written legal systems, named after a Babylonian king.

What is the Code of Hammurabi?

100

These monumental tombs were built for the pharaohs during the Old Kingdom

What are pyramids?

100

This seasonal wind pattern significantly influenced agriculture in ancient India.

What are monsoons?

100

This dynasty is credited with founding Chinese civilization and establishing the Mandate of Heaven.

What is the Zhou Dynasty?

200

The earliest known writing system, cuneiform, developed in this river valley.

What is the Sumer (Mesopotamia/Tigris-Euphrates) River Valley?

200

The development of organized systems of belief often centers around these institutions.

What are religions?

200

This Mesopotamian city-state is often considered the first urban civilization.

What is Sumer?

200

This queen ruled as pharaoh and commissioned extensive building projects, including her mortuary temple.

Who is Hapshepsut?

200

These twin cities were major urban centers of the Indus Valley Civilization.

What are Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa?

200

This philosophy, founded by Confucius, emphasizes respect for elders and proper conduct.

What is Confucianism?

300

The Harappan civilization developed along this river, now mostly in modern-day Pakistan.

What is the Indus River?

300

This innovation allows for record-keeping and communication across generations.

What is writing?

300

These seafaring people from the Levant developed the first widely used alphabet.

Who are the Phoenicians?
300

This was the doctrine by which Pharoahs ruled.

What is Ma'at?

300

This sacred language of ancient India was used in the Vedas.

What is Sanskrit?

300

This emperor of the Qin Dynasty is famous for unifying China and commissioning the Terracotta Army.

Who is Qin Shi Huang?

400

Known for its predictable flooding, this river nurtured ancient Chinese civilization.

What is the Yellow River (or Huang He)?

400

Advanced civilizations produce these kinds of projects, such as irrigation systems or ziggurats.

What are public works?

400

This empire, ruled by Cyrus the Great, is known for its policy of tolerance toward conquered peoples.

What is the Persian Empire?

400

The Rosetta Stone, which helped decode Egyptian hieroglyphs, contains inscriptions in Greek, Demotic, and this script.

What are hieroglyphics?

400

This concept of duty and morality is central to Indian religious thought.

What is dharma?

400

This Chinese invention revolutionized written communication.

What is paper?

500

This is the body of water into which the Nile river ends.

What is the Mediterranean Sea?

500

Civilizations often feature this hierarchical system of organizing people.

What are social classes?

500

This ancient Assyrian city was home to one of the earliest libraries.

Who is Nineveh?

500

This pharaoh attempted to right the wrong his father did to the Egyptian culture promoting monotheism by worshipping Aten, the sun disk

Who is King Tut?

500

This religion, which developed in ancient India, emphasizes non-violence and the Middle Way.

What is Buddhism?

500

This trade route connected China with the Middle East and Europe, facilitating cultural and economic exchange.

What is the Silk Road?

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