Geography
This region, called the Fertile Crescent, is where Mesopotamia was located. What is it called?
The Fertile Crescent.
He created a famous set of laws to protect people and punish wrongdoing in Mesopotamia. Name him.
Hammurabi
Egyptians believed in life after death and preserved bodies for the soul. What is the burial practice called?
Mummification (they mummified the dead).
This system of writing, used in Mesopotamia, used wedge‑shaped marks on clay tablets. What is it called?
Cuneiform
This large stone structure served as a royal tomb for Egyptian pharaohs and is one of the most famous man-made monuments in the world. What is it called?
Pyramid (for example, the Great Pyramid of Giza).
This river was essential to life in Ancient Egypt because it provided food, transportation, and resources. Name the river.
The Nile River.
This female pharaoh is known for major building projects, including a memorial temple at Deir el‑Bahri. Name her.
Hatshepsut
When preparing bodies for the afterlife, Egyptians removed this organ because they thought it was not important. Which organ was taken out?
The brain.
Why was Hammurabi’s Code created?
To establish rules to protect the weak and punish the wicked (create order and fairness).
Define: Irrigation
A system that supplies dry land with water
The word "Mesopotamia" literally means this phrase describing its location between two rivers. Give the phrase.
"The land between two rivers."
Name one type of official or worker in Ancient Egypt who could read and write and kept records for the government.
Scribe
In Mesopotamia, people built pyramid‑like temple structures that served as places of worship. What are these structures called?
Ziggurats
List three different social classes in Ancient Egypt (choose any three).
Pharaoh (king), priests/nobles, scribes/soldiers, artisans/merchants, peasants/slaves. (Any three acceptable.)
Which group defeated the Kushites in 671 B.C.E.
The Assyrians
Before it became the Kingdom of Kush, this area was known by another name. What was it called?
Nubia
Identify one reason why rulers like pharaohs and kings were important to ancient societies (give a short explanation).
Rulers organized government, led armies, built projects, and made laws.
Explain why the ancient Egyptians left the heart in the body during mummification (one or two sentences).
Egyptians believed the heart was the seat of intelligence and identity and would be needed in the afterlife, so they left it in the body.
Explain one reason Egyptians built large monuments and temples.
One primary reason Egyptians built large monuments and temples was their profound belief in the afterlife and the divine status of the pharaoh.
Mesopotamians invented several important technologies. Name one invention or development that helped civilizations keep records or plan irrigation.
The invention of the wheel, the development of writing systems for record-keeping (cuneiform), or the use of canals and levees for irrigation; also the plow.
Explain two ways rivers helped ancient civilizations (give one example from Mesopotamia and one from Egypt).
Rivers provided fertile soil for farming (floods left silt) — e.g., the Nile for Egypt; rivers offered water and transportation routes for trade and travel in Mesopotamia (Tigris and Euphrates).
Describe one achievement of Hatshepsut and one achievement associated with rulers in Mesopotamia (two short sentences).
Hatshepsut built Deir el‑Bahri temple and sponsored trade/building projects; Mesopotamian rulers like Hammurabi made laws (Hammurabi’s Code) and organized cities.
Compare a religious belief or practice from Ancient Egypt with one from Mesopotamia or Kush.
Egyptians believed in an afterlife and preserved bodies (mummification) and built tombs and temples for gods and the dead; Mesopotamians built ziggurats to worship gods and performed rituals at those temple complexes.
Describe the basic steps or ideas of Egyptian mummification in two to three short sentences.
Simple mummification steps: remove the brain, remove internal organs (except the heart), dry the body with natron or salts, wrap the body in linen, and place it in a tomb so the soul could return to it in the afterlife.
Choose one daily life detail: Describe what a typical peasant child in ancient Egypt might have done to help their family (one or two sentences).
A peasant child might help planting and harvesting crops near the Nile, carry water, care for animals, or help with simple household chores.