Geography & Rivers
Which two rivers were the center of Mesopotamian civilization?
The Tigris and Euphrates.
What writing system did the ancient Sumerians develop?
Cuneiform.
What are the names of the three time periods historians have divided ancient Egyptian history into?
1. Old Kingdom
2. Middle Kingdom
3. New Kingdom (Egyptian Empire)
What are the names of the two major settlements/cities found in the Indus Valley civilization?
1. Mohenjo-Daro
2. Harappa
What were the two regions of ancient Egypt called?
1. Upper Egypt
2. Lower Egypt
What fertile material left behind by flooding helped farmers grow crops?
Silt.
What is the name of the massive stepped temples built by the Sumerians?
Ziggurats.
What physical geographic feature protected the western border of Ancient Egypt?
The Sahara Desert.
What is the name of the divine source of authority Chinese rulers claim to possess that gave them the right to rule?
The Mandate of Heaven.
What is the name of the region of nutrient rich land in Southwest Asia.
The Fertile Crescent.
What is the name of the mountain range to the north of the Indian subcontinent.
The Himalayas.
What Babylonian king created a famous written law code that established different punishments for crimes?
Hammurabi.
What ruler is traditionally credited with uniting Upper and Lower Egypt around 3100 B.C.?
King Menes.
What is the name of the seasonal weather pattern that created distinct "wet" and "dry" seasons in South Asia?
Monsoons.
What was the most famous product created and sold by the Phoenicians?
Purple dye.
What geographic feature of the Nile made the southern portion of the river generally impassable?
Cataracts - a series of shallow rapids.
Who conquered the Sumerian city-states and established the first empire in history?
What group from Western Asia conquered parts of Egypt and effectively ended the Middle Kingdom?
The Hyksos.
What is the name of the pattern of falling and rising dynasties in Chinese politics?
The Dynastic Cycle.
What number was the Mesopotamian numeral system based on?
60.
What was the name of the ancient Chinese river sometimes referred to as "China's Sorrow" because of its destructive floods?
The Huang He (Yellow) River.
What is the name of the world's first empire established in the region of Mesopotamia?
The Akkadian Empire.
What artifact helped decode the Egyptian language?
The Rosetta Stone.
What is the name of the ancient Chinese practice that involved inscribing messages on materials and burning them to communicate with their ancestors?
Oracle bones.
What is the most famous slogan associated with the Code of Hammurabi?
"An eye for an eye."