Earliest History
These advanced societies are defined by having Government, Religion, Art, Writing, Social Hierarchy, and Cities.
Civilizations
Mesopotamia means "Land Between the Rivers." The land itself lies between these two rivers.
Tigris and Euphrates
This Egyptian writing system, expressed in pictographs (symbols), was indecipherable until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone.
Hieroglyphics
This first emperor of the first Persian Empire was famous for his policy of religious tolerance. Referred to as a Messiah in the Jewish Bible/Christian Old Testament.
Cyrus the Great
This famous Chinese philosopher tried to foster social harmony by teaching good morals and respect for traditional family values.
Confucius
**DAILY DOUBLE**
This long-term development was marked by hunter/gatherers settling down into permanent societies around river valleys in order to farm for their food.
Agricultural Revolution
This was the world's first writing system. It's name means "Wedge-Shaped."
Cuneiform
This famous young pharaoh had one major accomplishment before dying at the age of 17: restoring the traditional Egyptian religion after his father's monotheistic reforms.
Pharaoh Tutankhamun (King Tut)
This Persian religion is arguably the world's first monotheistic religion.
Zoroastrianism
This concept was used to explain and justify the overthrow of ruling dynasties throughout Chinese history.
Mandate of Heaven
These are not countries, but self-governing urban centers. Popular in Mesopotamia and Greece.
City-states
This Babylonian emperor is famous for establishing the world's first written code of laws.
Hammurabi
**DAILY DOUBLE**
Egypt was never successfully invaded for over 1,000 years due its natural barriers on three sides: the Sahara Desert to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the North, and this body of water to the east.
Red Sea
This 1,700 mile stretch of highway promoted trade within the Persian Empire, and fostered the world's first organized mail system.
Royal Road
Chinese history is broken into time periods marked by these, which are ruling families.
Dynasties
Social hierarchy, or the division of society into tiered social/economic classes, is a consequence of this process, in which a society decides that not everyone needs to be a farmer.
Specialization of labor
This language group (and ethnic group), originating in Mesopotamia, is represented today by the Hebrew and Arabic languages.
Semitic
These semitic people were the first to successfully invade Egypt, bringing an end to the Middle Kingdom with their superior military technology.
Hyksos
These Persian governors ruled over similarly named provinces.
Satraps
Chinese civilization began when people started settling down and farming by this colorful body of water.
Yellow River
This southern region of Mesopotamia, dominated by the cities of Ur and Uruk, is generally regarded as the world's first advanced culture. Famously depicted in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Sumer
This nomadic group of people, originating in Sumer, share a name with one of the world's only surviving semitic language.
Hebrews
This New Kingdom-era pharaoh abolished the traditional Egyptian religion and instituted (arguably) the world's first monotheistic religion - worship of the sun god, Aten.
Pharaoh Akhenaten
This "great" Persian emperor is famous for many things, including organizing the empire into provinces, establishing the world's first mail system, and failing to conquer Greece.
Darius the Great
This short-lived dynasty only had one ruler, but was the first dynasty to rule over a united China.
Qin Dynasty