Mesopotamia
Why is Mesopotamia referred to as the Fertile Crescent?
It had rich farmland and was shaped like a crescent
Why did deserts help ancient Egyptians?
They acted as natural barriers
What was unique about Indus Valley cities?
They were well planned in a grid system with plumbing
What do oracle bones tell us about early Chinese religion?
They were used to communicate with ancestral spirits
What is a city-state?
A political unit and surrounding territory functioning like a small kingdom
What does the word “Mesopotamia” mean?
Land between the rivers
How was ancient Egypt considered a theocracy?
The pharaohs ruled as both religious and political leaders
What were the natural barriers in Ancient India?
Mountains like the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush
What is the Mandate of Heaven?
Divine approval to rule a dynasty
What was the ziggurat?
It was a pyramid-shaped building used in religious ceremonies
What allowed Mesopotamian villages to grow?
Silt from river flooding led to food surpluses
What do the pyramids tell us about Old Kingdom Egypt?
They had a strong central government and valued pharaohs
What is the weather pattern found in Ancient India where in the summer it floods and in the winter it is dry called?
Monsoon
Instead of a religion, what did Ancient Chinese families value above all else?
Respect for their elders and ancestors
What is feudalism?
A economic system where the rulers would give land and protection to the peasants in exchange for the crops they grew.
How did Sargon of Akkad create the first empire?
By going to war and conquering both upper and lower Mesopotamia
What is the body of water that provided Ancient Egyptians with fertile soil due to predictable flooding?
The Nile River
The _________________ of the Indus Valley has never been deciphered, making it difficult to understand their culture.
Language
What other dynasty overthrew the Shang dynasty?
The Zhou dynasty
The belief in many gods is called __________________.
polytheism
What was Hammurabi's Code?
A strict legal code with harsh punishments
What is the Egyptian process of wrapping dead Pharaoh's bodies in cloth so that the Pharaoh might rule in the afterlife called?
Mummification
The animal seals from India were most likely traded with what other ancient civilization?
Mesopotamia
What was the Dynastic Cycle?
The pattern of one dynasty rising to power, overthrowing the current dynasty, ruling for a few years, and then eventually falling out of favor with the people.
In Mesopotamia, there was a fertile soil that appeared after flooding called _______________ that was used for farming.
Silt