Early Civilizations
The Sumerians
What was the first known civilization in Mesopotamia?
To serve as tombs for pharaohs.
What was the purpose of the pyramids?
They were temples for worshiping Mesopotamian gods.
What was the main purpose of ziggurats?
Athens and Sparta
What are the two main city-states of ancient Greece?
The belief in multiple gods.
What does "polytheism" mean?
It was a region in the Middle East where agriculture and early civilizations flourished.
What is the significance of the Fertile Crescent?
A stone slab that helped scholars decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics.
What is the Rosetta Stone?
He was the king of Babylon, known for creating the Code of Hammurabi, one of the first written legal systems.
Who was Hammurabi, and what is he known for?
It was a decisive Greek victory over the Persians in 490 B.C.
What is the significance of the Battle of Marathon?
A sequence of rulers from the same family line.
What is a dynasty?
The first system of writing, developed by the Sumerians.
What is cuneiform?
The construction of the pyramids and the establishment of strong centralized rule under pharaohs.
Name two contributions of the Old Kingdom period.
The Akkadian Empire.
What empire was established by Sargon the Great?
Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian
Name the three types of columns used in Greek architecture.
Religion influenced law, government, and daily life, often legitimizing rulers and uniting people through shared beliefs.
What role did religion play in ancient civilizations?
The invention of metallurgy and the start of the Bronze Age.
What major development ended the Stone Age?
It provided fertile land for agriculture, a means of transportation, and resources for trade and survival.
What was the significance of the Nile River to ancient Egypt?
They provided water for irrigation, enabling agriculture, and supported trade and transportation.
What role did the Tigris and Euphrates rivers play in Mesopotamian civilization?
In a direct democracy, citizens vote on laws directly; in a representative democracy, they elect officials to make decisions.
What is the difference between a direct democracy and a representative democracy?
Trade facilitated cultural exchange, economic prosperity, and the spread of technology and ideas.
What is the significance of trade in early civilizations?
Access to rivers provided water for agriculture, transportation, and trade, fostering the growth of cities.
How did geography influence the development of early civilizations?
Pharaohs were considered divine, intermediaries between gods and humans, and responsible for maintaining Ma’at (cosmic order).
Explain the religious beliefs surrounding the pharaoh in ancient Egypt.
Mesopotamia was organized into city-states, each with its own ruler, while Egypt was a centralized kingdom under a pharaoh.
How did the political structure of Mesopotamia differ from Egypt?
Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey shaped Greek values, emphasizing heroism, honor, and the gods' influence in human affairs.
Explain the cultural significance of Homer’s epics to ancient Greece.
They emphasized justice, hierarchy, and the importance of social order by prescribing punishments based on class and crime.
How did early law codes, like the Code of Hammurabi, reflect the values of their societies?