Rivers & Geography
This single river was the lifeblood of Ancient Egypt.
The Nile
What was the title of the Egyptian king who was considered a living god?
Pharaoh
What agricultural technique involved bringing water from rivers to fields using canals and basins?
Irrigation
Name the two major rivers that defined the geography of Ancient Mesopotamia, creating the Fertile Crescent.
Tigris River and Euphrates River
This is the general term for a government system based on religious law and the idea of divine authority.
Theocracy
The creation of extra food beyond what a farmer's family needed is known by this economic term.
Economic Surplus
Which major river provided a predictable annual flood, which greatly increased Egyptian agriculture?
Nile River
Name one major aspect of daily life, aside from government, that was significantly influenced by religion in both civilizations.
laws, leaders, or how society was organized
What was a major result of the agricultural surplus that meant not everyone had to be a farmer?
people could specialize in different jobs/skills (e.g., artisans, priests, traders)
Which of the following is false regarding the rivers of the ancient world: They provided water for irrigation, they served as transportation routes, or their unpredictability made farming impossible?
"Their unpredictability made farming impossible."
How did religious beliefs about gods ruling over human life influence the structure of government in Mesopotamia and Egypt?
The government was based on religious law and divine authority (or, in Egypt, the ruler was viewed as a god)
Name two specific tools or techniques (aside from the rivers themselves) that allowed for better farming and increased food production.
dams, canals, the shaduf (shadoof), or the plow
How did the rivers of the ancient world impact how people settled?
People built permanent settlements along the riverbanks to access water for drinking, farming, and transportation.
The laws of Mesopotamia, like the Code of Hammurabi, were often considered to be given by whom?
gods
Explain the cause-and-effect relationship between the development of agricultural techniques (like irrigation) and the growth of cities.
New techniques increased food production (cause), which created a surplus (effect 1), which allowed more people to live together and specialize in new jobs (effect 2), which directly led to the growth of cities (effect 3)