Early Civilizations
This Fertile Crescent region is nicknamed the “Cradle of Civilization
What is Mesopotamia?
This Greek word means “city-state.”
What is a POLIS?
Darius I built this road to speed up trade and communication across Persia.
What is the Royal Road?
This monotheistic faith was founded by Abraham and honors a covenant with a chosen people.
What is Judaism?
This Greek teacher used a questioning method that promoted critical thinking.
Who is Socrates / What is the Socratic Method?
This geographical trio helped Greece develop independent city-states.
What are mountains, rocky coasts, and sea access?
River valleys encouraged these TWO key developments that helped the first civilizations thrive.
What are fresh-water irrigation and easier trade/communication?
The written Roman law code created to protect plebeians.
What are the Twelve Tables?
Persia’s economy advanced with these TWO developments.
What are a standardized coin system and the Royal Road?
This Persian religion taught about a cosmic struggle between good and evil.
What is Zoroastrianism?
These are TWO famous cultural legacies of Ancient Greece still seen today in global sports and government.
What are the Olympics and Democracy?
This term describes the scattering of Jewish people to many regions during the classical era.
What is the Jewish diaspora?
Around 8000–500 BC, humans shifted from this lifestyle to settled farming communities.
What is moving from nomadic to agricultural (agrarian) life?
The plebeians forced patricians to write laws by threatening this political action.
What is leaving Rome (Conflict of the Orders)?
When Rome eventually split, this reason helped the Eastern Empire survive 1,000 years longer.
What is having a more advanced economy?
This faith spread through the Roman Empire based on the teachings of Jesus.
What is Christianity?
Athens limited women’s rights, but in this rival city-state, women could own property and had more freedoms.
What is Sparta?
This advantage made farming societies more stable than nomadic ones.
What is a steady, reliable food supply?
A surplus of this resource caused populations to rise in early agricultural societies.
What is surplus food?
He is remembered as the first emperor of Rome.
Who is Augustus (Octavian)?
This route made China’s overseas trade boom during the Han dynasty.
What is the Silk Road?
These TWO methods helped many classical-era religions spread.
What are migration and trade routes?
Hieroglyphics were Egypt’s OG emojis — true or false?
What is True?
He was assassinated and the last consul
He led the Pax Romana and became first emperor
Who are Caesar & Augustus?
These TWO firsts—one for writing and one for technology—appeared in Mesopotamia.
What are cuneiform writing and the wheel?
This long period of Roman peace brought safer travel, booming trade, fewer wars and growing cities.
What is the Pax Romana?
Chinese dynasties in order: first Zhou, then ___, then ___.
What are Qin then Han?
This Eastern philosophy shaped China’s Han-era government and culture.
What is Confucianism?
This civilization engineered roads, bridges, and aqueducts that inspired later infrastructure.
What is the Roman Empire?
Geographic river-valley matches Egypt, India, China & Mesopotamia
What are the Nile, Indus, Yellow, Tigris and Euphrates Rivers