River Valley Civilizations

Fertile Crescent

An area of rich farmland in Southwest Asia where the first civilizations began

Cuneiform

A form of writing developed by the Sumerians using a wedge shaped stylus and clay tablets.

Hammurabi's Code

Well-preserved Babylonian law code of ancient Mesopotamia famous for its "eye for an eye" justice.

Ziggurat

A tiered, pyramid-shaped structure that formed part of a Sumerian temple

City-state

A city that governs itself and its surrounding territory.

Scribe

A person who writes things down.

Polytheism

Belief in or worship of more than one god.

Delta

A triangle shaped area of land made of soil deposited by a river

Pharaoh

A king of ancient Egypt, considered a god as well as a political and military leader.

Pyramid

Huge, triangular shaped burial tombs of Egyptian pharaohs built during the Old Kingdom.

The Sphinx

It is a tomb made to look like a lion with a human head, it resembles the god, Anubis.

Hieroglyphics

Egyptian writing that involved using pictures to represent words.

Papyrus

A long lasting paper-like material made from reeds that was used in Egypt.

Rosetta Stone

Large stone slab artifact that unlocked the mystery of Egyptian hieroglyphics and allowed them to be translated.

Subcontinent

A large landmass that is connected to the rest of a continent, like India.

Monsoons

Seasonal wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons

Harappa

A large ancient city of the Indus civilization, created in present-day Pakistan

Mohenjo-Daro

One of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley civilization.

The Steppes

Dry grasslands that stretched north of the Caucasus Mountains.

Aryans

Immigrants who arrived at the Ganges river valley by the year 1000 BC

Caste System

A Hindu social class system that controlled every aspect of daily life.

Loess

A wind-formed deposit made of fine particles of clay and silt.

Oracle Bones

Animal bones carved with written characters which were used for telling the future in ancient China.

Dynastic Cycle

Rise and fall of Chinese dynasties according to the Mandate of Heaven

Mandate of Heaven

The belief that the Chinese king's right to rule came from the gods

Filial Piety

Respect shown by children for their parents and elders

Legalism

A Chinese philosophy that stressed the importance of laws