River Valley Civilizations

Fertile Crescent

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.

Scribe

A person who writes things down.

Polytheism

Belief in or worship of more than one god.

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.

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.

Monsoons

Seasonal wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons in India

Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro

Two cities in the Indus River Valley

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

Theocracy

A government controlled by religious leaders, found in Egypt

Epic of Gilgamesh

An epic poem from Mesopotamia, and among the earliest known works of literary writing.

irrigation

A way of supplying water to an area of land