The Rise of Civilizations: From City States to Empires

A comprehensive set of QA flashcards covering river valley civilizations, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, India, China, Africa, and Persia.

Which river valleys hosted the earliest civilizations? List the river pairs mentioned.

Tigris & Euphrates; Nile; Indus & Ganges; Huang (Yellow) & Yangzi.

Who invented the wheel?

Sumerians

What time units did the Sumerians invent?

60-second minute and 60-minute hour

What circle measurement did the Sumerians create?

360-degree circle

What type of religious structures did Sumerians build?

Ziggurats

Which work is the world's oldest literature and where is it from?

The Epic of Gilgamesh from Sumer.

Who created the world's first empire?

Sargon of Akkad

Who issued the world's first legal code?

Hammurabi

Which empire had the largest army to date and conquered the largest empire to date?

Assyria

What was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire?

Nineveh

What library provided information about Nineveh?

The Library of Nineveh

Which empire conquered the Assyrian Empire?

Neo-Babylon (Babylon)

Who was the most famous Neo-Babylonian king?

Nebuchadnezzar

Which wonder did Nebuchadnezzar build?

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

What did Nebuchadnezzar do to Jerusalem?

Conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, exiled Jews

Which civilization invented purple dye and the first alphabet?

Phoenicians (Byblos)

Who first worked with iron?

Hittites

Who first used coin money?

Lydians

What is the Israelites' notable religious contribution?

Ethical monotheism

Who united Upper and Lower Egypt?

King Menes

What is the Old Kingdom known for?

Era of the Pyramids

What is the New Kingdom known for?

Golden age; Ramses, Hatshepsut, Tutankhamen

Which pharaoh introduced monotheism and what was his new name?

Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton)

Which capital city did Akhenaton establish?

Amarna

What era followed the New Kingdom in Egypt and who ruled?

Ptolemaic Egypt (330-30 BCE); ruled by the Ptolemy family

What is the Rosetta Stone associated with?

The Ptolemaic era; key to deciphering hieroglyphs

Name two major Indus Valley cities.

Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa

How were Indus Valley cities laid out?

Grid pattern

What is notable about Indus plumbing?

Highly advanced plumbing

What is known about the Indus writing system?

A writing system exists but has not been deciphered

When did the Indus Valley Civilization collapse?

Around 1750 BCE

Which region is associated with Aryan settlement in India?

The Ganges region in northeast India

What are the Vedas?

Ancient writings central to Hinduism; contain Aryan history

Where did Buddhism develop in India?

Northwest India

Name two major Indian empires.

Maurya and Gupta

What contributions did Maurya and Gupta make to global knowledge?

Significant contributions to mathematics and science

What are the two main rivers in China?

Huang (Yellow) and Yangzi (Yangtze)

Name the Chinese dynasties mentioned, in order.

Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Song

What are some Chinese cultural achievements?

Silk and paper; coin money; art, architecture; Great Wall; Grand Canal; advances in math, science, engineering

Which two major Chinese philosophies originated there?

Confucianism and Daoism

How did Chinese culture influence Southeast Asia?

Heavily; significant influence across Southeast Asia

Where did Kush develop along the Nile?

South of Egypt along the Nile

When did the Kushite Kingdom exist?

From 2400 BCE to 400 CE

What role did Kush play in trade?

Trade conduit between Egypt and central/southern Africa; later a Greek/Roman client-state

What happened to Kush around 600 CE?

Supplanted by Axum

Where was Axum centered?

In what is now Ethiopia and Yemen

What did Axum claim about its origins and faith?

Descended from the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon; Jewish origins, later Christian; claimed to possess the Ark of the Covenant

When did Axum exist and when was its height?

100 CE to 900 CE; height in the 3rd–4th centuries

Where did Swahili culture develop?

Along the Indian Ocean coast of present-day Tanzania and Kenya

What cultures blended to form Swahili culture?

Bantu, Arabic, and Indian cultures

What connected Swahili trading cities?

Camel caravans across North Africa and the Indian Ocean trade network

What is the beginning of classical Persian history?

The Achaemenid Empire (Persia)

Who founded the Achaemenid Empire?

Cyrus the Great

What is Cyrus the Great known for in 539 BCE?

Captured Babylon and freed the Jews

Who carried on Cyrus's work in Persia?

Darius I

What is the Persian approach to governing a large empire?

One language and one religion with local autonomy; local governors; common currency; weights and measures; roads

What event triggered Persian-Greek conflict in 499 BCE?

Ionian Revolt aided by Athens

What happened at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE?

Athens defeated the Persians; Pheidippides ran to Athens; Parthenon built in honor of Athena

What happened at Thermopylae?

Persians confronted by Spartans at Thermopylae; Persians burned Athens afterward

What happened at Salamis?

Persian fleet destroyed by the Athenians

Who planned the invasion of Persia starting in 336 BCE?

Philip II of Macedon

Who carried out the invasion of Persia in 333 BCE?

Alexander the Great

Who took control of Persia after Alexander's death?

Seleucus

How long did the Seleucid Empire last?

Until 63 BCE

Did Persian culture disappear after the conquests?

No; Persian culture persisted though there was no Persian state for centuries