Unit 1: Geography, Culture, and Early River Valley Civilizations Flashcards

Practice vocabulary flashcards generated from Mr. Conduzio's Global History 1 Unit 1 review sheet covering geography, culture, economic systems, and early river valley civilizations.

Sumeria location

Mesopotamia

Sumerian Achievements

Cuneiform writing, math with base 60, the metal plow, Ziggurat pyramid temples, the wheeled cart, and a legal system known as the Code of Hammurabi.

Code of Hammurabi

First set of written laws based on “an eye for an eye”

Cuneiform

The system of writing on clay tablets developed by the Sumerians

Ziggurat

Pyramid temples constructed by the Sumerians in Southern Mesopotamia.

Egyptian Civilization

An early river valley civilization located in the Nile Valley, protected by surrounding deserts

Egyptian Achievements

irrigation, a 365 day calendar, pictographic writing (hieroglyphics), pyramid tombs, mummification

Hieroglyphics

The pictographic writing system used by the Egyptian civilization.

Nile River

Longest river in the world, supported the Egyptian Civilization.

Indus Civilization location

India / South Asia

Indus Achievements

Grid planned cities, sewer systems, uniform system of weights and measures, emergence of the Hindu religion and caste system, Sanskrit language and writing

Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa

Major grid planned city settlements of the Indus civilization.

Huang He (Yellow River)

The River of Sorrow due to frequent flooding that caused destruction.

Chinese Civilization Achievements

pictograph writing and calligraphy, silk making, bronze making, rule by "Mandate of Heaven", and the creation of the first books

Mandate of Heaven

Idea that a ruler’s authority comes from heaven

Ethnocentrism

judging another culture by your own standards

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

The river systems associated with Mesopotamia and the Sumerian Civilization.

Indus River

The primary river associated with the early Indian Civilization.

Yellow (Huang He) and Yangtze Rivers

The primary river systems associated with early Chinese Civilization.

Fertile Crescent

Region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, a.k.a. Mesopotamia

Caste System

A social hierarchy system

Equator

0 degrees latitude, divides into the Northern and Southern hemispheres and is an imaginary line around the middle of the Earth.

Prime Meridian

0 degrees longitude, divides into the Eastern and Western hemispheres, (imaginary line running from the North Pole to the South Pole)

Latitude

distance north or south from the equator

Longitude

distance east or west of the Prime Meridian

Weather

Day-to-day atmospheric conditions

Climate

weather over an extended period of time

Culture

the way of life of a people, includes language, food & religion

Mores

social rules that people are expected to follow

Nuclear Family

A social unit consisting of parents and their children (immediate family)

Extended Family

A family unit that includes several generations and other relatives

Monogamy

The practice of being married to one person at a time

Polygamy

The practice of having more than one spouse at the same time

Monotheism

The belief in one God

Polytheism

The belief in more than one god

Matriarchal

mother is the head of the family

Patriarchal

father is the head of the family

Racism

belief that one racial group is superior to another

Government

How a group of people rule themselves

Class System

a person’s social standing is based on their income

Primogeniture

First born male inherits family estate

Barter System

trading of goods or services without money

Currency

money exchanged for goods and services

Market Economy

economy with private ownership, capitalism

Command Economy

economy with government ownership of business and industry, communism

Mixed Economy

economy with a blend of private and government ownership

Cultural Diffusion

spreading of ideas between cultures

Assimilation

adopting the ideas of another culture into your own

Acculturation

abandoning their original culture and adopting a new culture

Revitalization

bringing back to life old aspects of your culture

Archaeologist

scientist who excavates (digs up) artifacts

Artifact

human made remains of early civilizations

Anthropologist

scientist who examines artifacts to study and draw conclusions about early cultures

Prehistory

period of time before written records

History

period of time after written records

Paleolithic Era

Old Stone Age when people were nomadic hunter-gatherers

Neolithic Era

New Stone Age when people learned to farm and settle in permanent communities

Neolithic Revolution

When people learned to farm and settle down in one place, transitioning from nomadic lifestyles to agriculture and permanent settlements. Also called the agricultural revolution.