River Valley Civilizations - Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the River Valley Civilizations (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, and early Indo-Aryan influences).

Civilization

A form of culture in which people live in cities, have complex social institutions, use writing, and are skilled in science, art, and technology.

Empire

A group of territories or nations ruled by a single ruler or government.

Theocracy

A government headed by religious leaders or a leader regarded as a god.

Polytheistic

Belief in many gods.

Monotheistic

Belief in only one god.

Neolithic Revolution

Transition from hunting and gathering to farming and animal domestication, leading to settled communities and food surpluses.

Sumer

First civilization in Mesopotamia, located in the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Hammurabi

Babylonian king who created the first written law code; laws covered many aspects of life and were not applied equally to all people.

Cuneiform

The first system of writing developed by the Sumerians, using wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets.

Ziggurat

Massive temple towers in Mesopotamian cities built to honor the gods.

Arch

An architectural innovation that uses a curved structure to support weight and strengthen buildings.

Lunar calendar

A calendar based on the cycles of the Moon.

Dynasties

A sequence of rulers from the same family; Egypt was governed by dynasties.

Pharaoh

King of ancient Egypt; monarch who controlled the army, land, and laws, often regarded as a god-king.

Mummification

The process of preserving the body for the afterlife in ancient Egypt.

Hieroglyphic writing

Egyptian pictorial writing used for inscriptions on monuments and tombs.

Indus River Valley

Region in the Indian subcontinent where the Harappan civilization developed, featuring yearly floods and monsoons.

Harappa

One of the twin capitals of the Harappan (Indus Valley) civilization.

Mohenjo-Daro

The other twin capital of the Harappan (Indus Valley) civilization.

Aryans

Nomadic people from the Caspian and Black Sea region who conquered India, introduced Sanskrit, and influenced Indian social structures and religion.