River valley civilizations vocab

Fertile Crescent

A regional of land where richness lead scholars

Silt

Thick bed of mud

Irrigation

Ditches that carry water to plants

City state

Little city’s with their own government and rulers, functioning as an independent country

Dynasty

Rulers passing down their power

Cultural diffusion

A new idea or product spreading from one culture to another

Polytheism

The belief of many gods

Hammurabi’s codes

A list of laws that affect the community and unify diverse groups in the empire

Cataract

The point where the cliffs and boulders push boats into rapid water

Delta

Triangular area of land that is formed by silts

Pharaohs

Egyptian gods / kings

Theocracy

A religion and government mixed together

Hieroglyphics

A flexible writing system

Papyrus

Reeds that grew in the marshy delta

Subcontinent

A wall of mountains

Monsoons

Seasonal winds

Loess

Silt that is fertile soil

Dynastic cycle

The pattern of rise, decline, and replacement

Mandate of heaven

A ruler that has divine approval

Feudalism

A political system, where nobles or lords are granted the use of lands that legally belong to the king. Rulers are kings and queens