History 4A Geography/Topography

Fertile crescent

region around the northern edge of the Arabian peninsula and into Egypt where large-scale agriculture is possible

the Levant

parts of modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine; this region is both mountainous and coastal

Mesopotamia

mostly in modern Iraq; comprised of Assyria to the north and Babylonia/Sumer to the south; fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; city-states had to compete for control over resources like water, wood, metals, and trade routes

Anatolia

modern-day Turkey; has sufficient rainfall for growing crops; most of the rest of the region relies on the rivers to grow crops

Egypt water

experiences virtually no rainfall; the growth of large and complex civilization here is possible almost completely because of the Nile River; commercial traffic on the Nile since antiquity; the Nile flows to the north

First Cataract

the point on the Nile where the river becomes harder to navigate, with more rocks and turns; in southern Egypt

Nile Delta

where the Nile spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea in Lower Egypt; a large area of marshland

Fayuum Depression/Oasis

a depression in the landscape full of water from the Nile; a mini delta zone to the southwest of the actual delta

Libyan Desert

the area out to the west of the Nile River/Delta; not considered to be part of Egypt by the ancient Egyptians, although must of it is today

Sinai Peninsula

a natural and hard to cross border between Egypt and Asia; a desert region between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea

Nubia

area south of the main Nile River Valley, very rich in copper and gold

Continental Greece

a peninsula in the Mediterranean

Corinthian Gulf

almost cuts the peninsula of Greece in half, and dramatically increases the amount of Greek coastline; creates a north/south dynamic

Greek world

includes the Greek Peninsula as well as the islands and regions around the Aegean Sea and the west coast of Anatolia

Aegean Sea islands

create a superhighway between the Greek Peninsula and Anatolia

Greek mainland

rugged mountains, deep valleys, extended coastline, and few large plains or large easily navigable rivers (like West Asia and Egypt have)

Mount Taygetos

overlooks the Spartan Plain

Thermopylae

“the Hot Gates,” a narrow passage in central Greece

Messenia

region in southwestern Peloponnese region

Sicily

large island just off the coast of southwestern Italy

Macedonia

large fertile region on the edge of being Greek and not

Italian Peninsula

extreme topographical variation; no part is more than 70 miles from the sea; very few navigable rivers; about the size of Nevada

Apennines

mountain range running down the spine of Italy on a curve, opening up 3 plains: Etruria, Latium, and Campania

Italian Plains

Etruria, Latium (Rome), and Campania; encouraged agricultural growth and cities

Carthage

a Phoenician colony in modern-day Tunisia