Human Evolution, Early Civilizations, and Key Cultural Developments

Turning Point

An event that leads to lasting change.

Hunting & Gathering

The act of getting one's food by hunting for it and collecting wild fruit, vegetables, and nuts.

Agriculture

Farming.

Neolithic Era

A period in human history that came after the start of agriculture and before the development of the first civilizations.

Bronze Age

The period during which people started creating and using metal tools.

Ocean

A large body of saltwater that covers nearly three fourths of the surface of the Earth.

Civilization

A complex society that has cities, a well organized government, and workers with specialized job skills.

Cities

Early cities emerge near farming centers as populations grew due to a food surplus from farming.

Government

A group of people who make the laws for a certain area.

Religion

Often linked to government, as many rulers claimed their right to rule came from the gods.

Job Specialization

Due to a surplus of food, not everyone needed to work the farm, allowing people to specialize in other fields.

Social Classes

Groups of people who occupy different ranks or levels in society.

Public Works

Large scale projects organized by governments, such as roads, water systems, and city walls for protection.

Art & Architecture

Early people built and decorated temples, tombs, and palaces, with music and literature becoming important.

System of Writing

Each civilization had their own form of writing used to preserve information such as laws and prayers to the gods.

Geographic Context

The historical development shown on the map related to places where growing crops and raising domesticated animals developed before 3000 BCE.

Cuneiform

A system of writing created in Mesopotamia around 3,000 BCE, initially used for tracking business transactions.

Mohenjo-daro

A city in the Indus Valley Civilization built around 2600 B.C.E., known for its sophisticated urban planning and advanced design.

Indus Valley Civilization

An ancient civilization located in present-day Pakistan, known for its advanced urban centers like Mohenjo-daro.

Granary ducts

Structures in Mohenjo-daro designed to circulate air beneath stored grain to aid in drying.

Public bath

An elaborate bathing area in Mohenjo-daro, featuring a brick-lined pool measuring 12m x 7m and 2.4m deep.

Urban sanitation systems

The world's first systems for managing wastewater within a city, as seen in Mohenjo-daro.

Egyptian Book of the Dead

A collection of hymns, spells, and instructions to guide the dead through the afterlife, placed in burial chambers.

Code of Hammurabi

A set of laws written around 1780 BCE, containing 282 laws inscribed on stone monuments for public visibility.

Shaduf

A device used by ancient Egyptians to transfer water from the Nile to their fields.

Domesticate

To tame animals or cultivate plants for human use.

Fertile

Land that is capable of producing abundant vegetation or crops.

Fertile Crescent

A region in the Middle East known for its rich soils and early agricultural development.

Neolithic Revolution

The transition from nomadic hunting and gathering to settled agricultural societies.

Nomads

People who move from place to place rather than settling permanently in one location.

Paleolithic

The earliest era of human history, characterized by the use of stone tools and a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

Settlements

Permanent communities where people live, often associated with the development of agriculture.

Technology

The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry.

Babylonian Empire

An ancient empire centered in the city of Babylon, known for its contributions to law and culture.

Civilizations

Complex societies characterized by urban development, social stratification, and cultural achievements.

Irrigation

The artificial application of water to land to assist in the growing of crops.

Law Code

A systematic collection of laws and regulations governing a society.

Mesopotamia

An ancient region located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, known as the cradle of civilization.

River Valleys

Low-lying areas adjacent to rivers, often fertile and conducive to agriculture, where early civilizations developed.