Ancient Civilizations: Indus Valley, South Asian Empires, and Chinese Dynasties

Fill-in-the-blank flashcards covering key facts, achievements, and declines of the Indus Valley Civilization, South Asian empires (Maurya, Gupta, Mughal), and major Chinese dynasties from Xia to Qing.

The civilization that arose around the __ River featured the cities Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.

Indus

Mohenjo-Daro belonged to the __ Valley Civilization.

Indus

The Indus writing system used picture symbols called __.

pictograms

Indus seals were used as markers for traded __ and products.

animals

The city layout of Mohenjo-Daro followed a __ system with wide, square streets.

grid

Early Indus people earned a living mainly through __ and animal husbandry.

farming

One theory for the fall of the Indus civilization is the invasion of the __ peoples.

Aryan

The original inhabitants of India, later pushed south, were the __.

Dravidians

The Aryans introduced the sacred language __ to South Asia.

Sanskrit

The oldest living world religion brought by the Aryans to India is __.

Hinduism

India’s traditional social hierarchy introduced by the Aryans is known as the __ system.

caste

In the caste system, __ were priests and scholars.

Brahmins

The Mauryan Empire was founded by __ Maurya.

Chandragupta

The Mauryan ruler who promoted Buddhism and ruled with tolerance was __ the Great.

Ashoka

The Mauryan Empire declined because no strong leader followed __.

Ashoka

India’s “Golden Age” occurred under the __ Empire.

Gupta

The Gupta emperor who ushered in the Golden Age was __ Gupta II.

Chandra

The Gupta Empire fell after invasions by the __.

Mughal (or Mughals)

The Mughal Empire was founded by __.

Babur

The Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal for his wife Mumtaz was __.

Shah Jahan

China’s earliest river-based civilization arose near the __ (Huang Ho) River.

Yellow

The legendary early dynasty that controlled Huang Ho flooding was the __ Dynasty.

Xia

China’s first historically verified dynasty was the __.

Shang

The Shang used animal bones called __ bones for divination.

oracle

Bronze vessels and jade art flourished during the __ Dynasty.

Shang

China’s longest-ruling dynasty, famous for Confucius and civil service origins, was the __.

Zhou

The chaotic era that ended Zhou power is called the __ of Warring States.

Period

The dynasty that unified China, built the first Great Wall, and burned books was the __.

Qin

China gets its English name from the emperor Qin __.

Shi Huangdi

Life-size clay warriors guarding Qin tombs are called __ Soldiers.

Terracotta

Paper and the civil service exam were developed during the __ Dynasty.

Han

The short dynasty that dug the Grand Canal was the __.

Sui

Woodblock printing began in China’s __ Dynasty, often called its Golden Age.

Tang

Landscape painting, gunpowder, compass, and foot-binding became prominent in the __ Dynasty.

Song

The first foreign dynasty of China, ruled by Mongols, was the __.

Yuan

China’s naval exploration under Zheng He and the Forbidden City arose in the __ Dynasty.

Ming

The last imperial dynasty of China, established by the Manchus, was the __.

Qing

The Qing emperor __ is remembered as the last ruler of imperial China.

Pu Yi