river valley civilizations

City-State: A city and the land surrounding it. It acts like an independent country.

Dynasty: A series of rulers from a single family

Empire: A political unit in which a number of peoples or countries are controlled by a single ruler.

Explain the Chinese Mandate of Heaven: How did a leader lose this mandate?: The Mandate of Heaven refers to the divine (heavenly) approval of a just ruler. A wicked or foolish king could lose the Mandate (approval) and his right to rule. This was how one dynasty would overthrow another dynasty to take power.

Fertile Crescent: An arc of rich farmland in Soutwest Asia between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea

Give two reasons historians use to explain the downfall of the Indus Valley Civilization: The Aryan invasion, flooding, deforestation, exhaustion of the natural resources, dramatic increase in population.

Hammurabi's Code: A single, unified law code meant to help unify diverse groups within his empire.

Herodotus remarked that Egypt was the "gift of the Nile." What did he mean by this?: The reliable rhythms of the Nile created fertile land, which supported a remarkably productive agricultural economy

Hieroglyphics: An ancient Egyptian writing system in which pictures were used to represent ideas, objects, and sounds.

How did Sargon of Akkad create the first empire?: Sargon of Akkad created the first empire by uniting northern and southern Mesopotamia under his rule.

Indus Valley: The location of one or the river valley civilizations. It is located in present-day Pakistan along the Indus River. Two major cities of the Indus Valley were Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro

Mandate of Heaven: In Chinese history, the divine approval thought to be the basis of royal authority.

Monsoon: A wind that shifts in direction at different times each year.

Pharaoh: A king of ancient Egypt, considerd a god as well as a political and military leader.

Pictograph: A symbol or image that represents an object or idea. Examples of pictographs are Hieroglyphics and cuneiform

Polytheism: The belief in more than 1 god.

Pyramids: Massive structures built during the Old Kingdom of Egypt as burial places for the pharaohs. Also found in Mesopotamia as temples and known as ziggurats

Shang Dynasty: The first verifiable dynasty in Chinese history. Known for works in bronze. It is first Dynasty with written records.

Theocracy: A government that is ruled by the religious authority. Ancient Egypt is an example

What did the pyramids show about the Old Kingdom of Egypt?: The pyramids show the wealth of the Old Kingdom as well as their proximity to granite and limestone. Also, the Egyptians had advanced skills in math and engineering. Further, there was a strong central government.

What does the Code of Hammurabi show about Babylonian civilization?: The various social classes were treated differently

What role did major rivers play in the development of early civilizations?: Provided fertile soil for agriculture, allowed for trade and travel, often provided protection from invasion.

What was the major advantage of the Chinese system of writing?: People all over China could read it, even if they spoke other languages.

Which civilization was the major trading partner of the Indus River Valley? How do we know this?: The major trading partner was Mesopotamia. We know this because Harappan seals have been found in Mesopotamia and Mesopotamian goods have been found in the Indus River Valley.

Who were the Hyksos? Why were they able to conquer Egypt?: They were a group of chariot nomads from Asia. They were able to conquer Egypt by possessing advanced weapons, including the chariot.

Why do we know so little about the Indus River Valley civilization?: Their system of writing has not been deciphered. All other writing systems of the river valleys have been translated. ** Rosetta Stone helped us decipher Egyptian Hieroglyphics.