Chpt. 2, Early Societies

Question 1

aspects of a civilization

Answer 1

1. economic system based at least partly on trade and specialized labor
2. a government that provides leadership and enforces laws
3. a social system that is hierarchical, class-based, and to some degree urbanized
4. a moral or ethical code

Question 2

Sumer

Answer 2

a delta of fertile soil in the southernmost reaches of Mesopotamia that was part of the fertile crescent

Question 3

Fertile Crescent

Answer 3

part of a larger belt of land between Mesopotamia and Egypt in which one of the earliest civilizations of Southwest Asia began

Question 4

city-states

Answer 4

small, regional kingdoms composed of a city and the land surrounding it

Question 5

ziggurat

Answer 5

a multi-tiered temple whose height was designed to bring glory to the gods and to its builders

Question 6

polytheistic

Answer 6

believing in more than one god

Question 7

Epic of Gilgamesh

Answer 7

the first epic in world literature, it was part of Sumerian religion

Question 8

Sargon the Great

Answer 8

a Semitic invader who united the Sumerian city-states around 2,300 BC, establishing the short-lived Akkadian Empire

Question 9

Akkadian Empire (capital Akkad)

Answer 9

established by Sargon the Great, this lasted only 100 years but succeeded in spreading Sumerian culture throughout the Fertile Crescent

Question 10

Code of Hammurabi

Answer 10

law code set down by Hammurabi, ruler of Babylon; it dealt with issues of family, business, and criminal law

Question 11

Menes

Answer 11

a king of upper Egypt who united lower and upper Egypt around 3,100 BC; until this time they had always been divided

Question 12

theocracy

Answer 12

a government that is based on religion

Question 13

The Old Kingom (3,100-2,200 BC)

Answer 13

the first period of united Egyptian history, it was the era during which the Pyramids of Giza were constructed

Question 14

The Middle Kingdom (2,100-1,650 BC)

Answer 14

a 2nd period of strong pharaohs in Egypt, it was during this time that the Grand Canal was dug

Question 15

The New Kingdom (1,550-700 BC)

Answer 15

the 3rd and final era of strong pharaohs in Egypt, it saw the construction of massive public buildings and great cities; it was followed by centuries of decline which culminated in the Persian conquest of Egypt in 525 BC

Question 16

Grand Canal

Answer 16

a canal that was dug between the Nile River and Red Sea during the time of the Middle Kingdom

Question 17

Hyksos

Answer 17

a people south of the Egyptians who invaded Egypt c. 1,650 BC, in between the Middle and New Kingdoms; it literally means “shepherd king”

Question 18

Akhenaton

Answer 18

an Egyptian pharaoh who tried to abolish the old, complex religion, and establish a new one that was centered on the pharaoh as god; he failed due to opposition from the Egyptian priesthood

Question 19

hieroglyphics

Answer 19

the ancient Egyptian system of writing, it was based on the use of pictures of objects to represent the words they expressed

Question 20

papyrus

Answer 20

a thin parchment made from reeds that grew along the banks of the Nile, it was what the ancient Egyptians wrote on

Question 21

Rosetta Stone

Answer 21

found in 1798 AD by French soldiers serving under Napoleon in Egypt, this was a stone that had the same thing written in 3 different languages, one of which was Greek; since Greek is known, it allowed linguists to decipher the other two languages, which were Demotic and hieroglyphics

Question 22

Jean Francois Champollion

Answer 22

a French linguist who in the 1820s used his knowledge of Greek to decipher the hieroglyphics of the Rosetta Stone

Question 23

Queen Ahhotep

Answer 23

an Egyptian queen who helped to drive out the Hyksos

Question 24

Hatshepsut

Answer 24

an Egyptian queen during the new kingdom who seized the throne while acting as regent for her stepson, the rightful heir; she is known for her promotion of trade

Question 25

Harappa

Answer 25

along with Mohenjo Daro, this was one of the major urban complexes of the Harappan civilization; it was laid out on a planned grid pattern; had around 35,000 people

Question 26

Khyber Pass

Answer 26

a opening through the Hindu Kush Mountains that allows easier access to the Indian subcontinent; it was used by both traders and invader throughout the years, such as the Aryans c. 1,500 BC

Question 27

Vedas

Answer 27

hymns and chants of the ancient Indians that later became part of the Hindu religion

Question 28

Mahayana Buddhism

Answer 28

a 2nd branch of Buddhism that spread through Vietnam, Korea, China, and Japan

Question 29

Legalism

Answer 29

an early Chinese political philosophy that advised rule through an iron fist and suppression of dissent; it’s central tenet was that allowing people freedom caused disorder

Question 30

Shang Yang

Answer 30

the founder of Legalism in 350 BC, during the period of political chaos after the fall of the Zhou Dynasty