River Valley Civilizations Flashcards
Mesopotamia
Land between rivers (tigerus and Euphrates)
Fertile Crescent
Arch of rich farmland in SW Asia Iraq, best farming for Mesopotamia
Tigerus and Euphrates
Rivers unpredictable flooding every year, ideal for growing crops
City state
Political unit that functioned like a country, 4 major
Dynasty
Series of rulers from a single family
Social class development (4)
Priest/King > wealthy merchants > artisans > slaves
Cultural diffusion
Spreading new ideas from one culture to another
Babylon empire
2000 bc beat Sumerians
Empire
Peoples, nations, it independent states under control of one ruler
Hammurabi
Babylonian ruler famous for his code of law
Hammurabi code
“An eye for an eye”
282 specific laws
Covered family relations, business, conduct and crime.
Nile river
Center of Egyptian life. Flooding brought water for farming Worshiped Nile Flooding on time Sandwiched between two deserts Flows north
Delta
Marshy area at the mouth of river
Pharaoh
Egyptian ruler thought of as a gods.
Others worked for them
Life leisure
Free time to think
Narmer
King of upper Egypt who united upper and lower Egypt.
Moved capital to Memphis
Hieroglyphics
Egyptians writing system, were articulate record keepers.
Pics
Allows ideas to be transferred
Papyrus
Plant used to make paper-like material
Theocracy
Government in which the rulers is considered to be a divine figure.
Believed in many gods
Temples
Priests
Anubis
Helped mummify bodies
Pyramid
Resting place for Egyptian kings after death.
Ramses II
Pharaoh that rules the peak of the ancient Egypts glory.
17 wives
200+ kids
Subcontinent
Land mass that us a distinct part of a continent. (India)
Monsoons
extreme seasonal winds.
Winter: dry
Summer: floods
Harappan
Ancient settlements in the Indus River valley.
Planned cities
Grid system
Plumbing system
Harappan and monenjo
Major cities in India
Pictographic script
Indus writing style
Creates decimal system
Harappan civilization
Collapsed in 1500 bc Plate tectonics Earthquakes Disturbed river course Overworked land
Huange hu and Yangtze
2 major river systems that flow from west to the Pacific Ocean
“Heartland”
Shang dynasty
1st known civilization
Famous for bronze work
1st Chinese writing
Massive earthen walls (war)
Dynastic cycle
Pattern of rise, fall and replacement of dynasties
China
Supplied everything
No trade
Isolated
1 family
Central to China
Respect for parents
Men treated women as inferior expected to obey fathers, husbands and sons
Arranged marriages
2 religion
Spirt of ancestors
Family related
Mandate of Heaven
Mandate of Heaven
Divine approval ruler
Oracle bone
Animal bones used by ancient Chinese priests to communicate with the gods
3 writing
Character writing
Not sound
Read w/o speak
Zhou dynasty
Dynastic cycle
Mandate of Heaven
Books
Feudalism
Political system in which lords are granted the use of land that belongs to the king
Qin dynasty
200 years
Highly centralized state fro
Feudal system
Han dynasty
200bce-220ce
Major golden age
Opened Silk Road
Regions of India (2)
Indo-gangetic plain
Deccan plain
Environment challenges Indus faced 3
Flooding
Drought
Erosion
Natural advantages of Egyptian
Nile for transportation
Natural land barrier(deserts)
Rapids
Challenges for Sumerians 3
Flooding
Limited natural resources
Small land area
