Unit 2: Early Civilizations Part 1 Flashcards
Why did early civilizations first develop in river valleys?
These river valleys offered rich soil and irrigation water for agriculture, and they tended to be in locations easily protected from invasion by nomadic peoples.
Between which two rivers did Mesopotamia develop?
Tigris and Euphrates
Which river was very important to Egyptian civilizations?
The Nile
Which two rivers were important to the development of early Indian civilizations?
Gupta and the Indus
Which river did Chinese civilizations first develop on?
Huang He
Which early writing form did the Sumerians first develop?
Cuneiform
Which writing form developed in India?
Sanskrit
Which early writing form developed in China?
Oracle Bone Writing
Who developed one of the world’s first alphabets?
the Phoenicians
What religion did the Persians practice?
Zoroastrianism
What made the Persian empire different from other empires?
they practiced tolerance of the people they conquered
What achievements are the Persians known for?
Development of an imperial bureaucracy and Construction of a road system
What physical barriers made it difficult to invade India?
the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush, and the Indian Ocean,
Which two Indus River Valley civilizations were two of the earlies to develop?
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
What is the caste system rooted in?
the Varnas and the Jati
What were the varnas?
The varnas were idealized in the Vedas to organize society equally by skill.
What were the jati?
Jatis was used to describe divisions by occupation. Jatis were governed by birth.
Who was the Mauryan ruler that helped expand the empire?
Asoka
What were important contributions of the Mauryan empire?
Spread of Buddhism, free hospitals, veterinary clinics, good roads
Which empire was considered the golden age of India?
Gupta
What were important contributions of the Gupta empire?
Mathematics (concept of zero), medical advances (setting bones), astronomy (concept of a round earth), new textiles, literature
Which two religions develop in India?
Hinduism and Buddhism
