Study Guide: River Valley Civilizations
Instructions: Use your notes, on-line information, and other resources to help answer the
following questions. These are things you need to know for the test!!
Prehistoric and Neolithic Revolution:
 What is the Paleolithic Era?
 Why is the Neolithic Revolution so significant? When did it start?
 What seems to be the 7 characteristics of a civilization?
 When did the first civilization develop? Where? Which other civilizations did they interact
with?
Mesopotamia:
 Why was the Fertile Crescent known as the “cradle of civilization”?
 What was Hammurabi’s Code?
 Did the geography hurt or help the Mesopotamian people?
 Why was Mesopotamia always changing?
 What advancements came out of Mesopotamia?
Egypt:
 How did Egyptian civilization depend on the Nile River for its survival?
 What are the three main periods of early Egyptian history?
 What evidence is there to support the idea that Egyptians believe in life after death?
 How did the Egyptians view the pharaohs?
 What was hieroglyphics and why was it developed?
 What is the Rosetta Stone?
 What are the main achievements of the Egyptian civilization?
India:
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How did geographic features in India influence the development of early Indian culture?
Why is there a mystery surrounding the Indus Valley civilization?
What made cities in the Indus Valley so amazing and like no other early civilization before?
What is Hinduism?
What is Buddhism?
What type of writing system did they use in India?
China:
 What is the relationship between China’s geography and its belief that is was the sole
source of civilization?
 Describe the four main dynasty’s of early China: Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han.
 What is Confucianism?
 What is Daoism?
 What advancements/technology came out of the early Chinese civilizations?
 What kind of writing system did China have?
Terms to know
1. Cuneiform
2. Polytheism
3. Irrigation
4. Hammurabi’s Code
5. City-state
6. Theocracy
7. Ziggurat
8. Sumer
9. Babylonia
10. Hieroglyphics
11. Mummification
12. Pharaoh
13. Thebes
14. Memphis
15. Black Land
16. Red Land
17. Rosetta Stone
18. Hinduism
19. Buddhism
20. Mohenjo-Daro
21. Harappa
22. Upanishads
23. Confucianism
24. Daoism
25. Ying and Yang
26. Mandate of Heaven
27. Cultural diffusion
28. Domestication
29. Civilization
30. Irrigation
31. Social Hierarchy
32. Surplus
33. Staple
34. Paleolithic
35. Neolithic Revolution
36. Cultural Hearth