Chapter 2 “Early River Civilizations” Study Guide
Terms
Section 1 (Sumer)
Cultural Diffusion
(1) What 2 major rivers surround Mesopotamia?
Ziggurat
(2) Provide some brief descriptions about Sumerian religion…
Dynasty
Empire
City-State
Delta
Pharaoh
Theocracy
Pyramid
Ka
Hieroglyphics
Papyrus
Cuneiform
Monsoon
Feudalism
Rosetta Stone
(19) What do artifacts such as children’s
toys, and the lack of finding weapons, tell us
about Harappan civs?
(3) Why were priests so important to Sumerian society, and
what role did they play in politics?
(20) What people group would revive the
Indus Valley region after the Harappan
societies dwindled, and grew the civilization
(4) How did the role of leadership change within the city-states, once again (1,500’s B.C.)?
whenever the city was at war with other people groups?
Section 4 (Early China)
(21) Only _____ % of China’s land is suitable
(5) How would you describe the lives of women in Sumerian
for farming.
civs? Provide evidence to support your answer…
(22) What geographical region and feature, is
considered the heartland of China?
(6) The people group who would become known as the
Babylonians, were originally a ________________ group of people,
(23) What is the name for the famous, homo
called the __________________ .
erectus skull that has been found in China,
dating back to possibly 500,000 years ago?
(7) What are some topics and issues that the Code of
Hammurabi addressed?
(24) What Chinese dynasty developed
around 2,000 B.C., and who is believed to
(8) Brief description of Sumerian city-states…
have led them?
Harappan Civilization
Loess
(18) What do we know about Harappan
language?
Section 2 (Egypt)
(9) How was the Nile River in Egypt, different from the
Euphrates and Tigris in in Mesopotamia?
(25) In regards to the Shang, they were the
first Chinese to do what?
(26) Describe how land was distributed and
controlled under the Shang…
People
Hammurabi
Sargon Akkad
Narmer
Herodotus
(10) Describe the difference between Upper and Lower Egypt
(What’s located in each region? Features? Where are these
regions in Egypt?)
(11) Though debatable, who do most historians agree was the
1st emperor of Egypt, who unified the 2 kingdoms (3000 B.C.)?
(12) How were kings viewed differently in Egypt, as compared
to Mesopotamia?
Places
Fertile Crescent
(13) Provide some details about Ancient Egypt’s religion and
afterlife…(important gods/goddesses as well)
Mesopotamia
Anyang
(27) Why was family so closely tied to
religion in China?
(28) How did the Chinese use Oracle Bones
to communicate with the gods?
(29) Around the 1027 B.C., the Shang were
overthrown by a group of people called the
_________.
(30) Describe the ‘Mandate of Heaven’…
(14) What is the name of the people who would conquer Egypt
during the Middle Kingdom era (1640 B.C.)?
(31) The Mandate of Heaven, as well as how
Chinese dynasties and ruling familiesearned and lost power, can be summed up by
the ______________________________.
Section 3 (Indus Valley)
(15) What are some of the modern day nations that make up
the region known as the Indian Subcontinent?
(32) After the fall of the last royal, Zhou
dynastic family, the Lords began to claim
their kingship over their regions, leading to a
“______________________________”.
(16) Provide a description of the seasonal monsoon winds that
India still experiences today (direction, effect, season)
(17) What term do most historians/archeologists use in
describing most Indus Valley civilizations? (hint: name of a
location)