Name:
Study Guide Chapter 1.1 and 1.2
Period:
Early Civilization in Afroeurasia, to 450 BCE, Text pp. 3-18
A. Mesopotamian Civilization From Sumer to Babylon, text pp. 3-8
1. Read the introduction to the chapter on page 3 and identify three main ideas that will be covered in the chapter.
a.
b.
c.
Mesopotamian Culture, pp. 3-8
2. Define the following:
Sumerian writingzigguratPharaoh3. What does the name Mesopotamia mean?
4. What was the significance of the invention of writing in Sumer? Describe the writing.
5. How did cuneiform affect the stratification of society and education?
6. Identify four advances in that developed in Mesopotamian culture. How were these connected to religion?
a.
c.
b.
d.
7. Describe Sumerian religion using the categories below to guide you. Make sure to include specifics and tie
everything to religion.
a. polytheism and Gods/Goddessesb. shrinesc. creation myths-
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8. Describe each of the following segments of society including political/religious power, land distribution, gender
roles, relationships between classes, etc.
Nobles
Clients
Commoners
Slaves
9. Who were the Semites and what role did they play in Sumerian culture?
10. Who was Sargon? What happened to his Empire?
11. Complete the chart below about Hammurabi and his Society.
Topic
Description/ Explanation
Who was Hammurabi?
Three Accomplishments
Law Code
Promotes:
Agriculture:
Marriage and Family:
12. Describe the gender roles in Mesopotamian society. What is your opinion about this?
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B. Egypt, the Land of the Pharaohs (3100-1200 BCE), text pp. 8-12
1. Why did Herodotus call Egypt the “gift of the Nile?” Give examples from the Hymn to the Nile.
2. Why was Egypt considered self-sufficient? How would this affect their economic system and their culture?
3. Who was Menes and what did he do? How did this affect the history of Egypt?
4. For what was the Old Kingdom known?
5. Describe religion in Ancient Egypt. Include how geography influenced religious views, specific deities, and how
the people of Egypt viewed their gods. BE SPECIFIC.
6. What were the Egyptians’ views of the afterlife? Did they look forward or fear the afterlife? How is this different
from the Mesopotamians’ views?
7. In Egypt, how was religion and politics fused together? Explain these ideas using specifics.
8. What did the pyramid symbolize during this time in history?
9. Was there a structured class system in Ancient Egypt? EXPLAIN.
10. How did climate affect the economic system in Egypt? How is this both positive and negative?
11. Describe how “Egyptian society seems to have been a curious mixture of freedom and constraint.” Include different
segments of society, social mobility, and division of labor. Use examples from the text.
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12. What happened during the First and Second Intermediate periods in Egyptian history? What does this reveal about
the Pharaoh?
12. What does Hyksos mean?
13. How did the migration of Hyksos into Egypt demonstrate cultural diffusion? Was this positive or negative for
Egypt? Explain.
14. What characterized the New Kingdom? What changes took place during this period?
15. Why was Akhenaton significant? How did the people of Egypt react to his ideas?
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C. The Rise of the Hittites (1650 BCE-1200 BCE), text pp. 14-17
1. Read the introduction and identify three major ideas that will be discussed in this section.
a.
b
c.
2. Read the section, A Shattered Egypt and a Rising Phoenicia. For each of the peoples below, write a brief description of
their way of life and the results of interactions between Egypt and these cultures.
Culture
Hittites
Description
Interactions
Sea Peoples
Nubians and Kush
Phoenicians
3. Define INDO-EUROPEAN
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D. The Children of Israel, pp. 17-18
Identify 10 facts about the Israelites. Make sure your fact are written in statement form and cover the entire
section of the reading.
ISRAELITES:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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