World History Chapter 1-2

The period before writing was developed

The study of past societies through an analysis of what people have left behind

Tools, pottery, paintings, weapons, buildings, and household items of early people

The study of human life and culture

The term used to designate the early period of human history in which humans used simple stone tools

People who moved from place to place

When people started domesticating animals and growing food instead of hunting for animals and gathering plants

The keeping of animals and the growing of food on a regular basis

Adaptation for human use

Skilled workers who made products such as weapons and jewelry that were traded with neighboring people

The period of a widespread use of bronze

The way of life that people follow

A complex culture in which large numbers of humans share a number of common elements

Kings or queens who rule a kingdom

The valley between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers at the eastern end of the Fertile Crescent

The basic unit of Sumerian civilization

A massive stepped tower

A government by divine authority

A large political unit or state, usually under a single leader, that controls many peoples or territories

Based on a system of strict justice (an eye for an eye)

Mesopotamian society dominated by men

A belief in many gods

Using wedge-shaped impressions on clay tablets, which were baked or dried in the sun

A family of rulers whose right to rule is passed on within the family

The most common Egyptian monarch

An administrative organization with officials and regular procedures

The steward of the whole land

A process of slowly drying a dead body to prevent it from rotting

The earliest Egyptian writing, "priest carvings" or "sacred writings"

A highly simplified version of hieroglyphics

Domesticated animals for food and clothing, moved regular migratory routes to provide steady sources of nourishment for their animals

Belief in one god

A governor

Archaeology is used to dig up and examine artifacts to help us understand more about the history of people and their origins.

The Neolithic Revolution began systematic agriculture, which gave people the ability to settle down, which caused civilizations to arise, which began the process of trading goods and laid the foreground for all of civilization today.

People were able to better record what went on in their civilization, so we now know much more about them than we previously would have without writing.

Geography affects the way people survive. Civilizations with good soil can provide for themselves by farming. Geography also provides protection for some civilizations, like Mesopotamia, which was surrounded by rivers that protected them from possible enemies.

Systematic agriculture allowed people to settle down and start civilizations. The Code of Hammurabi created one of the first sets of laws that gave people standards to live by. Pottery allowed people to store things, like liquids, which was much more difficult before.

Because Egypt was founded by the Nile River, they were rarely disturbed by anyone and had very few enemies. They were able to predict the flooding of the Nile and create efficient farming from that knowledge. They had social classes and practiced monogamy.

Trade allowed civilizations to benefit from their surplus of supplies by giving them to other civilizations in return for supplies that they didn't have.

Mesopotamia and Egypt were polytheistic, meaning they believed there were many gods. Persia was monotheistic, meaning they only believed in one god. All the religions believed that there were higher being than humans that governed over their lives.

~Mesopotamia was ruled by a monarchy (king) ~Egypt was ruled by a dynasty (power passed down to offspring) ~Persia divided their empire into satrapies (provinces) ruled by satraps (governors) ~Assyria basically lived in anarchy