Chapter 2, World History

Front 1

Fertile Crescent

Back 1

An area of fertile land that includes Mesopotamia and land next to the Mediterranean Sea.

Front 2

Mesopotamia

Back 2

Means 'Land Between Two Rivers', it is the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The site of one of the first advanced civilizations.

Front 3

City-State

Back 3

This is a city that has its own government and acts like an independent country.

Front 4

Dynasty

Back 4

When a ruling family passes down its power from father to son.

Front 5

Cultural Diffusion

Back 5

When a new idea or product is passed from one culture to another.

Front 6

Polytheism

Back 6

The belief in more than one god.

Front 7

Empire

Back 7

When a single ruler is able to bring a number of people and nations under his rule.

Front 8

Hammurabi

Back 8

The Babylonian ruler who created one of the first law codes ever developed.

Front 9

Delta

Back 9

This is a large, marshy area of land, formed by silt deposits at the mouth of a river.

Front 10

Narmer

Back 10

The Egyptian King who united Upper and Lower Egypt and created the first Egyptian dynasty.

Front 11

Pharaoh

Back 11

The title given to the rulers of Egypt meaning that they were god kings.

Front 12

Theocracy

Back 12

When rulers have absolute religious and political power.

Front 13

Pyramid

Back 13

These were large tombs built by pharaohs during the Old Kingdom in Egypt.

Front 14

Mummification

Back 14

The was the proses by which a body was preserved before burial.

Front 15

Hieroglyphics

Back 15

The form of writing used by the ancient Egyptians. Made up of pictographs.

Front 16

Papyrus

Back 16

This was an early form of paper used by the ancient Egyptians, made from dried reeds.

Front 17

Subcontinent

Back 17

The area of Asia that includes; India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It is cut off from the rest of Asia by high mountains.

Front 18

Monsoon

Back 18

These are strong seasonal winds that can bring powerful storms to India.

Front 19

Harappan Civilization

Back 19

The early advanced civilization of the Indus Valley.

Front 20

Loess

Back 20

Fertile soil that is blown in from the deserts of North and West China.

Front 21

Oracle Bones

Back 21

Animal bones that were used by priests to ask questions of the gods.

Front 22

Mandate of Heaven

Back 22

By this a Chinese emperor was give the right to rule by the gods as long as he was just and good.

Front 23

Dynastic Cycle

Back 23

The pattern of rise, decline, and replacement of dynastic families.

Front 24

Feudalism

Back 24

A political system were rulers give out part of their land to trusted nobles in return for military service, and loyalty.

Front 25

Monarchy

Back 25

A form of government where the country is ruled by a King.

Front 26

Sargon

Back 26

The leader of the Akkadian people who conquered the Sumerians in order to found the Akkadian Empire.

Front 27

Sumer

Back 27

The area where the first large civilization with advanced cities was founded.

Front 28

Gilgamesh

Back 28

The Babylonian King of Uruk who is depicted as a great warrior in the 'Epic of Gilgamesh'.

Front 29

Babylon

Back 29

The Mesopotamian City-State and Empire that came to the height of its power under Hammurabi.

Front 30

Cuneiform

Back 30

Meaning wedge shaped, it was the first form of writing created by the Sumerian scribes.

Front 31

Cataracts

Back 31

The rocky or ruff part of a river that makes it impassible to boats.

Front 32

Indus Valley

Back 32

The was the location of the Harappan Civilization that lived along the Indus River, in India.

Front 33

Huang He River

Back 33

Also known as the 'Yellow River', because of the yellow color of its silt (loess), it is one of the two main rivers of China.

Front 34

Pictographs

Back 34

A writing form where pictures represent words.

Front 35

North China Plain

Back 35

Known as China's Heartland, it is an area of fertile soil between the Huang He and Chang Jiang Rivers.

Front 36

Upper and Lower Egypt

Back 36

Once two separate kingdoms they were united by Pharaoh Narmer, or possibly a king known as the 'Scorpion King'.

Front 37

Shang

Back 37

The people who ruled the North of Chine around 1700 B.C. and were the first to leave written records.

Front 38

Shang Di

Back 38

The supreme god of the Han people of China.

Front 39

Chang Jian River

Back 39

Also known as the 'Yangtze River', it is one of the two main rivers of China.