Unit 2 - Civilization is Born

large groups of people living together with specialized jobs, government, & written language

reed plant that was pressed and dried to make a paper-like material

One of the most powerful civilizations to arise in Mesopotamia

large area in southeast Africa with grasslands and scattered trees

ancient form of writing that used pictures to represent words or syllables

Mesopotamia is a ____________, not a country, within the larger region of the Middle East

People living in the tropics need more skin pigment to protect from intense sun rays

developed a 365-day calendar based on the solar year.

Major oil-producing region and hot spot of international tension

___________ established the kingdom of Israel in about 1000 B.C.E.

government based on rule by the people

King Hammurabi helped unite Babylonians by publishing a set of laws known as...

ruling families

Monarchies, democracies, and dictatorships are all examples of 

A time of great inventions; wheel, plow, writing, money, cities, armies and chariots

_______ has come to mean the key to understanding a difficult problem

Western culture can be traced back to this area of the world

Mesopotamia lies between the ___________ and ____________ rivers

Allowed humans to settle in one location, grow crops, and eventually build towns and cities

In Sumer, ___________ were the most powerful people in society.

government in which one person takes control of a nation

Bronze is made by combining ___________ and ___________

Means "male dominated" society

Here farmers learned to irrigate water, turning dry valley into prosperous agricultural center

The birthplace of three major world religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

flat area of land that sometimes forms at the mouths of rivers; where sediment deposits

The Sahara separates North Africa from sub-Saharan Africa.

Known as the "cradle of civilization"

Known as the world's FIRST civilization

Known as a "gift of the Nile" because the river provided irrigation, fertile soils, & transport

Ancient Mesopotamia is located in modern day...

Process of raising animals for food and source of energy

Believed by Egyptians to separate the "land of the living" from the "land of the dead"

The the world's first known city, where agriculture and irrigation began

The largest dry desert in the world

Neanderthal burials that included food and tools for afterlife were the beginnings of...

Kings of ancient Egypt who were worshipped as gods.

A collection of states [countries] controlled by one government

Began as a way to record business dealings, especially agricultural products

government in which kings and queens rule

the world's oldest story

Earliest known writing

when people are able to do jobs other than growing crops

controlled land and collected rent from poor farmers.

First important woman ruler in history

religions that worship several gods, practice...

a popular term for a region that includes southwest Asia and northeast Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is the land that lies south of the desert.

the longest river in the world

The Sahara Desert is about the size of the United States.

the result of growing more food than needed for own use.

Judaism was the first of the ____________ religions

provides an orderly way to make decisions, maintain order, and supply services in societies

Large pyramid-like structures believed to house Sumerian gods...