Belief in many gods

The period of the Stone Age associated with the evolution of humans. It predates the Neolithic period.

The period of the Stone Age associated with the ancient Agricultural Revolution. It follows the Paleolithic period.

A person who looks for bones, tools, and artifacts from people who lived long ago to find out how people lived then

the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products.

a city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state.

A society with cities, a central government, job specialization, and social classes

A form of writing developed by the Sumerians using a wedge shaped stylus and clay tablets.

A series of rulers from the same family

Egyptian writing that involved using pictures to represent words.

A king of ancient Egypt, considered a god as well as a political and military leader.

government run by religious leaders

massive pyramidal stepped tower made of mudbricks. It is associated with religious complexes in ancient Mesopotamian cities, but its function is unknown.

The river in which early kingdoms in Egypt were centered around.

Huge, triangular shaped burial tombs of Egyptian pharaohs built during the Old Kingdom

A long-lived ruler of New Kingdom Egypt (r. 1290-1224 BCE). He reached an accomodation with the Hittites of Anatolia after a standoff in battle at Kadesh in Syria. He built on a grand scale throughout Egypt.

A boy pharaoh; Howard Carter found his tomb untouched by grave robbers.

Babylonian king who designed a legal code in early Babylon that gave punishment based on crime and social status. Relied on the principle of an eye for an eye.

founder of the Qin dynasty and China's first emperor

A mythical Egyptian beast with the body of a lion and the head of a human.

first true pyramid

Tallest pyramid in the world built as a tomb for the Pharaoh, Khufu

Land between two rivers

The land between these two rivers contained the early civilizations of Mesopotamia

the creators of the first Mesopotamian civilization

river around which the ancient Harappan civilization thrived in what is now Pakistan and western India.

the monotheistic religion of the Jews.

Founder of Judaism who, according to the Bible, led his family from Ur to Canaan in obedience to God's command.

Led the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt; received the 10 commandments

An ancient name for the land of Israel, "the Promised Land" of the Jews.

A set of laws for responsible behavior, which, according to the Bible, were given to Moses by God.

Hebrew Bible

A Babylonian king who conquered Jerusalem,and built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Followers of Judaism

a large landmass that forms a distinct part of a continent

seasonal wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons

large ancient city of the Indus civilization, located in present-day Pakistan

Largest city of the Indus Valley civilization, centrally located in the extensive floodplain of the Indus River, famous for the "Great Bath" discovered there.

nomads from Europe and Asia who migrated to India and finally settled; vedas from this time suggest they created the caste system in India

social structure that held that a person's socio-economic status was hereditary

lowest class of people outside of the caste system of Hinduism, do all the dirty work of society

Ancient Sanskrit writings including hymns, songs, prayers and rituals that compose the earliest sacred texts of Hinduism.

an ancient language of India (the language of the Vedas and of Hinduism)

the ultimate goal of a Hindu, becoming liberated from the cycle of reincarnation in Hinduism.

The rebirth of a soul in a new body

The first empire to unify most of the Indian subcontinent. It was founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 324 B.C.E. and survived until 184 B.C.E. From its capital at Pataliputra in the Ganges Valley it grew wealthy from taxes.

In Hindu belief, a person's religious and moral duties, their life-long duty to their caste.

The belief that individual actions in this life, whether good or bad, will decide your place in the next life.

A Hindu god considered the creator of the world.

members of the highest Hindu caste, that of the priesthood.

two of the most important gods in the Hindu religion

Term that ancient China used to refer to themselves. Due to their extreme geographical isolation, they believed they were the center of civilization.

The earliest known Chinese writing is found on these from ritual fortune-telling activity of the Shang period.

Second Chinese dynasty (about 1750-1122 B.C.) which was mostly a farming society ruled by an aristocracy mostly concerned with war. They're best remembered for their art of bronze casting.

Longest dynasty in Chinese history. Established a new political order based on feudalism, and began the use of the Mandate of Heaven to secure and maintain power.

An ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean Sea linking China with other civilizations

the belief that the Chinese king's right to rule came from the gods; divine right to rule

Nickname for the Yellow (Huang He) River. It often overflowed, destroying crops and bringing starvation, and destroying homes

The longest river in Asia. Together with the Yellow River, ancient Chinese civilization flourished along this river.

Chinese belief that centered on great respect for dead family members that could help the living connect with the gods.

a valuable cloth, originally made only in China from threads spun by caterpillars called silkworms, a technique kept secret by the Chinese for hundreds of years

first Emperor of China; ordered the building of the Great Wall of China to keep out invaders from the North and had a huge tomb built for himself that included thousands of terracotta soldiers

The earliest known Chinese dynasty, pre-dating the Shang Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty.

These mountains separate India from China and are the tallest in the world.

river that takes its name from loess soil

The system of ethics, education, and statesmanship taught by the Chinese philosopher Confucius and his disciples, stressing love for humanity, ancestor worship, reverence for parents, and harmony in thought and conduct.

Chinese philosophical system developed by of Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu advocating a simple honest life and noninterference with the course of natural events

world's longest man made structure built to keep invaders from the north out of China, started by the Qin Dynasty, expanded by the Han Dynasty

windblown dust that accumulates and forms a ridge of bluffs as it approaches higher elevations; critical to the agriculture of the Yellow River in China

The Indian prince turned ascetic (ca. 566-ca. 486 B.C.E.) who founded Buddhism.

1. Everyone suffers. 2. The cause of suffering is desire (greed). 3. To end suffering you must end desire (greed). 4. Follow the eightfold path

In Buddhism, the basic rules of behavior and belief leading to an end of suffering

Name given to reaching the state of perfect peace in Buddhism. Usually reached after death following enlightenment.

Self realization, achieved while living, which brings one to Nirvana.

Things Siddhartha Gautama saw outside the palace: A sick man, an old man, a dead man, and an ascetic.

Belief system started by Siddhartha Gautama in India in the 500s BC, teaching that happiness can be achieved through removal of one's desires. Believers seek enlightenment and the overcoming of suffering.

A person who practices self-discipline and self-denial