Egypt and Mesopotamia

Unit Review Sheet

Facts and Definitions

Lesson 1: Civilizations

• Historians use the term civilization to describe a society or culture that is organized in specific ways.
• Characteristics of a civilization can include successful development of agriculture (farming), a large population center (like a city), a variety of specialized jobs, a ruling government, a division of people into social and economic classes, a shared language and belief system, and the development of art, architecture, and other advancements.

Lesson 2: Archaeology

• Archaeology is the study of human history through the careful analysis of physical objects.
• An artifact is an object made by a person. Archaeologists analyze artifacts to learn more about the people in the past who made them.
• Archaeologists must work carefully to avoid damaging fragile artifacts. They must also keep careful records of where objects are found within a dig site since the location of artifacts can provide important clues about their age, their uses, and their significance.
• Archaeologists must also plan to protect themselves, their equipment, and the artifacts that they uncover from the hazards of the local environment such as sand, dirt, water, animals, and weather conditions.

Lesson 3: Mesopotamia

• Scholars believe that farming developed in the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East about 12,000 years ago.
• Mesopotamia comes from the Greek words for "middle" and "river" and is the name historians use to refer to the region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The region was home to several early civilizations.
• In addition to agriculture, ancient Mesopotamian people developed the potter's wheel and adapted the wheel for use in transportation. They also developed writing, first using pictographs and then cuneiform writing. Phoenicians eventually created a form of the alphabet to simplify writing.
• Hammurabi's Code was a set of laws established by the Babylonian king Hammurabi during his reign, which began in 1792 BC.
• The Assyrians controlled the entire Mesopotamian region at the height of their power.
• Eventually, the people living in Babylonia and the Medes of Persia overthrew the Assyrians. This second rise of the Babylonians is also known as the Neo-Babylonian empire.
• The Persians eventually controlled an even larger empire, which was conquered by Alexander the Great in 334 BC.

Lesson 4: Ancient Egypt

• Upper Egypt in the south and Lower Egypt in the north were united around 3100 BC.
• Historians describe Egypt's history as Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom with intermediate periods separating these times of greater stability.
• Hatshepsut was a female regent who was declared king and ruled as a pharaoh for more than 20 years.
• Ramses II (sometimes spelled Ramesses) was one of the longest-reigning rulers of ancient Egypt and is well-known for his many building projects and wars. He established a new capital of Egypt, Per Ramses.
• The Nubian civilization in northeastern Africa had strong ties to Egypt through trade and invasion. The Nubians conquered Egypt in 730 BC.

Lesson 5: Egyptian Religion and Myths

• Egyptian kings were thought to represent the gods and had great power.
• Egyptians worshiped a large number of different gods and told many different stories about the gods.
• Religion was an important part of daily life, not only for royalty and the priests of Egyptian temples but also for ordinary people.

Lesson 6: Daily Life in Egypt

• The Nile was an important resource for the people of ancient Egypt, providing water for crops and an important means of transportation.
• Daily life for people in ancient Egypt depended greatly on the status of the individual or family. People in high-status positions, such as scribes or skilled craftsmen, were given greater respect and paid more for their work than laborers who worked in less-skilled positions.

Final Project: Expedition or Web-based Tour

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