Rivers and Early Civilizations Flashcards
Grade 6 · Social Studies · Flashcards
Key vocabulary for Rivers and Early Civilizations — the four cradles of civilization and their geographic foundations.
Flashcards
- Mesopotamia
- The world's first civilization region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; means 'land between the rivers' in Greek.
- Fertile Crescent
- The arc of fertile land in the Middle East and Egypt where the earliest farming civilizations developed.
- Tigris River
- One of the two major rivers of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq); along with the Euphrates, it supported early civilization.
- Euphrates River
- The other major river of Mesopotamia; Babylon and other early cities were built along its banks.
- Nile River
- The world's longest river, flowing through northeast Africa; its annual floods created the fertile soil that supported ancient Egypt.
- Indus River
- River in modern Pakistan/India along which the Indus Valley Civilization (2600–1900 BCE) built advanced planned cities.
- Yellow River (Huang He)
- Called 'China's Sorrow' for its floods but vital for early Chinese civilization; home to the first Chinese dynasties.
- Silt
- Fine, fertile soil deposited by floodwaters; the nutrient-rich foundation of early river valley farming.
- Irrigation
- A network of canals and channels to direct river water to farmfields; invented in Mesopotamia around 6000 BCE.
- Cuneiform
- The world's first writing system, invented by Sumerians in Mesopotamia around 3200 BCE using wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets.
- Indus Valley Civilization
- Advanced civilization (2600–1900 BCE) in modern Pakistan/India with grid-planned cities, standardized weights, and sewage systems.
- Mohenjo-daro
- A major planned city of the Indus Valley Civilization with straight streets, brick houses, and an advanced drainage system.
- Loess
- Fine yellowish mineral dust deposited by the Yellow River in China, creating extremely fertile farmland.
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