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| 3222322376 | civilization | Societies distinguished by reliance on sedentary agriculture, ability to produce food surpluses, and existence of nonfarming elites, as well as merchant and manufacturing groups. | 0 | |
| 3222327963 | Mesopotamia | Literally "between the rivers"; the civilizations that arose in the alluvial plain of the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys. | 1 | |
| 3222330194 | Sumerians | People who migrated into Mesopotamia c. 4000 BCE; created first civilization within region; organized area into city-states. | 2 | |
| 3222335892 | cuneiform | A form of writing developed by the sumerians using a wedge-shaped stylus and clay tablets. | 3 | |
| 3222337440 | ziggurats | Massive towers usually associated with Mesopotamian temple complexes. | 4 | |
| 3222339985 | city-state | A form of political organization typical of Mesopotamian civilizations; consisted of agricultural hinterlands ruled by an urban-based king. | 5 | |
| 3222436308 | Babylonians | Unified all of Mesopotamia c.1800 BCE; empire collapsed due to foreign invasion c.1600 BCE. | 6 | |
| 3222439620 | Hammurabi | (r. 1792-1750 BCE) The most important ruler of the Babylonian empire; responsible for codification of law. | 7 | |
| 3222442544 | pharaoh | Title of kings of ancient Egypt. | 8 | |
| 3222445411 | pyramids | Monumental architecture typical of Old Kingdom Egypt; used as burial sites for pharaohs. | 9 | |
| 3222446950 | Kush | An African state that developed along the upper reaches of the Nile c.1000 BCE; conquered Egypt and ruled it for several centuries. | 10 | |
| 3222449555 | Indus River | River sources in Himalayas to mouth in Arabian Sea; location of Harappan civilization. | 11 | |
| 3222451769 | Harappa | Along with Mohenjodaro, major urban complex of the Harappan civilization; laid out on planned grid pattern. | 12 | |
| 3222455477 | Aryans | Indo-European nomadic pastoralists who replaced Harappan civilization; militarized society. | 13 | |
| 3222460040 | Vedas | Aryan hymns originally transmitted orally but written down in sacred books from the 6th century BCE | 14 | |
| 3222463059 | Mahabharata | Indian epic of war, princely honor, love, and social duty; written down in the last centuries BCE; previously handed down in oral form. | 15 | |
| 3222467667 | Upanishads | Later books of the Vedas; contained sophisticated and sublime philosophical ideas; utilized by Brahmans to restore religious authority. | 16 | |
| 3222469990 | Yellow River | Also known as the Huanghe; site of development of sedentary agriculture in China. | 17 | |
| 3222472561 | ideographs | Pictographic characters grouped together to create new concepts; typical of Chinese writing. | 18 | |
| 3222474980 | Shang | First Chinese dynasty for which archaeological evidence exists; capital located in Ordos bulge of the Huanghe; flourished 1600 to 1046 BCE. | 19 | |
| 3222481407 | Olmecs | People of a cultural tradition that arose at San Lorenzo and La Venta in Mexico c.1200 BCE; featured irrigated agriculture, urbanism, elaborate religion, beginnings of calendrical and writing system. | 20 | |
| 3222489392 | Chavin de Huantar | Chavin culture appeared in highlands of Andes between 1800 and 1200 BCE; typified by ceremonial centers with large stone buildings; greatest ceremonial center was Chavin de Huantar; characterized by artistic motifs. | 21 | |
| 3222497027 | Phoenicians | Seafaring civilization located on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean; established colonies throughout the Mediterranean. | 22 | |
| 3222499155 | monotheism | The exclusive worship of a single god; introduced by the Jews into Western civilization. | 23 |
