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CHAPTER 5 Eastern River Valleys 2500 B.C. –1000 B.C. Terra-cotta toy horse A Harappan necklace UNIT 2 RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS 82 2500 B.C. Cities appear in Indus River valley 2000 B.C. Cities appear in Huang Ho valley 1766 B.C. Shang come to power in China 1200 B.C. Aryans arrive in Indus River valley 1122 B.C. Zhou invade Shang kingdom

5 Eastern River Valleys€¦ · Indus River Harappa Mohenjo-daro Huang Ho valley Why It’s ImportantBy 2500 B.C., cities started to appear in the Indus valley of South Asia. By 2000

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Page 1: 5 Eastern River Valleys€¦ · Indus River Harappa Mohenjo-daro Huang Ho valley Why It’s ImportantBy 2500 B.C., cities started to appear in the Indus valley of South Asia. By 2000

CHAPTER

5Eastern RiverValleys2500 B.C.–1000 B.C.

� Terra-cotta toy horse

� A Harappannecklace

UNIT 2 RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS82

2500 B.C.Cities appear in

Indus River valley

2000 B.C.Cities appear inHuang Ho valley

1766 B.C.Shang come topower in China

1200 B.C.Aryans arrive in

Indus Rivervalley

1122 B.C.Zhou invade

Shang kingdom

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SECTION 1 The Indus River ValleyThe Indus River flows through the countries known today

as Pakistan and India. About 2500 B.C., a group of people calledHarappans (huh rap’ uhnz) settled in the valley of the IndusRiver. Although others had lived there before, the Harappans

Terms to Learnplanned communities

citadeldynastyancestorsoracle bonesnobles

People to KnowHarappansAryansYü the GreatWu

Places to LocateIndus RiverHarappaMohenjo-daroHuang Ho

valley

Why It’s Important By 2500 B.C., cities started to appear in theIndus valley of South Asia. By 2000 B.C., they were being estab-lished in the Huang Ho (Yellow River) valley of China.

More isolated than the people of Mesopotamia or Egypt,the people of the eastern river valley civilizations were cut offfrom other parts of the world by high mountains, broaddeserts, and large bodies of water. As a result, they became self-sufficient, or able to take care of nearly all their own needs.Compared to the Sumerians and the Egyptians, they did littletrading with other parts of the world.

Because few artifacts have been found, much of what isknown about the ancient eastern river valley civilizations comesfrom legends. Even so, available evidence points to unique andrich cultures that continue to interest archaeologists.

Chapter FocusRead to Discover

• How the Indus River valley civilization developed.• What has been learned from the ruins of Harappa and

Mohenjo-daro.• How religion influenced the Shang dynasty.• Why the Shang dynasty declined.

83CHAPTER 5 EASTERN RIVER VALLEYS

Chapter OverviewVisit the Human Heritage Web siteat humanheritage.glencoe.comand click on Chapter 5—ChapterOverviews to preview this chapter.

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84

were the first to create a civilization. Harappan civilizationextended about 1,000 miles, or 1,600 kilometers, from the foothillsof the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean. This area was more thantwice the size of either Mesopotamia or Egypt.

The lives of the Harappan people were shaped by the IndusRiver. The river fertilized the land and made its soil rich. Whenthe river flooded, however, it swept away everything in its path.People had to control the Indus in order to settle near it. To dothis, they built dikes and dams. They cleared land for farming andbuilt irrigation systems to bring water to dry areas. They grewbarley, wheat, peas, melons, and dates and fished in the river.

The Harappans were the earliest known people to growcotton. They spun the cotton, wove it into cloth, and dyed itbright colors. They produced cotton cloth hundreds of yearsbefore anyone else.

The Indus River influenced the way the Harappans built theircities. To protect cities from floods, the Harappans built them onraised mounds. They used river mud to make bricks, which theybaked in the sun. Then they went one step further. They fired, orbaked, some bricks in kilns, or ovens. They used these kiln-driedbricks as a covering over the mud bricks. The fired bricks werestronger and lasted much longer than sun-dried ones. TheHarappans used fired bricks for houses and public buildings.

UNIT 2 RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS

Early India

PLACES ANDREGIONS India is partof the triangle-shapedpeninsula that forms thesouthern part of the continent of Asia. Whatgeographic featureswould have helped toprotect the people of theIndus River valley fromenemies?

MAP STUDYMAP STUDY

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Harappa and Mohenjo-daro Harappan civilizationcentered around two major cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-daro(mohen’ j o dahr’ o). These cities were about 400 miles, or 640kilometers, apart. Many experts believe they were twin capitals.

Harappa and Mohenjo-daro are the oldest examples yetfound of planned communities, or cities built to a definite plan.Both cities contained hundreds of small buildings. Some build-ings served as homes, while others served as shops. The build-ings were laid out on a planned street grid, or uniform network.The streets crossed each other at almost perfect right angles. Thebuildings that lined the streets were arranged in blocks of aboutthe same size.

Most buildings were two stories high and were built arounda courtyard, which opened into several rooms. Outer walls ofbuildings had no windows, and walls fronted on narrow lanes insuch a way as to break the force of the wind. Almost every build-ing had its own well, bathroom, and drains. The drains carriedwaste away from the houses and emptied it into drain holes linedwith brick. These drains were cleaned often. This sanitation sys-tem helped protect the health of the Harappans.

The most important buildings of Harappa and Mohenjo-darowere built high above the houses and shops so as to be safe fromneighboring peoples and floods. In each city, a citadel (sit’ uhduhl), or fortress, stood on a mound at least 40 feet, or 12 meters,high. It was surrounded by a thick brick wall. Inside the citadel atMohenjo-daro was a huge watertight tank called the Great Bath.Some experts believe it was used for religious ceremonies. Next to

THE GREAT BATH AT MOHENJO-DARO The people of Mohenjo-daromay have washed themselves at the Great Bath. It measured 40 feet, or 12 meters, longand 23 feet, or 7 meters, wide. To make the Bath watertight, they used cement, tar, andfour layers of brick. What was the purpose of the Great Bath?

CHAPTER 5 EASTERN RIVER VALLEYS

Reading Check What are

planned communi-ties?

Reading Check Where was a

citadel located, andwhat did it look like?

Student Web ActivityVisit the Human Heritage Web site athumanheritage.glencoe.comand click on Chapter 5—Student Web Activities to findout more about Harappan civilization.

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86

the Great Bath stood a huge granary. Traders from other areas whostopped at Mohenjo-daro most likely left their goods there.

Harappa also had a series of huge granaries. The floor ofeach granary was supported on low walls. In the walls were airholes that allowed air to move around in the granary. This keptthe grain dry and prevented it from spoiling. Nearby were circu-lar brick platforms. Each had a scooped-out area in the centerwhere grain could be pounded.

Decline of the Harappans No one knows for certainhow Harappan civilization came to an end. One reason may havebeen that the Harappans used up their natural resources. Forexample, the Harappan farmers may have tried to raise more andmore crops on the same plots. This would have robbed the soil ofnutrients needed to make it fertile enough to produce well. With-out good harvests, there would not have been enough food tofeed everyone, especially if the Harappan population wasincreasing.

Another reason may have been that the Harappans cut downtoo many trees to fuel their ovens. Without tree cover, floodswould have swept away the soil and forced people to leave theircities and farming villages. It is known that parts of Mohenjo-daro had to be rebuilt several times because of floods. At first, thecity was rebuilt carefully. As time went on, however, new build-ings were not made as well, and older ones were patched up.Then, too, the Harappans may have gotten tired of rebuildingand decided to move somewhere else.

A third reason may have been that the Indus River valleywas invaded and all the Harappans were killed. Unburied skele-tons of groups of men, women, and children have been found inthe streets of Mohenjo-daro’s ruins. Every skeleton showed somekind of injury.

All that is certain is that Harappan civilization began tochange about 1700 B.C. Not only were homes no longer built aswell, but pottery was no longer made as carefully. By 1200 B.C., agroup of people called Aryans (ar’ e uhnz) had taken over theIndus River valley. Harappan civilization ceased to be.

Evidence of a Lost Civilization Very little is knownabout the Harappan people and their civilization. As yet, no onehas been able to read Harappan writing. There is no record of thecivilization’s political history. No royal tombs have been discov-ered. All that is known about Harappan religion is that there wasmore than one god, and most Harappan gods were female.

Much of what is known comes from the ruins of Harappa andMohenjo-daro. There, archaeologists have found jewelry made ofgold and a blue stone called lapis lazuli (lap’ uhs laz’ uh le ), as

UNIT 2 RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS

Sculpture of HarappanPriest-King

No Showers?Harappan bathrooms con-tained no bathtubs. Peoplepreferred to pour waterover themselves fromhand-held pitchers.

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87

well as tools and weapons of stone, copper, and bronze. They havealso found clay models of animals, rattles, dice, and toy carts withmovable wheels.

One of the most important finds was a series of tiny sealsmade of soapstone. An animal and a line of writing were carvedon each seal. The animals included tigers, elephants, rhinoceri,and crocodiles. This suggests that at one time much of the areawas jungle. Most of the seals had a small hole in them and couldbe worn as necklaces or bracelets. The seals may have stated thenames, titles, or trades of a person, family, or business. Expertsbelieve the seals were used to stamp the wet clay that sealedpackages of goods. Some Harappan seals have been found as faraway as Sumer.

CHAPTER 5 EASTERN RIVER VALLEYS

HARAPPAN SEAL This Harappan seal is 1 inch, or 2.5 centimeters, square. Itshows a bull facing an incense burner. In eastern civilizations, the bull was a symbol ofstrength. The seal also shows Harappan writing. What is unusual about Harappanwriting?

Bangles Today, manypeople in India and Pakistan wear bangles—ring-shaped bracelets andanklets. So did the Harap-pans. To find out how theHarappans made theirbangles, archaeologists inthe 1980s and 1990s turnedto present-day bangle mak-ers. Using traditional meth-ods, they gave archaeolo-gists insights into how theHarappan bangle makersmight have worked.

Section 1 Assessment 1. Define: planned communities, citadel.2. How did the Indus River influence the

Harappans?3. What were some of the outstanding fea-

tures of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro?

Critical Thinking4. Predicting Consequences What do

you think archaeologists would learn

about the Harappans if they could readHarappan writing?

Graphic Organizer Activity5. Draw a diagram like this one, and use it

to summarize the accomplishments ofthe Harappans.

Harappans

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SECTION 2 The Huang Ho ValleyAbout 2000 B.C., or 500 years after the Harappans settled in

the Indus River valley, a civilization developed in the Huang Hovalley of northern China. There are no records of its beginnings,and no remains have been found. For this reason, much of whathappened comes from legend.

According to Chinese legend, a man-god named Yü theGreat drove out the serpents and dragons that lived along theHuang Ho. He drained the land so that people could live thereand grow crops. Yü founded a kingdom called Xia (she’ ah) andunited most of northern China under his rule.

Many experts believe that the early settlers of China chosethe Huang Ho valley for their home because it was fertile. Theriver flooded every year, bringing rich soil with it.

The valley was cut off from other civilizations. The peoplethere developed their culture without borrowing from other civi-lizations. By 1800 B.C., there were villages and farms all along theriver. The people farmed the land and used the river for traveland trade. They made clay ovens, cupboards, benches, and pot-tery. They built small round clay houses with thatched roofs.

Cities of the Shang The first records of Chinese civilizationcome from a dynasty (dı’ nuh ste), or ruling family, called Shang.The Shang came to power in 1766 B.C. They built the first Chinese

THE WISE MAN FU HSI Chinese legends tell the stories of Yü and anotherman-god, Fu Hsi. Here, Fu Hsi points to eight geometric designs used to tell the future.Why are legends important to historians studying early China?

UNIT 2 RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS

Reading Check What is a

dynasty?

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89CHAPTER 5 EASTERN RIVER VALLEYS

cities. Most were designed in the same way. At the center stood apalace and a temple. Public buildings and the homes of high gov-ernment officials were built around the palace. Within an outerdistrict were workshops, burial grounds, and the homes of theworkers.

Most of the Shang people, however, did not live in the city.The city was the home of the rich, the educated, and the skilled.Poorer people lived in the countryside. They were farmers whogrew such grains as millet, wheat, and rice and raised cattle,sheep, and chickens. The farmers also produced silk, which wasused to make clothes for the very rich. The Chinese produced silkhundreds of years before anyone else.

Spirits, Ancestors, and Kings The Shang worshipedspirits, or supernatural beings, which they believed lived inmountains, rivers, and seas. The people believed they had toplease the spirits. If the spirits became angry or unhappy, thepeople might suffer a poor harvest or lose a battle.

The Shang believed that ancestors, or those from whom oneis descended, also influenced people’s fortunes. So, they offeredtheir ancestors food, wine, and special prayers. They hoped theirancestors would help them in time of need and bring them goodfortune. Because of this respect for ancestors, family ties werevery important to the Shang. They had rules about how familymembers should act toward one another. Children were taught to

Shang China

Reading Check What role did

spirits play in Shangreligion?

Reading Check Why did the

Shang respect theirancestors?

PLACES ANDREGIONS The land-forms of China con-tributed to the early iso-lation of the Chinese.What geographical fea-tures would have dis-couraged the Shangpeople from movementto other lands or theircontact with other people?

MAP STUDYMAP STUDY

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WuC. 1000 B.C.

Zhou KingWu, the ruler of a formerShang territory, led theattack against the lastShang emperor. Theemperor was so cruelthat many soldiers gaveup without a fight. Wu,known as “the MilitaryKing,” believed the godswanted the Zhoudynasty to rule China,and he became the firstZhou ruler.

90 UNIT 2 RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS

ORACLE BONES Shang rulers tried to learn the future by using oracle bones.Here, a turtle shell used for this purpose shows an early form of Chinese writing.When did Shang rulers use oracle bones?

Reading Check What were

oracle bones? Who were the nobles,and what role didthey play in theShang dynasty?

obey their parents and to honor older people. Wives were trainedto obey their husbands.

The Shang believed that their kings received their powerfrom the spirits of nature and their wisdom from their ancestors.For this reason, religion and government were tied closelytogether. An important duty of kings was to contact the spirits ofnature to make sure they provided enough water for farming.

Kings also asked the advice of their ancestors before makingimportant decisions. To do this, kings had questions scratched ona flat, polished piece of bone. The bone had a hole drilled in it,and a hot bar was put in the hole. Heat from the bar produced apattern of cracks on the bone. The cracks were believed to be theancestors’ replies to a king’s questions. A special interpreter gavethe king the meaning of the ancestors’ replies. These bones areknown as oracle (or’ uh kuhl) bones. The writing on them is theoldest known form of Chinese writing.

Under the king was a large class of nobles, or people of highrank in a kingdom. They spent much of their time hunting, bothfor pleasure and as preparation for war. Nobles often fought witheach other about land. They joined together only when they hadto fight other people who refused to accept Shang rule.

Nobles rode into battle in horse-drawn bronze chariots. Theywore bronze helmets and armor made of buffalo or rhinoceroshide. They were skilled in the use of the bow and arrow. Their

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91CHAPTER 5 EASTERN RIVER VALLEYS

Metal Casting Shang metalsmiths perfecteda form of casting to create some of the finestbronze works the world has ever known(below). Metalsmiths still use molds to createeverything from artworks to machine parts(right). What conclusions can you drawabout Shang technology?

arrows had sharp points of bone or bronze. Soldiers marched onfoot behind nobles’ chariots. These soldiers generally were poorpeasants whom the nobles had forced to leave their farms andjoin the army.

Decline of the Shang There was a great gap between richand poor during the rule of the Shang. Rich Shang lived in thecities in wooden houses. They owned bronze weapons andornaments and wore linen, wool, fur, and silk clothes. PoorShang lived in the countryside and worked with wooden or stonetools. Their houses were thatched or mud huts or caves scoopedout of the ground. Neither group felt any loyalty toward theother.

Many experts believe that this gap between rich and poorweakened the Shang civilization. In 1122 B.C., a people known asZhou (jo) invaded the Shang kingdom. The Shang were notunited enough to hold off the invaders, and their civilization cameto an end.

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92 UNIT 2 RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS

The Shang left behind a great gift to the rest of the world intheir works of bronze. These include sculptures, cups, vases,fancy vessels, and a variety of other items used for religious pur-poses. Many art experts believe these are among the finest worksof bronze ever made.

Section 2 Assessment 1. Define: dynasty, spirits, ancestors,

oracle bones, nobles.2. What were some of the Shang religious

beliefs?3. What may have been the reason for the

decline of the Shang civilization?

Critical Thinking4. Formulating Questions If world

leaders today could use oracle bones,

what questions might they wantanswered before making decisions?

Graphic Organizer Activity5. Draw a diagram like this one, and use

it to show the structure of a typicalShang city.

1. The eastern river valley civilizationsbegan in the Indus River valley about2500 B.C. and in the Huang Ho valleyabout 2000 B.C.

2. The first people to build a civilizationin the Indus River valley were theHarappans.

3. The Harappans are believed to havebeen the first people to produce cot-ton cloth, bake bricks in ovens, andbuild sanitation systems.

4. The Harappan cities of Harappa andMohenjo-daro are the oldest knownplanned communities.

5. No one knows for sure how theHarappan civilization ended, but theAryans moved into and took over thevalley about 1200 B.C.

6. The legendary kingdom of Xia proba-bly was established in China about2000 B.C.

7. The Shang started the first recordedChinese dynasty around 1766 B.C.

8. The Shang believed spirits and ances-tors influenced their lives.

9. The Shang developed the form ofwriting found on oracle bones and amethod of making beautiful bronzeartworks.

10. Shang civilization ended with theZhou invasion of 1122 B.C.

Chapter Summary & Study Guide

Self-Check QuizVisit the Human Heritage Web site at humanheritage.glencoe.com and click on Chapter 5—Self-Check Quizto assess your understanding of this chapter.

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Using Key Terms

Imagine you are preparing a featurefilm about the civilizations in the IndusRiver and Huang Ho valleys. Use the fol-lowing words in a brief summary describ-ing the facts you plan to present in yourfilm.

planned communities citadeldynasty spiritsancestors oracle bonesnobles

Understanding Main Ideas

1. Why is so little known about the earlylife of people in the Indus River andHuang Ho valleys?

2. Why were Harappa and Mohenjo-darounique places in which to live?

3. What were some of the possible rea-sons for the decline of the Harappans?

4. What evidence suggests that there wastrade between Harappa and Sumer?

5. Why were family ties important to theShang people?

6. How did Shang kings use oraclebones?

7. Why did the gap between the rich andpoor help weaken the Shang?

8. What cultural contribution did theShang leave to the world?

Critical Thinking

1. Why did people in the eastern rivervalleys borrow little from people inother regions?

2. What do you think may happen to acivilization if it uses up its naturalresources? Why?

3. Do you think people today hold ances-tors in the same high regard as theShang? Explain.

Graphic Organizer Activity

Citizenship Create a diagram likethis one, and use it to show the flow ofpower and authority in the Shang govern-ment. Groups that should appear on thechart include: artisans, farmers, king, spir-its, ancestors, and nobles. Which groupappears at the top? At the bottom?

Geography in History

Places and Regions Refer to themap of early India on page 84. Note thelocation of the Indus civilization and thegeographic features that may have affect-ed its development. Describe what otherarea of this region is a likely place forother civilizations to develop. Explain why.

AssessmentCHAPTER

Authorityleast

most

Power

least

mos

t

93

Using Your Journal

Compare any details you may

have noted about planned

communities in Harappa and

Mohenjo-daro with details about

your own community. Create a

chart illustrating the ways in

which your community is similar

and different.

5

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94

2 Around U N I T

THE HITTITESAround 2000 B.C., the Hittites moved

into Asia Minor from an area somewherebeyond the Black Sea. Within the next 700years, they built an empire that rivaledEgypt in size and power. Although theHittites adopted many of the customs of

the people they conquered, they devel-oped ideas and inventions of their own.One of the most important of these wasthe Hittite battle chariot—the weapon thatallowed the Hittites to challenge the civi-lizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt.

30°E 35°E 40°E 45°E 50°E45°N

40°N

35°N

Hittite Empire at Peak

ASIA MINORANATOLIA PLATEAU

EGYPT

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

BLACK SEA

CASPIA

NSEA

TigrisR

iver

Euphrates River

Nile

Riv

er

0 200

200

400miles

0 400kilometers

Hittite Empire

� In 1595 B.C., Hittite armies plunged deep intoMesopotamia to capture the city of Babylon.Although a rebellion forced the Hittite king toreturn home, Babylon never recovered from theattack. The Hittites went on to take control oflands stretching from the Aegean Sea in the westto the upper Euphrates River in the east.

� Deeply reli-gious, the Hittitesused the fury of thegods to threatenpeople who brokelaws or treaties. AHittite artist armedthis god with athunder hammerand a handful ofjagged lightningbolts.

UNIT 2

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the W rld� The Hittites pre-ferred to rule bytreaty rather than byforce. They recordedthe terms of thesetreaties on gold, sil-ver, or iron tabletswritten in their ownhieroglyphics or incuneiform adoptedfrom the Babylonians.

Some Hittite battle chariots carriedtwo warriors—a driver and an archer.The larger and heavier battle chariotscarried three—a driver and two armedsoldiers. This allowed the Hittites todouble their fighting power. �

The Hittites con-sidered the sungoddess, calledArinna, the giverof all life. Knownas “Queen ofHeaven andEarth,” she washonored withworks of gold suchas this statue. �

The royal seal of a Hittite king was imprinted on this clay

tablet. �

Taking Another Look1. Where did the Hittites build their empire?

2. What methods did they use to control their empire?

Hands-on ActivityWriting an Argument Write a list of arguments that an Egyptian soldier might have used to convince the pharaoh to adopt the all-new Hittite battle chariot.

95

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1. Sumerian society granted certain rightsto women. Which of the following rightsdid Sumerian women have?

A They had the right to operatebusinesses.

B They had the right to vote in city-stateelections.

C They had the right to attend the sameschools as men.

D They had the right to join theSumerian army.

2. Which of the following Mesopotamianinventions is still used in agriculturetoday?

F ZigguratsG Feed troughsH CuneiformJ Plows

3. The Code of Hammurabi was importantbecause

A it punished unfair judgesB it established one set of laws for all

city-statesC it protected confidential messages sent

between judgesD it required prison sentences for people

convicted of crimes

4. A major accomplishment of the societiesof Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt,which allowed these civilizations toflourish, was

F the building of pyramids to honorrulers

G the teaching of English to children inschool

H the use of waterways to irrigate cropsJ the development of the 60-minute hour

Standardized Test Practice

96

Directions: Choose the best answer to each of the followingmultiple choice questions. If you have trouble answering aquestion, use the process of elimination to narrow yourchoices. Write your answers on a separate piece of paper.

Test-Taking Tip: Eliminate answersthat you know are incorrect. Since only thesons of the rich could attend school, you caneliminate answer C.

Test-Taking Tip: Make sure that youread the question carefully. The question asksfor an invention used in agriculture (farming).Since cuneiform is Sumerian writing, it cannotbe the correct answer.

Test-Taking Tip: Remember to readall the answer choices and pick the bestanswer. Although the Code of Hammurabi didpunish unfair judges, this fact is not the mostimportant. Which aspect of the Code was themost significant change from previous codesof law?

Test-Taking Tip: The key phrase inthis question is: which allowed thesecivilizations to flourish. Some of theseaccomplishments are certainly important—westill use the 60-minute hour today—but theydid not all contribute to the basic survival ofthese two civilizations.

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Standardized Test Practice

97

5. The Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and IndusRiver valley civilizations arose wherethey did because

A of advice from their religious leadersabout where to settle

B there were so many hunting groundsin North Africa

C the rivers they settled near provided ameans of transportation

D of the many renewable resourcesavailable nearby

6. The Egyptians made many contributionsto other civilizations. Which of thefollowing was NOT developed by theEgyptians?

F papyrusG a number system based on tenH medical splints and bandagesJ city-states

7. According to the map above,

A ancient Egypt did not include ThebesB the New Kingdom of Egypt included

the SaharaC the southern boundary of the Old

Kingdom was near the 1st Cataract ofthe Nile

D Phoenicia was not part of the NewKingdom of Egypt

PALESTINE

LOWER EGYPT

UPPER EGYPT

1st Cataract

3rd Cataract

4thCataract

2nd Cataract

Thebes

MemphisGiza

Nile

River

ASIA MINOR

ARABIA

SYRIA

PALESTINE

PHOENICIA

S A H A R A

LOWER EGYPT

UPPER EGYPT

AFRICA

ASIAMEDITERRANEAN

SEA

RED

SEA

PERSIANGULF

CASPIANSEA

TigrisR

iver

Euphrates River

1st Cataract

3rd Cataract

5th Cataract4th

Cataract

2nd Cataract

MESOPOTAMIA

Thebes

MemphisGiza

Nile

River

30°E

30°N

20°N

50°E40°E

0 200

200

400miles

0 400kilometers

N

Ancient Egypt

Southern Boundary,Old KingdomSouthern Boundary,Middle KingdomNew Kingdom,c. 1450 B.C.

�Test-Taking Tip: Think about whatthese three civilizations had in common (theyall settled in river valleys). Why was thisgeographical feature so important to thedevelopment of these societies?

Test-Taking Tip: Be careful—overlooking the words NOT or EXCEPT is acommon error. Look for the answer that doesNOT fit. Since the Egyptians did developpapyrus (a type of paper made from reeds),answer F is not the correct choice.

Test-Taking Tip: Use the map’slegend, or key, to help you understand whatthe map’s symbols represent. Make sure youranswer is supported by information on themap. Do not rely on your memory.

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