Early Man & RVC Adventure Game

By: Brian Bae, Joseph Chong, and Neha Khandelwal

You are an archaeologist in training and your professor wants you to analyze multiple fossils in different parts of the world. Your assignment is to imagine a story for the various fossils you have to analyze. The first site you need to visit is in the

Great Rift Valley, Africa.

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You arrive at the site in the Great Rift Valley and you sit next to other archaeologists excavating a fossil which resembles a male Australopithecus. You remember what you learned in history class

and you let your vivid imagination take you several million years in the past as you try to

think of a story for the fossil.

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You imagine yourself in the eyes of an Australopithecus. You look around the cave that you

are in and find your trusty sharp rock and bowl shaped rock. The hot summer heat boils your hairy

skin and you wince as the sunlight blinds you momentarily. Both your stomach is growling and

your tongue is dry from lack of water.

You have two choices: Collect water or Go hunting for meat

You grab your bowl shaped rock and head clumsily to a nearby body of water with your large arms hanging under your waist. As you

bend over to collect water, a loud noise causes you to trip and fall into the water. The water is

very deep and your large arms prevent you from keeping yourself afloat. You drown as you realize what scared you was the sound of your growling

stomach. As the first species of hominid you have an exceptionally small brain.

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At the cave, you clumsily pick up your sharp rock and head toward the forest to hunt. You look

around the forest for movement but get distracted by a brightly colored plant, failing to notice the large animal approaching you from behind. As you turn around, the animal jumps into the air and sinks its razor sharp fangs into your shoulder. You desperately struggle as the

animal slowly drags you back into its cave, leaving a thick trail of blood.

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Australopithecus were the earliest ancestors of human kind and were found in the Great Rift Valley in Africa.

Australopithecus weighed from around 60 to 120 pounds and their height spanned from 3.5 to 4.5 feet. They had a

very slouched posture and arms that could touch their knees. Their face was flat and their jaws were made to be extremely strong. Their skulls were ovular and could not contain a large brain. They found items, such as oddly

shaped rocks, to use as items. The Australopithecus were existent as late as 2.5 million years ago.

Continue

You open your eyes and you are back at the fossil site in Africa. You walk to another fossil

nearby. This one represents a male Homo Habilis, its body structure is very similar to the Australopithecus, but its spine seems to have

straightened a bit more and its skull was slightly larger, evidence that brain size was increasing. You close your eyes and a story of the life of the

deceased hominid unfolds.

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You are in the eyes of a Homo Habilis. Simple paintings cover the walls of your cave. You stand

up, your long arms swing as you slowly make your way to the corner where you store your weapons. You see that your trusty spear lies broken in the

corner. You decide that it is time to gather materials for a new spear.

You have two choices: Gather sticks or Find a sharp rock

You walk outside of your cave and look on the ground for a rock suitable for impaling your prey. You finally find a sharp rock but your efforts are in vain. As you look around, you realize that you are

nowhere near your home. Time flies as you desperately search for your cave, and soon it is night time. It is not long before creatures of the night fill their stomachs with parts of your body and leave your bones scattered on the ground.

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You set off on your journey to find a sturdy stick and you quickly reach a nearby forest. As you are wandering in the woods, you spot the perfect stick

on the top of a tall tree. You begin to climb, but halfway up, your hand is impaled by a thin piece of

wood sticking out. You scream in pain and your other hand instinctively reaches for your injured hand. You lose your grip and fall to your death.

Continue

The Homo Habilis were the direct evolution of the Australopithecus. Their posture and bone structure begins to look more like the Cro-

Magnons. They are more intelligent than the Australopithecus, as demonstrated from their use

of tools that were a combination of multiple materials. The Homo Habilis inhabited Africa, but

managed to spread out more than their predecessors.

Continue

You open your eyes and you realize your work in Africa is complete. It feels nice as the hot summer sun begins to set and a cool breeze blows your way. You finish your observations and the next day you catch a plane to Spain, where you will be examining your next fossils.

Continue

You arrive at the site and a set of fossils for the Homo Erectus species catches your eye. You

immediately sit next to it examining the straight spine and the advanced tools found near the

fossil. You observe the fossil for a while and let your imagination teleport you 1.8 million years

into the past.

Continue

You open your eyes in the point of view of a Homo Erectus. A fire blazes in the middle of your cave and

comforts you with its warmth. You stand up and stretch after what had felt like a long rest. Picking up your hand axe on the way out, you walk outside and deeply inhale the fresh air. You feel ready to start a

new day.

You have two choices: Hunt for Food or Gather Plants and Berries

You enter a thick forest, grasping your axe tightly and watching for any movement. As you tread carefully through the woods, you see a blur of white in front of you. The next

thing you know, you are on the ground and restraining a wolf, its mouth inches away from your face. You use your spare

hand to quickly grab your axe, which has fallen inches away from where you lay, and slit the throat of the wolf. You take a moment to catch your breath, and you marvel at what your dinner will be tonight. You drag the wolf back to your home, and you realize that some berries would go along quite well

with the wolf meat…

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You set out to search for berries, and on the way, you meet your friends trying to light a fire of their own. You signal for them to join you on your quest, and they happily tag along.

You eventually come across a bush of vibrant-colored berries. Without much thought, you pick one of the berries and eat it. Moments later, you are lifeless on the ground after choking up a gallon of blood. At least you have informed your friends and

many generations to follow, that the berry you ate was poisonous.

Continue

The Homo Erectus were the direct evolution of the Homo Habilis. They are known for their upright

structure (hence the name “erectus”) and increased intelligence. The Homo Erectus have developed even more complicated tools than those of the

Homo Habilis. The Homo Erectus were also the first to leave the continent of Africa, and spread out to

present day Eurasia.

Continue

Satisfied with your current stories, you board a train to France, where you will be observing the last two species of early man. Your curious about what

your professor had said about Homo Sapiens… something about there being two branches. Ah yes, there are two main branches off of Homo Sapiens,

Neanderthals, and Cro-Magnon.

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As you enter the excavation site, you see the fossils of the Cro-Magnon species and the Neanderthal

Species around the same area. With no hesitation, you rush over to the fossils to think of a story. You choose to be in the perspective of a Cro-Magnon.

Continue

You are the first one to wake up in your small group of Cro-Magnons. The detailed paintings on the wall next to you and

your full stomach remind you of your group’s success yesterday, when you successfully hunted and killed a

mammoth. You wake up your group and remind them it is time to gather water. As you lift your heavy water bowl, you

realize that you cannot hold your spear at the same time. You can either bring the water bowl so you can collect more water for your group, or you can choose your weapon and hope to

spear a fish and defend the group.

You have two options: Take the Water bowl or Take the Spear

As you and your group members are gathering water from a lake, you hear a loud cry coming closer and closer. In five seconds, a group of

Neanderthals emerge from the shadows of a nearby forest. They charge at your defenseless group and ruthlessly kill everyone including you. Your group

was no match for the superior strength and bulk of the Neanderthals as they grasped your smaller

bodies and crushed them with sheer force.

Continue

You have no luck in spearing the fish of the lake. The others in your group laugh at you as you continuously thrust your spear into the water and pull out nothing. Their laughter and your frustration suddenly comes to a halt

when you hear a loud cry coming closer and closer. In five seconds, a group of Neanderthals emerge from the shadows of a nearby forest. They charge

at your defenseless group, and being the only one with a weapon, you bravely charge back. As you skillfully handle three Neanderthals with your spear, you notice the rest of your group perishing to the superior physical

strength of their opponents. Once you have impaled the torsos of your foes, you quickly rush over to help your friends. You only manage to save a

couple group members before they are crushed by the Neanderthals’ sheer forces. Once the conflict has ended, eleven bodies redden the lake around them, four of them being members from your group. Your surviving friends praise your heroicness as you realize how much of a good choice it was to

bring a spear with you.

Continue

Homo Sapiens had two main branches, the Neanderthals who used stone tools, had more slanted skulls and were more muscular than the other branch of Homo Sapien, the Cro-

Magnon (Homo Sapien Sapien) which are modern day humans. The two groups were in constant competition with

each other and they often fought for land and for food. Eventually the Neanderthals died out while the Cro-Magnon

continued to advance. Only the Cro-Magnon crossed the Bering Strait and went to the Americas. Both groups used

advanced tools and were hunter gatherers.

Continue

You have finished writing down your stories for each species of the Early Man. You return home and realize that the final exam is

the next day. You can either review the species, or, if your are confident about your knowledge of Early man, take the exam

right away.

TAKE THE EXAM

Study Australopithecus Study Homo Habilis

Study Homo Erectus Study Homo Sapiens

Q1: The _______________ were the first species of Early Man.

A) The Homo Habilis

B) The Homo Erectus

C) Australopithecus

D) Neanderthals

Q2: The species known to have developed a more upright back.

A) Australopithecus

B) Cro-Magnons

C) Homo Habilis

D) Homo Erectus

CORRECT!

Q3: The direct evolution of the Australopithecus: _____

A) Homo Erectus

B) Neanderthals

C) Cro-Magnons

D) Homo Habilis

CORRECT!

Q4: The first species to develop tools by combining multiple materials.

A) Australopithecus

B) Homo Habilis

C) Homo Erectus

D) Homo Sapiens Sapiens

CORRECT!

Q5: The two branches of Homo Sapiens:

A) Homo Sapiens Sapiens and Cro-Magnons

B) Homo Habilis and Australopithecus

C) Neanderthals and Homo Erectus

D) Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals

CORRECT!

Q6: This species crossed the Bering Strait to present day North America

A) Cro-Magnons

B) Neanderthals

C) Homo Erectus

D) Australopithecus

CORRECT!

Q7: Scientists believe that the _________ disappeared because they either cross-bred with the Cro-Magnons, or were killed by them.

A) Homo Sapiens Sapiens

B) Homo Erectus

C) Neanderthals

D) Australopithecus

CORRECT!

WRONG

Try Again

You got a perfect 100% on the test! Great job! You move on to the course’s next semester with full confidence. A week later, your professor gives you another assignment. This

time, you will have to visit the sites of ancient river valley civilizations. It is your job to write stories in the point of

view of those who lived in the civilizations. As you ride your airplane over to Europe, you remember how humanity

shifted from the Paleolithic Era of early man into the river valley civilizations. You recall the Neolithic Era and the

Agricultural revolution, which allowed humans to reside in one place, instead of being nomadic hunters and gatherers.

This would lead to civilizations beside rivers, where crops can supply a growing population.

Continue

Australopithecus were the earliest ancestors of human kind and were found in the Great Rift Valley in Africa.

Australopithecus weighed from around 60 to 120 pounds and their height spanned from 3.5 to 4.5 feet. They had a

very slouched posture and arms that could touch their knees. Their face was flat and their jaws were made to be extremely strong. Their skulls were ovular and could not contain a large brain. They found items, such as oddly

shaped rocks, to use as items. The Australopithecus were existent as late as 2.5 million years ago.

BACK

The Homo Habilis were the direct evolution of the Australopithecus. Their posture and bone structure begins to look more like the Cro-

Magnons. They are more intelligent than the Australopithecus, as demonstrated from their use

of tools that were a combination of multiple materials. The Homo Habilis inhabited Africa, but

managed to spread out more than their predecessors.

BACK

The Homo Erectus were the direct evolution of the Homo Habilis. They are known for their upright

structure (hence the name “erectus”) and increased intelligence. The Homo Erectus have developed even more complicated tools than those of the

Homo Habilis. The Homo Erectus were also the first to leave the continent of Africa, and spread out to

present day Eurasia.

BACK

Homo Sapiens had two main branches, the Neanderthals who used stone tools, had more slanted skulls and were more muscular than the other branch of Homo Sapien, the Cro-

Magnon (Homo Sapien Sapien) which are modern day humans. The two groups were in constant competition with

each other and they often fought for land and for food. Eventually the Neanderthals died out while the Cro-Magnon

continued to advance. Only the Cro-Magnon crossed the Bering Strait and went to the Americas. Both groups used

advanced tools and were hunter gatherers.

BACK

WRONG

Try Again

WRONG

Try Again

WRONG

Try Again

WRONG

Try Again

WRONG

Try Again

WRONG

Try Again

WRONG

Try Again

You arrive at the remains of a River Valley Civilization located along between the Tigris and Euphrates River. You begin to walk towards the

remains of a priest and a commoner. Nearby the site shards of pottery and what seems to be their form of currency. You sit down next to the fossils and close your eyes, putting yourself in the mind

of the deceased.

You have two options: Be a Priest or Be a Commoner

You open your eyes and find yourself in the perspective of a Mesopotamian priest. As a priest

you are a very powerful part of Mesopotamian society and you are in charge of caring for the

gods and attending to their needs. In Mesopotamia, life is rather gloomy and the gods

often send in forces to punish people for angering them. You leave your house and head

to the Ziggurat.

Go to Ziggurat

You open your eyes and find yourself in the place of a Mesopotamian commoner. You look outside and see

that the sun is just rising. You wake up your 5 children and your wife feeds them breakfast. You head outside and prepare for another day as a

farmer. You can only do one of two things, go to the Ziggurat and pray for a good harvest or go to the

fields to harvest your crops.

Choose One: Harvest Crops or Go to Ziggurat

You head down to the Ziggurat to make a prayer to the gods for a plentiful harvest. The crops aren’t growing well and the Tigris River has flooded quite strangely this year,

washing away your crops. You begin to pray, but are interrupted by some soldiers heading your way. They grab

your arms and drag you outside, and you realize you haven’t paid your taxes. You begin to weep as one of the

soldiers pulls out their sword and impales you in the chest.

Continue

You head down to your farm along the Tigris river and see that the river had flooded last night, depositing rich silt

along the sides of your farm. You silently celebrate since the soil will help your crops flourish this year. A soldier

approaches you and pulls out his sword. He tells you that you have broken a rule in the Hammurabi Code and that the punishment for your actions is death. You close your eyes as

you see the soldier quickly brings down his sword.

Continue

You head to the Ziggurat to pray and pass commoners selling items such as crafts and food products(fish and crops). You reach the Ziggurat and go to the top, a temple restricted to priests

only. You pray to the multiple gods of Mesopotamia to appease them and make your daily sacrifices.

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Mesopotamian culture was heavily based on religion and their view on life was very gloomy. They believed in multiple gods and they built temples called Ziggurats which was open to all people, but on the top there is a temple only open to priests. There were three main social classes in Mesopotamia, nobles, commoners,

and slaves. The majority of people were commoners who farmed, fished, sold crafts, and were merchants. Babylon was the first

empire of Mesopotamia and was created by a ruler named Hammurabi. Hammurabi created the first legal code called the

Hammurabi Code. This contained a set of harsh rules and punishments and wrote them down and placed them all over the

empire so that everyone would know what the laws were.

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You open your eyes and finish up your story on Mesopotamia, excited to go to your next site, a Islamic

civilization found along the Mediterranean Sea and part of the Kingdom of Israel. When you arrive you see the remains

of a commoner as well as the remains of many religious sites, and you remember that religion was a major part of Hebrew society and they founded Judaism. You close your

eyes and imagine the life of the Hebrew commoner.

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As you open your eyes you smell the strong scent of the sea. You are in the middle of a busy harbor. You observe ships

docked onto the shore. Hundreds of men are carrying boxes of purple cloth off the ship. You recognize them as the infamous

Phoenicians, the sea merchants of the Mediterranean. You head home and spend the rest of the day with your family. At night, your child asks you to tell him a story. The story of Moses and the story of Abraham are what comes to your mind first. Both are an important part of Judaism, and you ponder upon which

story you decide to tell your child.

Choose One: The Story of Moses or The Story of Abraham.

You decide to tell your son the story of Moses the prophet and how he freed the enslaved Jews from Egyptian rule.

Moses believed in freeing his people from the Egyptians and he led them out of Egypt to bring them to the holy land or

Canaan, but the freed Jews did not listen to him and wandered for forty years before they managed to find

Canaan. In addition Moses is credited for completing the writing of the first five books of the bible before his death in 2488. Moses was only seen as a prophet to God and it was

God who redeemed Israel, not Moses.

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You decide to tell your son about Abraham, who is credited with starting the religion of Judaism. Abraham was born in Ur and believed there was only one true God and he began to teach his beliefs to others. It is believed that Abraham

made a covenant, or a mutual agreement, with God that if he left his home and his family, in exchange God would

grant him Canaan, or the holy land. He taught his disciples about the one true god and fulfilled God’s will.

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The Hebrews believed in Judaism, the belief that there is only one true God, Yahweh. The holy book of Judaism is the Torah which

consists of five parts. It is believed that Abraham, a Hebrew created the religion Judaism after making a covenant with God

who promised him Canaan, the holy land. Moses was “chosen” to lead the Hebrew Exodus where Israelites were freed from their

captivity under Egypt. King Solomon united the tribes of Israel and created the Kingdom of Israel. In addition he built great temple that was the focal point for Jewish Religion. After his death, the

kingdom split into two parts, the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah, and both were later destroyed.

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Phoenicians colonized many parts of the Mediterranean Sea. By doing this, they established a powerful trade

empire across the region. The Phoenicians traded several goods such as glass and lumber. However, they are most

known for trading purple dye, the color of wealth and royalty. Phoenicians would sail on massive ships to get

around the Mediterranean and spread their influence. One thing they spread through their influence was their written language, an alphabet system consisting of 22 letters. The Phoenician alphabet would later heavily impact the Latin

alphabet.

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You are done with your work at the Islamic civilization and have a little time before moving on to your next assignment. You’re next flight is at 10:30 to go to Egypt. The site is near the location of the ancient civilization of the Nile river valley. As you reach the ancient civilization you gawk at the large

Pyramids and obelisks and can’t help wondering how such an ancient civilization was able to build such a marvelous

architectural structure. You find two fossils at the site, one of a pharaoh with treasure surrounding his great tomb and one

of a peasant.

Choose One: Pharaoh or Peasant

You close your eyes and put yourself in the mid of a peasant man. As a farmer it is your responsibility to keep a constant supply of food to keep the civilization thriving. You realize

you have two choices, either you go check on the condition of your crops to make sure the river had flooded on

schedule, or go to the priest and pray to the different gods for a good harvest and good luck to your entire family.

Go To: The Priest or Your Farm

Since it is the spring, the Nile river has flooded and has deposited rich silt on its banks, or black land, as usual. In

fact this flooding is so reliable that you even have a calendar based off of it. Your reed plants are done growing and you can harvest them to make papyrus for the town. You see that your crops are growing quite nicely and head

back home.

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You are going to go visit the priest. You want to make sure the gods don’t think you have forgotten about them and

bring you bad fortune. As you are on your way, a black cat crosses your path. You are distracted and don’t notice the pot falling from above. You fall and get a concussion. Since the healing techniques aren’t very advanced, you die from

the head injury and know you should have gone to the priest sooner.

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You are the pharaoh and have supreme authority over every one else because you are considered a god to your people. It is you job to help keep peace and order in Egypt. What is your

greatest accomplishment:

United Upper and Lower EgyptWere the first woman to become Pharaoh

Made Aton the only godRestored old religious practices

Gained area of Palestine

You are the pharaoh Menes. Menes was an important pharaoh for the Egyptian River Valley Civilizations because he united upper and lower Egypt for the first time. He also

established the first Egyptian Dynasty.

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You are the pharaoh Tutankhamen. You became pharaoh after the death of Akhenaton and restored the old

religious practices of the Egyptian river valley including polytheism. You died young and your tomb was also the

only one to be found intact.

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You are the pharaoh Ramses ll also known as Ramses the Great or the Pharaoh of the Hebrew Exodus. You were pharaoh from 1279-1213 which was one of the longest reigns in Egyptian history. You attempted many military

conquests but were only successful in getting the area of Palestine.

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You are the pharaoh Hatshepsut. You were the first woman to become pharaoh but as a women you are not well

respected, so you had to dress up like a man to be more respected in this position.

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You are the pharaoh Akhenaton. You wanted to do away with monotheism and make only one god, Aton the god of the

sun. The people did not like this change in religious practice and you were not well liked.

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The Egyptian River Valley was centered around the Nile River. It was broken into 3 parts: the Old Kingdom also called the Pyramid Age, the Middle Kingdom which ended with the invasion of the Hyksos,

and the New Kingdom before falling to the Romans. For the Egyptians, the polytheistic religion was closely tied with daily life

and the most important god was Amon-Re. They had a hierarchical social structure and had a positive attitude towards life. The

Egyptian achievements include advancements in writing with hieroglyphics being written on stone and papyrus, art, math with

calculating area and volume, and medicine because of the practice of making mummies.

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You are done with your work in Egypt and but still have some assignments left to do. You decide that for next site

you will be going to a river valley civilization along the Indus River. When you reach the site you see that there are two

fossils, one of an Aryan and one of a Dravidian.

Choose One: Aryan or Dravidian

You are an Aryan. It is the year 1500 BC and many of your fellow Indo Europeans are thinking about making the journey

across the Hindu Kush by the Khyber Pass. You decide on joining them. But you don’t know how to help out with the journey; you can either hunt for food in the Pass or provide

for defense.

You have two options: Hunt for food or Guard the camp

You have chosen to go hunting for your camp. Since the land is unfamiliar, you are have trouble finding some game. But

soon you see a large animal unknown to you but big enough to feed many people. You chase after it hoping your luck

with hold out. But it doesn’t and soon you lose sight of the animal completely. You do not want to head back empty

handed but the sun is setting. You think you know the way but before you know it, you are lost. As the night begins, it

starts to get colder and you end up freezing to death looking for the campsite.

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You are guarding the camp for intruders along the long journey but no one has bothered the camp yet. Soon

everyone has made it through the pass to the other site and you have met the native people. They are no match for the Aryan warfare techniques you have learned though and you

win battle after battle. But you are not expecting the ambush that finally kills you when you are alone on the borders of the

town.

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You are a Dravidians and live in a small settlement in Northern India. The Aryans have been taking over land and you fear your town is

next. You decide to make a peace agreement with the Aryans saying that your people will assimilate into the Aryan culture. The Aryans

agree to not fight you if you obey their rules.

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The Indus River Valley civilization began in 3000 BC to 1500 BC. The most important cities in the civilization were Harappa with the

population of 35000 people and Mohenjo-Daro with a population of 35000-40000. In the cities the streets were laid out in grids with walled neighborhoods and multistory buildings. The were also known for their great water and sanitation systems. It was a

theocratic society with the economy based on agriculture and trade with city states in Mesopotamia. It is thought that Aryans invaded using the Khyber Pass in the Hindu Kush in 1500 BC, taking over

almost all of India. They were excellent fighters and some Dravidians, the original peoples of India, eventually assimilated into

Aryan culture.

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The next stop on your trip will take you to China and the Huang He River Valley. You are really looking forward to this trip and can’t wait to see what you will find there. When you

arrive, you see that the archeologists there have dug up some fossils from different time periods in Ancient China.

You have a choice between the Shang dynasty and the Zhou dynasty.

Choose One: Zhou Dynasty and Shang Dynasty

You are the Shang Emperor and you are constantly at war. The government at the time is a aristocracy made up of rich

upper class landowners with a lot of power. You have just moved you’re capital for the last time settling at Anyang

where you are building a palace. When you finally die though you split your territory up among your most trusted generals. At your death, your servants are buried with you

and your tomb is also full of riches for the afterlife.

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You are the Zhou Emperor and are rightfully so because you have the Mandate of Heaven which says you have

been chosen by Heaven itself to rule. The government is an imperial bureaucracy which you rule over and

aristocrats, rich land owners, have a lot of power. You rule using the Dao, or the way, to keep the gods happy and protect the people. When you die, a new Dynasty

will begin, the Qin.

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In Ancient China, the Huang He also known as the yellow river or China’s sorrow and the Yangtze are the most important rivers because when they flood, they leave loess on the banks that

provides important nutrients for farming. The first dynasty in China was the Shang Dynasty but there have also been records of an early

dynasty called the Xia but no physical proof to go along with this claim. The next dynasty was the Zhou, when the idea behind Heave choosing the Emperor was really started. The Chinese possessed a

very strong belief in life after death and they practiced human sacrifice. Also at this time, oracle bones were used to communicate with your ancestors, who were seen as a link between the human

and spirit worlds.

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Q1 What was the most important building in Mesopotamia?

a) The Ziggurat

b) Emperor’s palace

c) The farm

d) The pyramid

Q2 What is the deposit on the banks of the Huang He river called when it floods?

a) Black land

b) Silt

c) Loess

d) Dirt

Q3 Who invaded India in 1500 BC?

a) Dravidians

b) Aryans

c) Dasas

d) Akkadians

Q4 What type of government did all of the river valley civilizations have?

a) Imperial bureaucracy

b) Theocracy

c) Democracy

d) Oligarchy

Q5 What trade product were the Phoenicians?

a) Gold

b) Silk

c) Spices

d) Purple dye

Q6: 90% of people where what social class in Mesopotamia?

a) Commoner

b) Herders

c) Metal workers

d) Priests

Q7 What Mesopotamian empire was Hammurabi from?

a) Akkad

b) Sumer

c) Babylon

d) Assyria

Q8 What was the Indus River Valley Civilization’s economy based on?

a) Agriculture

b) Trade

c) Military

d) Shipbuilding

Q9 What was the Indus River Valley Civilization best known for?

a) Gridded streets

b) Houses made of lego bricks

c) Multi-story buildings

d) Hunting system

Q10 What was the oldest of all the river valley civilizations?

a) Indus River

b) Mesopotamia

c) Nile River

d) Huang He River

Q11: Egyptians were known for for doing all of the following except?

A: Preserving the dead bodies of royalty

B: Building tombs for their kings

C: Hieroglyphics

D: Cuneiform

Q12: What were oracle bones used for?

A: To make spears

B: Used to make pottery

C: As a link between the human and spiritual worlds.

D: Used as a bowl to collect water

Q13: The ________ was so predictable that the Egyptians could make a calendar based upon it.

A) The wind passing in and out of region

B) The flooding of the Nile River

C) The death of their pharaohs

D) The richness of their crops

Q14: The New Kingdom of the Egyptian River Valley Civilization fell to the _________

A) Hyksos

B) Persians

C) Romans

D) Abbasids

Q15: What are the other names for the Huang He River?

A: China’s Misery and the Yellow River

B: The Red River and the Chin Zhou River

C: The Yellow River and the Tao Ming River

D: China’s Sorrow and the Yellow River

Q16: Christians: Bible :: Hebrews: __________

A) Koran

B) Vedas

C) Torah

D) Collection of the Testaments

Congratulations! You got a 100% on your test and now have become an archeologist. Thank You for playing and we hope that you are now well informed about Early Man and River

Valley Civilizations.

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After you finish your work in Islam, you head North to observe a Phoenician site. You are very fascinated by the

Phoenicians since they were the first civilization to create an alphabet, and they are famous for being good sailors who

traded with many different civilizations. You arrive at the site and see parts of many ships scattered around. You approach

the fossil, a Phoenician man, and you put himself in his perspective.

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CRACK! The thunder booms across vicious storm clouds and your eyes jolt open. Your body is covered in rain as you row in rhythm with your fellow Phoenician sailors. You look at your

captain who has a terrified look on his face. He yells something to his crew, you can barely make out the words

with the loud thunder but are able to hear that the ship’s hull has been breached. You have two options jump off and try to

board a nearby Phoenician ship, or stay on board and continue rowing.

Choose One: Stay on Board or Jump Off

You decide that it would be best if you jump off and try to find another ship. You and a handful of other sailors plunge

into the dark waters. It’s cold and you have a hard time staying afloat as you swim around searching for a nearby

ship. Your attempts are unsuccessful and you begin to lose hope, eventually your arms are too tired to keep you afloat

and you sink down into the dangerous waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

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You decide to stay on board and hopefully reach land or another ship but many sailors plunge into the ocean. You keep rowing and hours later you manage to find another

Phoenicians ship that lets you and your fellow sailors onboard. Even though you survived you feel terrible since

you lost crates and crates of purple dye, a key trading item for Phoenicians. You take a deep breath and inhale the fresh

air of the sea. You smile and thank the gods that they spared your life.

Mesopotamian culture was heavily based on religion and their view on life was very gloomy. They believed in multiple gods and they built temples called Ziggurats which was open to all people, but on the top there is a temple only open to priests. There were three main social classes in Mesopotamia, nobles, commoners,

and slaves. The majority of people were commoners who farmed, fished, sold crafts, and were merchants. Babylon was the first

empire of Mesopotamia and was created by a ruler named Hammurabi. Hammurabi created the first legal code called the

Hammurabi Code. This contained a set of harsh rules and punishments and wrote them down and placed them all over the

empire so that everyone would know what the laws were.

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The Hebrews believed in Judaism, the belief that there is only one true God, Yahweh. The holy book of Judaism is the Torah which

consists of five parts. It is believed that Abraham, a Hebrew created the religion Judaism after making a covenant with God

who promised him Canaan, the holy land. Moses was “chosen” to lead the Hebrew Exodus where Israelites were freed from their

captivity under Egypt. King Solomon united the tribes of Israel and created the Kingdom of Israel. In addition he built great temple that was the focal point for Jewish Religion. After his death, the

kingdom split into two parts, the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah, and both were later destroyed.

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Phoenicians colonized many parts of the Mediterranean Sea. By doing this, they established a powerful trade

empire across the region. The Phoenicians traded several goods such as glass and lumber. However, they are most

known for trading purple dye, the color of wealth and royalty. Phoenicians would sail on massive ships to get

around the Mediterranean and spread their influence. One thing they spread through their influence was their written language, an alphabet system consisting of 22 letters. The Phoenician alphabet would later heavily impact the Latin

alphabet.

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The Egyptian River Valley was centered around the Nile River. It was broken into 3 parts: the Old Kingdom also called the Pyramid Age, the Middle Kingdom which ended with the invasion of the Hyksos,

and the New Kingdom before falling to the Romans. For the Egyptians, the polytheistic religion was closely tied with daily life

and the most important god was Amon-Re. They had a hierarchical social structure and had a positive attitude towards life. The

Egyptian achievements include advancements in writing with hieroglyphics being written on stone and papyrus, art, math with

calculating area and volume, and medicine because of the practice of making mummies.

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The Indus River Valley civilization began in 3000 BC to 1500 BC. The most important cities in the civilization were Harappa with the

population of 35000 people and Mohenjo-Daro with a population of 35000-40000. In the cities the streets were laid out in grids with walled neighborhoods and multistory buildings. The were also known for their great water and sanitation systems. It was a

theocratic society with the economy based on agriculture and trade with city states in Mesopotamia. It is thought that Aryans invaded using the Khyber Pass in the Hindu Kush in 1500 BC, taking over

almost all of India. They were excellent fighters and some Dravidians, the original peoples of India, eventually assimilated into

Aryan culture.

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In Ancient China, the Huang He also known as the yellow river or China’s sorrow and the Yangtze are the most important rivers because when they flood, they leave loess on the banks that

provides important nutrients for farming. The first dynasty in China was the Shang Dynasty but there have also been records of an early

dynasty called the Xia but no physical proof to go along with this claim. The next dynasty was the Zhou, when the idea behind Heave choosing the Emperor was really started. The Chinese possessed a

very strong belief in life after death and they practiced human sacrifice. Also at this time, oracle bones were used to communicate with your ancestors, who were seen as a link between the human

and spirit worlds.

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You finish up all your stories of River valley Civilizations and study for the final you will take tomorrow. You can choose to review information or you can take the exam

immediately.

Take the Exam

Indus River Valley Civilizations

Huang He River Valley Civilizations

Hebrew Civilizations

Nile River Valley Civilizations

Phoenician Civilizations

Mesopotamian River Valley Civilizations

THE END

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Continue

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