When did Homo sapiens first appear?
200,000 B.C.
Which method for determining the age of artifacts measures the rate of decay in atoms in volcanic rock?
potassium-argon dating
What caused prehistoric people to drastically change the way they lived?
climate change
What did improved farming techniques lead to?
division of labor
Which best defines history?
study of the human past and the story of change over time
Which kind of scholar studies objects left behind by humans?
archaeologist
What does the out of Africa theory maintain?
Modern humans originated in Africa and migrated to other parts of the world.
Which of these characteristics is not true of early hunter-gatherers?
They traded extensively with other communities.
What was the Neolithic Revolution?
a time when humans turned from hunting and gathering to farming
What happened as a result of humans settling down into agricultural villages?
Social roles and work definition began to change.
Why did a division of labor occur when people started to produce a surplus of food?
People were left with time to do other jobs.
Which was one result of the domestication of animals?
new division of labor between men and women
Which describes a characteristic of civilization?
trade and economic activity
Where did Sumerian priests make offerings to the Sumerian gods and goddesses?
ziggurats
What effect did the invention of writing have in the ancient world?
Information and culture spread to new places.
The invention of bronze in ancient Sumer was so significant because it __________.
improved agriculture and gave rulers more power
Which is a reason Sumer declined as a civilization?
Sumerian rulers fought to gain territory.
When the flooding waters of the Nile receded, what did they leave behind?
rich, black soil
Why did the Egyptians mummify their dead?
to preserve the bodies for use in the afterlife
Who united Upper and Lower Egypt?
Menes Narmer
What did scholars study to help them decipher hieroglyphics?
Rosetta Stone
How were scholars able to translate hieroglyphic symbols?
By comparing a message written in both hieroglyphics and Greek, scholars were able to translate the hieroglyphic symbols.
Which was a first step in the development of civilizations in both the Egyptian and Mesopotamian societies?
development of irrigation
Which river is associated with the settlement of ancient Egypt?
Nile
Who was the most powerful person in Egyptian society and government?
the pharaoh
Why did the Egyptians mummify their dead?
to preserve the bodies for use in the afterlife
What is the Rosetta Stone?
a carved stone that helped decode hieroglyphics
What was the purpose of the Book of the Dead?
to help people in their passage to the afterlife
Which best describes the Indus Valley civilization?
organizing cities well
From where did the soil in the Indus Valley receive its rich silt?
Indus River
Which most likely contributed to the decline of the Indus Valley civilization?
outbreak of disease
Why don't we have more information about the Indus Valley civilization?
Archaeologists and historians have been unable to decipher the Indus Valley writing.
Which was a result of the physical geography of ancient China?
isolation from other early civilizations
Why did the Yellow River flood so frequently?
The river carried enormous amounts of silt.
What is a dynasty?
a ruling family that remains in power for many years
Which legendary dynasty was started by Yu?
Xia
On what did Shang priests write questions for the gods?
bones