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AP World History
Chapter 2 pp. 61- 90 Guided Reading Questions
Topic: The First Civilizations
1. List some of the cultural products of civilization.
2. The first written language originated in which civilization?
3. Describe the ways in which the people of Norte Chico were different than those in Mesopotamia and Egypt.
4. What did the Indus Valley civilization lack?
5. What is the Olmecs’ most famous legacy?
6. What cultural patterns did the Olmec originate that spread to the rest of Mesoamerica?
7. The Shang Dynasty of China is well known for its elaborate figurines made out of which metal?
8. Summarize Robert Carneiro’s theory of why civilizations emerged.
9. What is a ziggurat? In what civilization are they found?
10. List the many functions of cities in the first civilizations.
11. Describe the upper classes in the first civilizations.
12. What groups of people were considered “free commoners”? Who was always at the very bottom of the
social hierarchy?
13. What types of people became slaves? Give some examples of the type of work they would have to do.
14. What is patriarchy?
15. Describe the 3 possible reasons why men gained dominance over women in the first civilizations.
1)
2)
3)
16. How do the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) reflect male dominance?
17. What rights and privileges did Egyptian women have that they did not have in other civilizations?
18. Why did early people support the formation of states? (Why were states needed?)
19. How did states benefit the upper classes more than the middle and lower classes?
20. What differentiated these states from earlier chiefdoms?
21. What did leaders of these states use to justify their power?
22. Summarize the positive and negative contributions of the first civilizations
1) Positive =
2) Negative =
23. Compare and contrast the environment and culture, as well as the political structures, of both Egypt and
Mesopotamia. You may use bullet points.
Environment and Culture
Mesopotamia
Egypt
Political Structures
Mesopotamia
Egypt