8th Standard, Social Science, History, CHAPTER 4
PROMINENT CIVILIZATIONS OF THE WORLD
EXERCISES
I. Fill in the blanks with suitable words:
1. The writings of Egyptian Civilization are called hieroglyphics.
2. The kings who ruled Egypt are called ‘Pharaohs’.
3. The Greeks referred to Mesopotamia as ‘Land between the rivers’.
4. The most famous king of the Amorites is Hammurabi.
5. ‘Princep’ means ‘The First Citizen of the State’.
6. The language of the Romans is Latin language.
7. Texcoco is a lake in Mexico.
8. The important deity of the Incas was the Sun God
II Match the following:
A B
i. Hwang River a Mesopotamia
ii. Cuneiform b King of the Amorites
iii. Cleopatra c Shang
iv. Hammurabi d China
v. Chinese dynasty e the last Egyptian queen
Answer:
A B
i. Hwang River d China
ii. Cuneiform a Mesopotamia
iii. Cleopatra e the last Egyptian queen
iv. Hammurabi b King of the Amorites
v. Chinese dynasty c Shang
III Answer the following questions in brief:
9. Which are the civilizations of ancient Columbia?
Answer: The civilizations of ancient Columbia are Maya, Aztec and Inca.
10. Who are the ‘Mayas’?
Answer: The American-Indian aborigines of Yucutan area of Mexico are called the Mayas.
Their language is called Yucutec. Physically, the Mayas were short, brown complexioned, long-haired and generally round- headed people. The Mayas were the most advanced among the ancient American Indians.
11. How are ‘mummies’ preserved?
Answer: The dead body would be smeared with various chemicals and wrapped with a thin cloth. The entire body was in this way preserved. The body protected thus was called ‘mummy’. It would be kept in a specially designed coffin. The grave was considered the true ‘place’ for an Egyptian. Hence all around the dead body, items needed for daily use and small dolls of a cook and barber would be kept to fulfil all future needs.
12. Write a paragraph on the Pyramids.
Answer: The dead body would be smeared with various chemicals and wrapped with a thin cloth. The entire body was in this way preserved. The body protected thus was called ‘mummy’. It would be kept in a specially designed coffin. The grave was considered the true ‘place’ for an Egyptian. In the beginning, graves were created by carving into boulders on the hills. As the Egyptians moved north, they had to construct graves in the desert itself. Tall towers were built on these graves using huge blocks of stone in order to protect the eternal sleep of the dead. Kings and wealthy people vied with each other to build taller and taller towers. The Greeks called these structures ‘Pyramids’.
13. How was ‘Hwangho River’ China’s sorrow?
Answer: The River which led to the establishment of the Chinese civilization was known as ‘China’s Sorrow’. This was the Hwang Ho River. During the floods this river changed its course in an unpredictable manner and inundated houses and agricultural lands. It would render all the canals useless. This was the reason the people of that area referred to it as the ‘Symbol of Sorrow’.
Additional Questions:
- What is ‘Ziggurat’?
Answer: The Sumerians, the hilly tribe from the north, were the first to come here. They who used to worship their gods on top of the hills, after coming to the plains, built artificial hills and established their places of worship there. These were called Ziggurat.
2. The legendary Hanging Gardens was one of the seven wonders of the Old World.
3. What are the Contribution of Egyptians?
Answer: The Egyptians were expert farmers. They knew a lot about irrigation. They had built temples. They invented the calendar which has helped us to measure time. More than anything else, they had mastered the art of writing. It was a symbolic language. It consists of small drawings and has been called hieroglyphics (sacred writings).
4. Mesopotamia is an area which lies in a valley between two rivers.
5. Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians and Chaldeans – used this system of writing, which was called Cuneiform.
6. Who were the first ones to evolve a system of writing in Mesopotamia?
Answer: The Sumerians were the first ones to evolve a system of writing in Mesopotamia.
7. What is Cuneiform?
Answer: Cuneiform is a system of writing which used in Mesopotamia. For 30 centuries all those who entered the fertile valley – Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians and Chaldeans – used this system of writing, which was called Cuneiform.
8. Who was the creator of Hanging Gardens of Babylonia? Why was the garden built for?
Answer: The King Nebuchadnezzar II was the one who created the gardens of Babylonia. Nebuchadnezzar’s wife Amitis was from Mead. It is said that Nebuchadnezzar got the gardens built in order to console his wife who was missing the beautiful environment of hills, trees and flowers of her motherland.
9. How did the ‘The Great wall of China’ built?
Answer: The Chinese Empire consisted of many small provinces. Seven big states were created bringing these smaller provinces under them. Every state that was created thus, constructed a wall along its boundary for protection. Emperor Qin Shihuangti ordered that the walls of the northern Chinese states be connected. This enabled the northern walls to ward off the attacks of invaders from the north. The construction of the great wall began in the 7th century B.C.E. and continued till the 16th century C.E. The worn-out parts were repaired and strengthened. When the work was completed it stretched to more than 5000 kilometres. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
10. Write a note about Greek civilization.
Answer: The Greeks came from the north to the region of the Aegean sea. These tribals who were mainly shepherds, came in search of grasslands. Every group which came in this manner had a distinctive name like the Acheans, the Ionians and the Dorians. These people called themselves Hellenese or the Greeks. The Greeks originally belonged to tribes. There used to be a king looking after many tribes. The people used to engage in agriculture and animal-husbandry. They also used to engage in making pots, swords and ornaments. Trade was through barter system. Battles and conquests formed adventurous activities of their lives. The Greeks believed that their Gods lived on Mount Olympus. They prayed for good harvests and success in their various activities. There were no priests among the Greeks. The king prayed on behalf of all the people.
11. What are the two classes in in the Roman society?
Answer: The two classes in in the Roman society are the Patricians and the Plebians. The Patricians were the elite in society. They were land-owners and formed the upper class. It is they who controlled the Senate. The Plebians were the common people. They were the ordinary workers, small land-owners, artisans, small traders and soldiers. Their rights were limited.
12. Where was Inca Empire spread?
Answer: The Inca empire which flourished during the 15th and 16th centuries spread in the areas of Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina.
13. Write a short note about the art and culture of Inca civilization.
Answer: The talent of the Incas can be seen more in their organizational ability than in their artistic interests. The palace on the island in Lake Titicaca and the Moon Temple are two famous buildings of the Incas. The Incas had developed new ways of making pots, cloth and in working with metals. Creation of gold jewellery had progressed very well in parts of North Peru. The chest shields, pictures of the Sun in the temple, and the designs on the gold ornaments of the palace are a testimony to their creative craftsmanship in gold work. There was a Sun Temple in all Inca centres. They worshipped objects of nature like the Moon, the Stars and lightning, and prayed to other natural phenomena.
IV Activities:
1. Learn about the life history of the Greek philosophers from your teacher.
2. Study and watch Shakesphere’s drama Julius Ceasar.
3. Collect information about the Nile River.
