Illustrator Howard Chaney Editor Marsha Kearns Editorial Project Manager Ina Massler Levin, M.A. Grades 5-8 Editor-in-Chief Sharon Coan, M.S. Ed. Art Director Elayne Roberts Associate Designer Denise Bauer Cover Artist Larry Bauer Product Manager Phil Garcia Imaging James Edward Grace Publisher Mary D. Smith, M.S. Ed. Author Michelle Breyer, M.A. Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 6421 Industry Way Westminster, CA 92683 www.teachercreated.com ISBN: 978-1-57690-215-8 1998 Teacher Created Resources, Inc. Reprinted, 2010 Made in U.S.A. The classroom teacher may reproduce copies of materials in this book for classroom use only. The reproduction of any part for an entire school or school system is strictly prohibited. No part of this publication may be transmitted, stored, or recorded in any form without written permission from the publisher.
Table of Contents Introduction.................................................................... 2 Mesopotamia and the Near East.................................................... 3 Egypt......................................................................... 1 1 Greece........................................................................ 22 Rome......................................................................... 33 India......................................................................... 44 China......................................................................... 52 General Knowledge............................................................. 61 Answer Key.................................................................... 75 Logic and other critical thinking skills. Creative thinking skills. Research skills. Spelling skills. Introduction The Brain Teasers series provides fun ways to exercise and develop brain power! Each page stands alone and can be used as a quick and easy filler activity. The pages can be distributed to students as individual worksheets or made into transparencies for presentation to the entire class at once. The activities are especially useful in helping students develop: General vocabulary skills. General knowledge skills. Spatial skills. This world history activity book pays particular attention to the ancient civilizations that shaped our young world. Use the activities with your social studies curriculum to introduce and reinforce learning or just for fun! Every ef fort was made to ensure this book presents the most accurate and current data available. #2215 Ancient Civilizations Brain Teasers 2 Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
Geography Jeopardy Use the geographic features in the box below to form appropriate questions for the given answers. 1. The lush region that formed a great arc from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. What is the? 2. The waterway that extends north of the Dead Sea. What is the? 3. A small island off the coast of Syria in the Mediterranean Sea. What is? 4. The northernmost waterway that bounded the Mesopotamia region. What is the? 5. The capital of the ancient Hittite Empire in Asia Minor. What is? 6. The body of water that separates the Sinai Peninsula from Africa. What is the? 7. The place where Moses wrote the Ten Commandments. What is? 8. The ancient capital for King Nebuchadnezzar, who built the famous hanging gardens. What is? 9. The largest body of water in the ancient world. What is the? 10. The huge expanse of barren land on the Sinai Peninsula, across which Moses led his exodus. What is the? 11. Abody of water near Jerusalem where the ancient scrolls of the Bible were found. What is the? 12. Now known as Iraq, the land believed to be the cradle of civilization. What is? Euphrates River Jordan River Fertile Crescent Tigris River Mediterranean Sea Red Sea Dead Sea Geographical Features Mount Sinai Cyprus Arabian Desert Hattusa Mesopotamia Babylon Nile River Jerusalem Syrian Desert Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 3 #2215 Ancient Civilizations Brain Teasers
Sumerian Inventions Unscramble the words to discover some inventions developed by the Ancient Sumerians. Add other inventions to each category. Transportation 1. elehwed hicleves_ 2. bastosila_ other:_ Farming 3. agiritonir mestyss_ 4. sedik_ 5. naclas_ other:_ Crafts 6. epocrp stolo_ 7. zebrno ewapsno_ 8. lyrewje_ 9. toreypt hewle_ 10. ickbrs_ other:_ Education 11. ecuminrof girnwit_ 12. ologymyth_ other:_ Mathematics 13. lendacar_ 14. colck nitemus_ 15. sniut fo sumanerteme_ other:_ #2215 Ancient Civilizations Brain Teasers 4 Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
Contributions and Achievements Match the civilization with its contribution and/or achievement. Sumerians Assyrians Babylonians Hebrews Hittites Phoenicians 1. Created the first written public laws, Hammurabi s code, which described rules and consequences for social behavior 2. Created the first civilization by establishing an agricultural community in the Mesopotamia region 3. Experts in trade and sailing who created travel logs and maps of the ancient world 4. Created the first peace treaty 5. Developed advanced weapons and strategies, which they used to conquer the ancient world 6. First to develop iron weapons 7. Built the Hanging Gardens and a magnificent ziggurat 8. Developed cuneiform, the earliest form of writing 9. First to believe in and spread the concept of one God 10. Developed the first irrigation systems, with dikes and canals 11. Developed the 60-minute hour to conform to the base-60 math system of the Sumerians 12. Wrote the Torah and the Old Testament, the first half of the Bible 13. Developed the first alphabet 14. Created the first wheeled vehicles for transporting goods and people Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 5 #2215 Ancient Civilizations Brain Teasers
What s in a Name? Unscramble the following names from the age of the ancient Isralites. Then write each name in the appropriate box. 1. olsonom 2. astolez Men 3. vidad 4. eoding 5. dujas 6. escacabem 7. seoms 8. masnos 9. thailgo 10. usal Women 11. susje 12. drohe 13. thesre 14. nadeil 15. shojau 16. thru 17. hamarab 18. ahon Groups 19. stiplihines 20. marsaitnas 21. yrma 22. lilahde 23. haresesip 24. leisestria #2215 Ancient Civilizations Brain Teasers 6 Teacher Created Resources, Inc.