Understanding World Societies:
Printed Page 61

Chapter Chronology

> CHAPTER 2 STUDY GUIDE

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

Now, take a step back and try to explain the big picture. Remember to use specific examples from the chapter in your answers.

GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA AND EGYPT

  • What role did religion play in legitimizing the power of Mesopotamian and Egyptian rulers?
  • What similarities and differences do you note in the structure of Mesopotamian and Egyptian society? How would you explain these similarities and differences?
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HEBREW RELIGION AND SOCIETY

  • How did the experience of subjugation and exile shape Hebrew religion and culture?
  • How did the Hebrew’s relationship with Yahweh differ from that of their neighbors’ relationships with their deities?
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IMPERIAL POWERS: ASSYRIA AND PERSIA

  • How did the brutality of Assyrian rule contribute both to the rise and fall of their empire?
  • How did the Persians build and maintain their empire? What explains its long-term stability?
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LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD

  • How did the states of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Assyria, and the Persian Empire differ from earlier forms of social and political organization?
  • How would you explain the fact that, over time, the state became the dominant form of political organization in societies around the world?
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