1. 📌 Essentials

• The Neolithic Revolution (~8000 BC) marked the shift from hunting/gathering to farming.
• Hammurabi's Code is the earliest known legal code establishing justice.
• Egyptian society was centered around the Nile, with divine kingship hieroglyphics.
• Pyramids served as tombs for pharaohs, symbol afterlife beliefs.
• The Yellow River's unpredictable flooding shaped early Chinese civilization.
• Chinese characters are logographic, enabling universal literacy.
• The Mandate of Heaven justified dynastic rule; disasters signaled loss of divine approval.
• The Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC) featured walled cities; Zhou (1050–250 BC) expanded infrastructure.
• The Qin Dynasty (221 BC) unified China through legalist reforms and standardization.
• Athens prioritized education in rhetoric for wealthy sons; girls remained at home.

2. 🧩 Key Structures & Components