ANC: Overview

Ancient Civilizations - up to 300 BCE

Introduction

Where to begin? To paraphrase Lewis Carroll, we begin at the beginning! But which beginning, and with whom? 

The answer to those questions lies with you: What are you doing right now? You might be reading on your laptop, inside your home, enjoying a snack, and listening to some music. Did you ever stop to think who did all that stuff first? There had to be someone who…

• made the laptop (and before that computers and before that math)
• typed the letters (and before that invented typeset, and before that the printing press, and before that used tools to create symbols representing sounds or ideas)
• designed your home & furniture (and before that created the first homes and furniture)
• invented the drinks and foods (and before that raised the crops and tilled the soil, as well as crafted pottery to store everything)
• created the music (and before that invented instruments)

Everything we enjoy today is built on the legacy of civilizations before us. So, for historians, our beginnings are the first civilizations. In this module, we will learn about the rise and contributions of the earliest civilized societies of Africa, Asia, and Central America.

Essential Questions

• What characteristics define a civilization?
• What role did resource distribution and geography play in the formation of the River Valley civilizations?
• How did religion and government influence the cultures of the River Valley Civilizations?
• What was the impact of trade on the River Valley Civilizations?

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

What is (and is not) a Civilization?

Mesopotamia

Egypt and Kush (Meroë)

Bantu Migration

Early Monotheism

Indus River Civilization

Yellow River Civilization and the Zhou Dynasty

Rise of the Olmec

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