Introduction The ancient civilization of Sumer, is one of the earliest civilizations in human history. The Sumerians were a people who lived in Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, around 4000-2000 BCE. They achieved impressive technological advancement, including the development of writing, mathematics, and astronomy. Their social structure consisted of a ruling
While teaching, we understand the importance of using high-quality resources in our lessons, especially when it comes to the fascinating world of Ancient Civilizations. However, finding reliable and free teaching resources can sometimes feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. But don't worry, fellow educators! We've done the work for you and curated a collection of eight fantastic free resources that will bring the wonders of the past to life in your classroom. From engaging reading passages to comprehensive curriculum maps, these incredible tools will make your Ancient Civilizations lessons truly memorable. So, let's embark on this journey together and explore the treasures of Ancient Civilizations with these amazing freebies!
The Chinese society grew, developed and flourished in the loess regions associated with the eastern parts of High Asia. This was/is the most impressive and longest lasting of the ancient civilizations and it can be argued that it owes much of its success to its firm foundation in the loess lands. There were/are loess lands associated with the western end of High Asia; not so spectacular and amazing as the Chinese occurrences but significant and deserving of appreciation. The Central Asian loess has been studied and investigated but the loess now in India and Pakistan has been neglected and its societal influence has not been fully appreciated. The Indus Valley was the home for well developed societies in the period of around 3000-1500 BCE; two centres are identified: Harappa and Mohenjo Daro and they both appear to have interesting loessic connections. Here were well developed societies with brick buildings, built with fired bricks, and an alphabet or writing system, which still needs to be significantly translated. Some of these symbols appear to have geomorphological significance. There are four major rivers in the Punjab- the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi & Sutlej dominate the region, and are closely associated with the Harappan society. The better known Mohenjo Daro situation is located further down the Indus Valley. The loess deposits in the Indus Valley are not well demarcated; there has not been much mapping activity, but the two deposits indicated by S.Z.Rozycki correspond nicely with the two sites of ancient societies . Region 7 on the High Asia diagram is where we find the Indus Valley civilizations; region 1 is the Central Asian loess region; the two rivers indicated are the Amu-Darya and the Syr-Darya. Regions 3 & 4 contain the Chinese loess deposits. S.Z.Rozycki 1991. Loess and Loess-like Deposits. Ossolinium Wroclaw. On p.117 in the section on Local Loesses of Southern Asia - one of the very few maps of loess in India region. SZR has made the picture rather too complex but he manages to show the two loess regions: NE of the Thar desert and W of the Thar desert; the locations of the Harappan and Mohenjo-Daro civilizations. Bricks. Thoughts about bricks. The Indus Valley people built with fired bricks; and they built extensively- there was a lot of brick construction in Harappa and Mohenjo Daro. So they must have had good access to large deposits of suitable brickearth- the sort of brickearth that encouraged the making of fired bricks. It has been suggested that the location of early brick buildings in England was to some extent controlled by access to loessic brickearth- for the construction of suitable bricks. Similar constraints could apply in the Indus Valley; city location may depend on the provision of material for making bricks. In the case of Mohenjo Daro the city appears to be placed exactly on the loess region demarcated by Rozycki. A large patch of suitable loess providing building material for a substantial city. And there must have been plenty of wood available; we see the bricks being fired in clamps with wood as the fuel. A lot of bricks requires a lot of wood. The bricks were made to a 4:2:1 ratio; the sizes were 10 x 20 x 40cms or 7 x 14 x 28 cms. These are large bricks; the smaller bricks appear to been used in houses and the larger bricks in public buildings. They were well laid and many of the constructions have lasted remarkably well. The question of the big brick. Reports suggest that fired bricks were used to construct the buildings at Harappa and Mohenjo Daro. Also it is suggested that some of these were very large- the big bricks 10 x 20 x 40 cms; far too large to be conveniently handled. The normal European brick in the 21st Century has dimensions of about 6 x 10 x 21 cm. It is designed to fit the hand of the bricklayer, and also be of a weight which he or she can lift and manipulate. To be able to produce, to move, and to construct with these large bricks suggests a very well organised and efficient society. The number of bricks used in Harappa and Mohenjo Daro is enormous- so vast brickearth resources were required, and large amounts of fuel for firing. But it is the size of the large brick which causes questions. It is too big; it requires two people to handle it- particularly in the unfired state; great skill and dexterity would have been required. And to get satisfactory firing.. difficult. Are the reports perhaps mistaken? The reported smaller Indus Valley brick at 7 x 14 x 28 cm is not that much larger than the standard European brick and would seem to have been a logical size for normal use. We need a brick measuring expedition to the Indus Valley to measure the bricks, and try to locate the regions where they were produced.
Right now I’m in the process of creating a series of STEM projects for students who are studying Ancient Civilizations.. Next stop, Ancient Egypt! I had been really looking forward to designing projects for this unit! I had so many different ideas for Egypt STEM challenges, it was hard to narrow it down to just two
Children can learn about Ancient Egypt while colouring in this fun map which points out the famous landmarks of the Ancient Egyptian world. It's great for projects too.
Another shot of a vessel I didn't have time to do justice to.
Hi Teacher Friends, Do you love teaching Ancient Civilizations as much as I do? I often feel overwhelmed looking on Pinterest or Instagram with how many great ideas and activities there are out there for Ancient Civs. I could probably spend the whole year in the classroom just focusing on Ancient Egypt alone, with its
A recent discovery suggests that the Indus Valley Civilization is at least 8,000 years old, not 5,500 as previously believed. Moreover, the researchers show that its power dwindled because of weaker monsoons.
Hi teacher friends, Ancient Civilizations has to be my favorite curriculum to teach. I find the ancient world fascinating, with all the different traditions, inventions, rituals, building structures, gods and goddesses. I could probably spend the whole year just focusing on Egypt alone, with its pyramids, their social hierarchy with pharaohs, and interesting
Students will learn about ancient China’s geography, religion, achievements, politics, economy, and social structures during this fun activity. First, they’ll rotate around the classroom to find fact cards about ancient China. They’ll transfer critical information from the cards to their poster worksheets. Finally, they’ll glue their work together to make a doodle poster shaped like an ancient Chinese temple. Oh, and they’ll fill their posters with doodles as they complete 5 different doodle tasks as they learn. The doodle element of the poster makes this activity especially engaging. After students collect the facts and create their doodle poster, they can color in their work. As students color over their learning, they’ll have another opportunity to interact with the information. You might use this resource as an introduction to a unit on ancient China, or this works great as a review of the unit before a final assessment. This activity lends itself to a fun classroom display as well! The poster’s extra-long size makes it unique too! Included in this resource: Detailed lesson plan for the Fact Hunt and Doodle Poster Photos for Activity Steps Fact Cards (25 total) – color version Fact Cards (25 total) – black and white version Doodle Poster – Organized with the GRAPES acronym (Geography, Religion, Achievements, Politics, Economy, and Society) (3 pages) Answer key – Poster (3 pages) More resources for ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS: Ancient Mesopotamia Learning Stations and 3-D Ziggurat Ancient Egypt Learning Stations and Interactive Sphinx Poster Ancient Greece Learning Stations and Parthenon Accordion Book Ancient Rome Learning Stations and 3-D Colosseum Following is Fun! Get the inside scoop on all store discounts, free products, and product launches. Just click the green “Follow Me” star under my store name on this page or click the green “Follow Me” star on my store homepage. Let’s Stay in Touch! Blog Pinterest Facebook Instagram *** Click HERE to receive the Brain Waves Instruction Newsletter filled with exclusive FREEBIES and Teaching Tips! Thanks! Brain Waves Instruction
Today’s Proof of BLACKNESS: THE KHMER – THE ORIGINAL BLACK CIVILIZATION OF CAMBODIA[This is above shot of Angor Wat in Cambodia. Some say that it looks like a slot where you put a key …
Making a connection to the past through hands-on learning helps a child to remember what he has learned and develop critical thinking skills.
Ancient Civilizations. Lapbooks and minibooks for Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Ancient Babylon and Ancient Egypt.
Post these colorful G.R.A.P.E.S posters in the classroom, or use as a notebook insert! This product includes a notebook insert/all-in-one poster, as well as the individual posters for each letter. G- Government R- Religion A- Achievements P- Politics E- Economy S- Social Structure This product is also included in my GRAPES Resource Bundle. Make sure to check those out if you're interested in receiving the bundle discount. Why GRAPES? This is a great way to organize your learning of civilizations! GRAPES of Civilization refers to the six basic characteristics of every civilization - Geography, Religion, Achievements, Politics, Economy, and Social Structure. In my own instruction I typically use this acronym to supplement my curriculum. It helps create cognitive routines when investigating historical time periods. How I use this product in my own classroom: I printed these at STAPLES to be 18 x 24 then laminated them. I love to have them up all year as anchor charts in my history classroom. I use the notebook insert to print out a copy for students to have in their own notebooks! They also worked great in our digital notebooks during distance learning. I usually do an introductory GRAPES unit before we cover our first civilization in grade 6 history. It's great for setting students up for using this acronym all year AND building student interest in ancient history. If you're new to GRAPES I highly suggest researching this method on google/pinterest/youtube. So many great tips out there! *Note: the religion poster now includes two options due to many requests to replace one of the icons that is often misunderstood. ©SASSYINMIDDLE Credits: Kg FONTS +The AMAZING artists listed below take credit for all of the beautiful artwork in these posters. So thankful for artists who work hard to make education come alive! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Laine-Sutherland-Designs https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Prince-Padania https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Artventurous-Life
Charge your wanderlust and dig deep into histories you may know little about with these books about lost cities and civilizations.
It is very difficult to accurately give a single answer, as to what was the oldest civilization in the world. As per the research done by archaeologist and historians these five were the earliest civilizations of the world, which prospered around the same time, and they were Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, Shang, and Mesoamerica and Andean America South.
The Indus Valley civilization, also known as the Harappan civilization, was the earliest known urbanized ancient culture that emerged on the Indian subcontinent between 2500–1700 BC
The Harappan civilization dominated the Indus River valley beginning about five thousand years ago, many of its massive cities sprawling at the edges of rivers that still flow through Pakistan and India today. But its culture remains a mystery. Why did it leave behind no representations of great leaders, nor of…
A recent discovery suggests that the Indus Valley Civilization is at least 8,000 years old, not 5,500 as previously believed. Moreover, the researchers show that its power dwindled because of weaker monsoons.
Why would a flourishing civilization, advanced for its time, suddenly cease to exist, its inhabitants gone and its architecture abandoned? Conspiracy theorists offer all manner of offbeat explanations including alien abduction, but in the case of these 12 societies, the causes were likely more mundane: natural disasters, climate change, invasions and economic irrelevance. Still, we […]
Significant evidence now exists that ancient cultures worldwide were all connected by a powerful religious symbol which I call the “GodSelf Icon,” that is especially conspicuous among the pyramid cultures.
FREE Homeschool World History Plan: A Chronological Study & Explanation Are you planning to study Ancient World History this year ? If the answer is YES ...
Hundreds of ancient relics will be displayed for the first time in a British Museum show that challenges our view of religious history
