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
Unveiling Ancient Roman Sports: Reliving an Athletic Heritage. Step back in time and immerse yourself in the captivating world of ancient Roman sports, where
Pinay Homeschooler is a blog that shares homeschool and afterschool activity of kids from babies to elementary level.
Mesopotamia is one of the most ancient civilizations that sprang into multiple civilizations over time. The culture, traditions, and hostory they brought to us is some of the most important aspects of ancient history.
Ancient Civilizations. Lapbooks and minibooks for Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Ancient Babylon and Ancient Egypt.
Are you looking for low-prep simulations to add to your Ancient Civilizations curriculum? Look no further than these eight simulation games!
The rise of modern society began with ancient Mesopotamia. Uncover the rise, timeline, and fall of the most influential civilizations to ever to live on planet earth.
Greece is known as a welcoming destination, where visitors are treated as honored guests. This approach has ancient roots that extend back to Homeric times.
This resource contains the set of 3 Historical Eras Posters (plus 2 additional versions). These posters feature clear, concise timelines of important historical events, arranged by era. Each poster covers a specific time period, from ancient civilizations to modern times, making it easy for your students to understand the progression of history Print one of these Posters on a color printer, laminate and hang!! Perfect addition to any awesome history or social studies classroom's decor!! You get 6 different versions so every year you can print different one. Use these posters as a back-to-school activity to introduce your students to different time periods, or as a review tool to reinforce their knowledge. Either way, these posters are sure to be a hit with your students and add a touch of creativity to your classroom.
Photo of Saharan Rock art by David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons This post contains some affiliate links through which I can earn commission. This chapter of Story of the World was called "Africa," but it could have been called "The Mysterious disappearance of the Green Sahara!" (Wouldn't that have made a great title?!). I got to do the lesson for this chapter at our co-op...which was a little intimidating, since ancient Africa, outside of Egypt, is a subject I knew very little about. So I dug in and researched, and had so much fun sharing what I'd learned. NOTE: If you are studying Africa but not using Story of the World, just skip the first section. SOTW Reading: Ancient Peoples of West Africa First, here's what we did at home during the reading. NOTE: Paragraph notes are for the REVISED version of Story of the World, Volume 1. The original may have a different number of paragraphs. Paragraph 1-5 I really like how the text guides kids to trace out paths on the map with their finger...we did this, and as always, putting actions to words really helped keep my child engaged. Paragraph 6 - 10 When it got to the part about the paintings people left behind them (par. 8), I brought up this Pinterest board I had put together on my phone and we stopped and looked at some of the pictures, and talked about them. I asked my son what type of animals he could tell they had from the pictures. I included this picture to show what that area looks like now, and asked him if he thought those animals could survive in a place like that. We talked about how that's one way they knew the Sahara used to be different. We followed up by watching a portion of a video about ancient Nubia (see the activities section below). The Science Behind It If you're curious WHY the Sahara turned Green, Scientists have a theory: they think it was due to a change in the Earth's tilt. You can read more about it in this article in Astrobiology, a online magazine sponsored by NASA. Sections 2 - 3: Anansi and Turtle, Anansi and the Make Believe Food At home, we read Ananse's Feast, a children's book we found in our local library, in stead of "Anansi and Turtle" in Story of the World. It tells the same tale, and has charming pictures with African cultural details. If I had more time, I think I would have tried to cook some of the traditional food mentioned in the story for an extra activity. Now, even if you can't find this book, there's a good chance you will be able to find some of the Anansi stories at your library (though we didn't find the second story about the Make Believe Food, which I ended up just skipping.) Searching for these folk tales can be a bit tricky, though, because there are various spellings of the African names involved (Anansi was spelled "Ananse" in the storybook we found, and some versions of these tales just call him "Spider." ) And if you're searching under Ashanti folktales it gets worse--I've seen it spelled Asante, Asanti, etc.. So, I suggest just finding your library's section on African folktales, and browse it for stories featuring spiders. Activities VIDEO I found a video which covers the green Sahara drying up, and also the early days of Nubia (or Kush), from BEFORE the Egyptians invaded to the end of the Kingdom when it succumbed to the desert. Even thought this is in EAST Africa, it's still the Sahara, so I decdied to include it (it also segments well into what we will study in the next chapter). We watched the sections from 4:20-14:20 (see chart below), both at home and at co-op. The kids at co-op really liked the part about the Rock Gong, and they liked seeing the rock art. I had included the part about Kerma, even though it was stepping into things from chapter 12 (on East Africa, not West)...it was such a fascinating structure to me, and my son had liked learning about it at home, so I wanted to share it with the kids at co-op. But, at co-op, the kids sort of lost interest at this point. I guess 10 minutes is a long time to hold attention on a documentary when there's friends to talk with nearby. Lost Kingdoms of Africa: Nubia (Covers Sahara civilization too).I went ahead and charted out the minutes for your convenience below, in case you just wanted to use parts of this, as we did... (NOTE: The video was taken down but I found a new replacement. The timing is pretty close but a little off so all of this below will be slightly off until I can go through an fix it). 0 - 4:28 - Intro 4:20 - 7:41 - Rock Gong, beginning of Nubian culture 7:42 - 10:56 - Rock Art and Climate Change (When the Sahara Was Green) 10:56 - 14:20 - Kerma (main city in Kush/Nubia) and Deffufa (huge brick structure) 14:20 - 16:48 - Kerma Pottery 16:49 - 21:41 - Kerma Burial Plot 21:42 - 21:45 - What Happened to Kerma (transition) 21:45 - 26:34 - Egyptian Invasion/Jebel Barkal 26:35 - 29:19 - Sufi Mystics Today at Jebel Barkal 29:20 - 34:40 - Nubians Regain Rule/Tarharka Dynasty 34:41 - 38:43 - Desert Encroaches/Meroe 38:44 - 40:56 - Iron 40:56 - 41:58 - Desert Encroaches Again 41:59 - 45:41 - Nomads 45:42 - End - Central Sudan (Modern Times) We used more of this next chapter, which talks more about ancient Nubia. African Homes Exploration & Craft Picture of houses in Nakpanduri, Ghana by Hugues Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic I decided to make traditional African round house model for our co-op craft, (a craft I found in this book, which has a large section on Nubia. ). Even though it doesn't connect directly with Saharan Africa, since we don't know what kind of structures, if any, the people there had, roundhouses seem to be ubiquitous throughout a large area of Africa (I found examples in many, many African countries). But mostly I chose it because it was the one idea I had that my son actually liked. Before we started the craft, I wanted to show the kids some examples of some traditional African round-houses actually being used today. But, I didn't want to perpetuate the stereotype that all people in Africa still live in these types of homes, so I filled up a pinterest page not just with the traditional grass roofed round-houses, but modern houses and buildings in various countries in Africa as well. I'm so glad I did. The kids were fascinated by the variety of houses I showed them. Some were really surprised to learn that African cities had skyscrapers. Worldviews were expanded, and that made my day. The craft itself, however, was a flop. When I brought out the clay and other supplies to actually make some hut models, only two of the kids were interested, and even they gave up half way through making them. Even my own son, who had helped me choose the craft, didn't want to do it. Turns out he thought we would be making a LIFE SIZED ONE (insert eyeroll here). Random Related Star Wars Trivia Berber Grain Silos in Tataouine, Tunisia Photo by Asram (Self-photographed) via Wikimedia Commons (GFDL , CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 ) Found out something pretty cool while browing those buildings on pinterest. The buildings above are from a town in the middle of the Sahara called Tataouine...and yes, if that sounds a lot like Tatooine, the Star Wars planet, it's because it's name and style of buildings did inspire Tatooine in Star Wars. George Lucas didn't do any filming there but did do some in another nearby Tunisian town. Books to Follow This Rabbit Trail Here are two books you might consider if you want to follow-up by learning more about houses all over the world, not just Africa... If You Lived Here: Houses of the World I have not read this one--I found a post about it on the blog Our Unschooling Journey right after writing this post, and had to add it. It looks like such a fun read, and would have gone so well with this lesson. Homes This is a book I already had, and wish I had remembered when we did this lesson. It has pictures of all sorts of houses (many per page), and covers topics like building material, daily life at home, doors and windows, etc... Rock Art Activity Another great activity I didn't try would be to make some rock art, maybe even look up and compare other ancient rock art around the world. You could get actual rocks at a garden center to paint on, maybe even try out paints made out of different natural substances to see which would stay. Or you could use these ideas.... "Rock Art" On Crumpled Paper "Rock Art" On Faux Stone More Books and Movies About Africa These aren't necessarily related to this time period, but if your child is curious to learn more about Africa, here's a good place to start: 55 Books About Africa 15 Movies About Africa Books about Africa Last :: Next Story of the World Series Index Shared at the following linky parties... Dear Homeschooler Bookshelf What to Read Wednesday - Africa Littles Learning Link Up Homeschool Nook Homeschool Blog and Tell Homeschool Highlights Throwback Thursday Alternate graphic for linkies and sharing....
History of alcohol weaves its way through the tapestry of all humankind. From the earliest civilizations to the bustling modern world, this mind-altering liquid has played a myriad of roles: a religious symbol, a social lubricant, a source of inspiration, and, at times, a cause for concern. This article embarks on a fascinating journey through time, tracing the evolution of alcohol and its multifaceted relationship with human societies.
Hookah is a method of tobacco consumption that has been popular in different cultures throughout history and promotes social interaction.
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Check out nine fascinating facts about one of the earliest sophisticated civilizations known to history.
