Dutchtown High School Honors World History
Unit 1 – Ancient Civilizations - 3500 to 600 B.C.E. Chapters 1-3 - Pages 2-83.
I. Early Societies in Southwest Asia
A. Mesopotamia: “The Land between the Rivers”
II. Early African Societies
A. Egypt: “The Gift of the Nile”
III. Early Societies in South Asia
A. Harappan Society
IV. Early Society in East Asia
A. Ancient China
V. Early Societies in the Americas and Oceania
A. Early Societies of Mesoamerica
B. Early Societies of South America
C. Early Societies of Oceania
VI. Essay – In-class essay on Thursday, 08/15/2013.
Compare and contrast the social, economic, and political structures of Mesopotamia with ONE of the following:
Ancient Egypt Ancient China Ancient Mesoamerica Ancient India
Ancient South America Ancient Oceania
VII. Terms and Concepts, Map Exercise, and Matching – 2 Points each - Due on 8/16/2013.
Terms and Concepts – Describe the following key terms, concepts, individuals, and places, and explain their significance.
1. Ziggurats 2. Mummification
3. Epic of Gilgamesh 4. Lex talionis
5. Yahweh 6. Sumerians
7. Babylonians 8. Assyrians
9. Phoenicians 10. Torah
11. Hittites 12. Hebrews
13. Israelites 14. Jews
15. Monotheism 16. Polytheism
17. Hieroglyphics 18. Old Kingdom
19. Middle Kingdom 20. New Kingdom
Map Exercise - Using the exhibit, choose the letter of the best answer.
_____21. At which of the following fossil sites did archaeologists find the earliest Homo erectus remains?
A. Tighenif, Algeria B. Lake Turkana, Kenya
C. Heidelberg, Germany D. Ubeidiya. Israel
_____22. At what fossil site did archaeologists find the earliest Homo sapiens remains?
A. Klasies River Mouth, South Africa B. Qafzeh, Israel
C. Liujiang, China D. Mladec, Czech Republic
_____23. To which continents did Homo erectus migrate from Africa?
A. Australia and Europe B. Asia and Africa
C. the Americas and Europe D. Asia and Europe
_____24. What is the northernmost fossil site of Homo erectus remains?
A. Mladec, Czech Republic B. Diuktai Cave, Russia
C. Heidelberg, Germany D. Malta, Russia
_____25. This map shows the extent of glaciers at what time period?
A. 10,000 B.C. B. 18,000 B.C. C. 100,000 B.C. D. 160,000 B.C.
Map Exercise - Using the exhibit, choose the letter of the best answer.
_____26. What was the approximate global temperature 1,000 years ago?
A. 50 degrees B. 56 degrees
C. 58 degrees D. 60 degrees
_____27. About how many years ago did the beginnings of agriculture take place?
A. 5,000 B. 10,000 C. 15,000 D. 20,000
_____28. What was the average global temperature at the time when agriculture began?
A. 50 degrees B. 52 degrees
C. 55 degrees D. 58 degrees
_____29. What was the approximate population at the beginning and at the end of the agricultural revolution?
A. 5 million and 90 million B. 0 and 50 million
C. 25 million and 130 million D. 80 million and 100 million
_____30. During what period of time were hominids hunter-gatherers?
A. 25,000 to 10,000 years ago
B. 25,000 to 15,000 years ago
C. 10,000 to 5,000 years ago
D. 20,000 to 1,000 years ago
Matching - Select the letter of the term, name, or phrase that best matches each description. Note: Some letters may not be used at all. Some may be used more than once.
A. Babylon B. city-state C. cultural diffusion D. cuneiform
E. dynasty F. empire G. Fertile Crescent H. Gilgamesh
I. Mesopotamia J. monarchy K. polytheism L. Sargon
M. Hammurabi N. Sumer
_____31. This is a belief in many gods.
_____32. This part of the area between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea differs from the surrounding territory in the richness of its land.
_____33. Creator of the world's first empire.
_____34. The land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
_____35. This is a political unit that operates similarly to an independent kingdom, although it shares a culture with other areas.
_____36. This is a series of rulers, all from the same family.
_____37. This is the result of uniting several peoples, nations, or formerly independent states under one ruler.
_____38. This is the process by which the ideas, beliefs, and products of one people are shared with and accepted by another people.
_____39. This region, about the size of Massachusetts, was the site of the first civilization.
_____40. This is a legendary king of Mesopotamia whose adventures are detailed in one of the world's earliest works of literature.
Study Questions and Internet Activities:
41. http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/menu.html (Questions 41 and 42)
In this site constructed by the British Museum, click on each subsection under Assyria, Babylonia, and Sumer. Each screen has an "EXPLORE" icon that allows you to examine some physical artifacts held by the museum, such as plans of an Assyrian palace and Sumerian royal tombs. As you investigate these remnants, consider what such physical evidence can reveal about a society. What have the creators of this site learned about Mesopotamian culture from these artifacts?
42. Now, go back under each subsection and click on "STORY." What sources has the site used to construct these narratives? Click on the "Gods, Goddesses, Demons and Monsters" icon. Read the story in this section. What roles can myths play in reconstructing ancient cultures? What concerns should historians and anthropologists have when using myths as evidence?
43. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/ancient/hamframe.asp (43 & 44)
Examine the laws of Hammurabi's code. What kinds of actions and situations does this code cover? What, if any, elements of our modern legal systems do you see in this code? What parts of our modern systems are absent from this code? What does that tell us about the society for which these laws were written?
44. In your opinion, what are the fundamental principles of justice that underlie these laws? What does the code tell us about the needs and concerns of the societies emerging during this era? Why might historians consider this code one of the most important contributions of Mesopotamian culture?
45. http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/menu.html (Questions 45 and 46)
Explore the different sections of this site on Ancient Egypt. Compare this site to the one we looked at on Mesopotamia in the last chapter (also constructed by the British Museum). What kinds of evidence are used to construct the narratives on the Egypt site? How does that evidence compare to that of the Mesopotamia site? Is it more complete or more credible? Why or why not?
46. Based on the evidence from the websites and the textbook, how would you compare our knowledge of the religions of Egyptian cultures to our understanding of Mesopotamian religions? As societies began to grow more complex, do you perceive any changes in the types of worship or the place of religion in the respective cultures? If so, how might you explain those changes?
47. What do you think was the most important achievement of each of the civilizations discussed in this unit? Explain your choices.
48 and 49. Pyramids and Mummies – Page 39 (1 and 2).
50. Indo-European Migrations – Page 62 (2).
VIII. Assignments:
1. Unit 1 essay – Turnitin - August 26, 2015.
2. Unit 1 Test – Quia – August 15th or 16th, 2015.
3. Notes, Terms and Concepts, Map Exercise, Study Questions/Internet Activities and Matching (Outline) – Friday, August 14, 2015.