World Historyby Matthew Caggia
- Unit 1A: River Valley Civilizations
- Unit 1B: Greece & Rome
- Unit 1C: World Religions
- Unit 2A: World Empires
- Unit 2B: Dark and Middle Ages of Europe
- Unit 3: European Rebirth
- Unit 4: First Global Age
- Unit 5: Absolutism
- Unit 6: Age of Revolutions
- Unit 7: Age of Industry
- Unit 8: Social Change
- Unit 9: Early 20th Century
- Unit 10: Mid-20th Century
- Unit 11: Global Issues
- Review Materials
Unit 1A: River Valley Civilizations
Chapters 2 & 3
In this unit we will be focusing on the four River Valley Civilizations: Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and China. Each made important contributions to human civilization. We will focus on their location in the world, the importance of human-environment interaction, the contributions to civilization in the areas of Law and Government, Science and Technology, Art and Architecture, and Religion, as well some important people responsible for these contributions.
Study Tools
Online Textbook Resources
These pages contain links to online content for studenty practice. It includes worksheets, section summaries, note taking guides, self-tests and self-quizzes.
Chapter Resources
- Chapter 2 Resources: Ancient Middle East and Egypt
- Chapter 3 Resources: Ancient India and China
Self-Tests
- Chapter 2, Section 1 Self-Tests: City-States of Ancient Sumer
- Chapter 2, Section 2 Self-Tests: Invaders, Traders, and Empire Builders
- Chapter 2, Section 3 Self-Tests: Kingdom on the Nile
- Chapter 2, Section 4 Self-Tests: Egyptian Civilization
- Chapter 2, Section 5 Self-Tests: Roots of Judaism
- Chapter 2 Self-Test: Ancient Middle East and Egypt
- Chapter 3, Section 1 Self-Tests: Early Civilizations of India and Pakistan
- Chapter 3, Section 2 Self-Tests: Hinduism and Buddhism
- Chapter 3, Section 3 Self-Tests: Powerful Empires of India
- Chapter 3, Section 4 Self-Tests: Rise of Civilization in China
- Chapter 3, Section 5 Self-Tests: Strong Rulers Unite China
- Chapter 3 Self-Test: Ancient India and China
Geography Interactive
- Sumer and the Fertile Crescent (Chapter 2.1, p. 31)
- Assyria, Persia, and the Phoenician Colonies (Chapter 2.2, p. 40-41)
- New Kingdom of Egypt, 1450 B.C. (Chapter 2.3, p. 47)
- Indus Civilization (Chapter 3.1, p. 69)
- Spread of Buddhism to A.D. 500 (Chapter 3.2, p. 81)
- Maurya and Gupta Empires (Chapter 3.3, p. 85)
- Shang and Zhou Civilizations (Chapter 3.4, p. 93)
- Qin and Han Empires (Chapter 3.5, p. 103)
History Interactive
- Mummification (Chapter 2.4, p. 52)
- Ancient Middle East and Egypt Timeline (Chapter 2, p. 62-63)
- The Dynastic Cycle (Chapter 3.4, p. 95)
- Ancient India and China Timeline (Chapter 3, p. 108-109)
Vocabulary
Link to Quizlet! Vocabulary is the key to understanding any subject. Once you can break down the barrier of language the ideas and concepts are wide open. Here you can find the vocabulary for the unit to practice by using online flash cards and by practicing online generated vocabulary quizzes.
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Practice your vocabulary by trying this quiz of the unit's vocabulary.
- Unit 1A Vocabulary Quiz on Quizlet
When you get to the Quizlet Quiz page, you can adjust what type of quiz to take by using the check boxes on the right.
Features of Civilization
This slideshow summarizes the eight features of civilizations described in section 1.3 of the textbook. These key ingredients are thought to be necessary for a society to be considered a "civilization."
Contributions of Mesopotamia
From the Sumerians through the Phoenicians and Persians, these are some of the innovations developed by the peoples and empire of this river valley region.
Egyptian Culture
This slideshow is a summary of how, in Egypt, religion had an important impact on many other aspects of their culture.
Confucianism
Overview of Confucianism and its role in Chinese society and the Era of Warring States.
Indus Valley Conclusions
After discussing as a class what the artifacts of the regions may demonstrate of the people in the area, this PowerPoint is the culmination of two different classes conclusions.
Geography of India Map Game
Below is an interactive map game. See if you can locate all of the places. You will earn a score based on accuracy and speed. A leaderboard is kept as well. See how well you are doing compared to others. I recommend you play in the full screen, you will be more accurate and can see the entire map at once. The map may not be centered on your screen. Drag the map to the center to expose it in its entirety.
Indus Valley Archaeology Interactive Tour
- Indus Valley Interactive Game
A fun an interesting look at the city of Mohenjo-daro. Flash animated and interactive, investigate artifacts of the city to learn about the culture and lifestyle of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization. From the BBC.
- KingTutOne.com
This is a great website about everything Pharaoh. From the knowledge learned about King Tut's Tomb, this website puts together an engaging collection of information and images to help better understand about the culture of Ancient Egypt. This site also includes a virtual tour of King Tut's Tomb!
- SAS in Schools Curriculum Pathways: Ancient India: Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
Use this website to complete the assignment Ancient India: Archaeologist's Notebook (from Computer Lab). For this assignment you will need to step into the role of an archaeologist studying the ancient cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. Using resources from the web, draw conclusions and develop theories about life in the ancient Indus River Valley. You will research information available on the Internet about Harappa and Mohenjo-daro analyze the significance of artifacts and structural remains from the cities in the Indus River Valley. With that information you will make inferences about life in Harappa and Mohenjo-daro.
This assignment may ask you to do more than you have been asked to do in the past in Social Studies. However what I am asking is important, that you find information, analyze it, and evaluate it to come to your own conclusion. Remember, in life, there won't always be someone there to guide you and give you the answers, somethings you will have to discover for yourself.
- Harappa
Excellent website that tours the Ancient Indus Valley Civilization city of Harappa. The site includes excellent pictures and information about the civilization and region. Definitely worth reviewing to get a more complete look at Harappan Civilization.
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The History Guide
From the website: "Welcome to The History Guide's Lectures on Ancient and Medieval European History. These lectures were written over the past ten years and served as the basis for my western civilization and upper level European history courses at Florida Atlantic University (Davie, FL), Broward Community College (Coconut Creek, FL), Vance-Granville Community College (Henderson, NC), Meredith College (Raleigh, NC) and Wake Technical Community College (Raleigh, NC)."
Lecture 2: Ancient Western Asia and the Civilization of MesopotamiaThis lecture focuses on Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent from the time following the Agricultural Revolution and includes Sumer and the Babylonians (Hammurabi's Code).
- Lecture 3: Egyptian Civilization
This lecture focuses on Dynastic Egypt giving summaries of the important eras and people of the times. It also continues by discussing the religion of Egypt and includes links embedded throughout the site to other sites with additional information.
- Lecture 4: The Akkadians, Egyptians and the Hebrews
This lecture focuses includes information on the Akkadians as well as more about the Egyptians. It also gives a brief history of the Ancient Hebrews.
Videos!
Crash Course World History #1: The Agricultural Revolution
From the Publisher:
John Green investigates the dawn of human civilization. John looks into how people gave up hunting and gathering to become agriculturalists, and how that change has influenced the world we live in today. Also, there are some jokes about cheeseburgers.
Crash Course World History #2: Indus Valley Civilization
From the Publisher:
John Green teaches you about the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the largest of the ancient civilizations. John teaches you the who, how, when, where and why of the Indus Valley Civilization, and dispenses advice on how to be more successful in your romantic relationships.
Crash Course World History #3: Mesopotamia
From the Publisher:
John presents Mesopotamia, and the early civilizations that arose around the Fertile Crescent. Topics covered include the birth of territorial kingdoms, empires, Neo-Assyrian torture tactics, sacred marriages, ancient labor practices, the world's first law code, and the great failed romance of John's undergrad years.
Crash Course World History #4: Ancient Egypt
From the Publisher:
John covers the long, long history of ancient Egypt, including the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms, and even a couple of intermediate periods. Learn about mummies, pharaohs, pyramids and the Nile with John Green.
Crash Course #6: Buddha and Ashoka
From the Publisher:
John relates a condensed history of India, post-Indus Valley Civilization. John explores Hinduism and the origins of Buddhism. He also gets into the reign of Ashoka, the Buddhist emperor who, in spite of Buddhism's structural disapproval of violence, managed to win a bunch of battles.
Crash Course World History #7: ?2,000 Years of Chinese History! The Mandate of Heaven and Confucius
From the Publisher
John introduces you to quite a lot of Chinese history by discussing the complicated relationship between the Confucian scholars who wrote Chinese history and the emperors (and empress) who made it. Included is a brief introduction to all the dynasties in Chinese history and an introduction to Confucius and the Confucian emphasis on filial piety, the role the mandate of heaven played in organizing China, and how China became the first modern state.
Time Life's "Lost Civilizations"
"Egypt: Quest for Immortality" - Embalming Ramses
This clip represents the opening to the video. It demonstrates and explains the long process of mummification of a pharaoh. It informs us that there was great care taken to prepare the body for death. While watching, think why did the Egyptians take such care and devotion to detail to prepare the pharaoh for burial? What purpose was served by each of the items with which the pharaoh was buried?
"Egypt: Quest for Immortality" - King Tut's Tomb
This clip describes the discovery of who, was at the time a little known pharaoh - King Tutankhamen, "King Tut." Discovered in 1922 by archaeologist Howard Carter this was the greatest discovery of ancient Egypt. While watching the video try to discover why this find was so important and what made it different from other tombs tht have been discovered.
"Mesopotamia: Return to Eden" - Hammurabi's Code
Mesopotamia was also the birthplace of the world's first written code of laws - Hammurabi's Code (or the Code of Hammurabi). Many laws were described in detail as well as the trials and punishments. This document also tells historians a little bit about the social heirarchy within society, the civil and criminal laws, and the Babylonian's relationship with their gods. Interestingly, some similar methods of trials are still conducted today.
"The Greatest Man on Earth"
This video was circulating on Facebook and when I saw it, I knew would have to show it when we discuss Hinduism. As we learn about dharma and karma it is interesting to see what people do when they are faced with a contradiction: obey their caste duty OR do what they believe to be morally right. While you may or may not agree with the title of the video, "The Greatest Man on Earth", more importantly focus on the conflict. It is also important to note, these types of conflicts can emerge in any and all religions, it is not something unique to Hinduism.