The Pyramids of Giza, the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still remaining
Unit 1 Links
Unit Introduction
Two factors are essential to properly identifying people and events in our planet’s history: space and time. This unit teaches the skills of a historian necessary to correctly target where and when a civilization existed and how to interpret its history. Human history is greatly entwined with Earth’s geography.
Space - Throughout history a civilization’s fate has largely been determined by its location. Location gives each civilization certain advantages and disadvantages: either an abundance or lack of resources, either a secure territory or one vulnerable to invasion, either a pleasant climate with a long growing season or a harsh environment with a limited food source, and either proximity to trade routes with foreign peoples or cultural isolation.
Time - It is necessary to understand dating systems to correctly order events to identify cause and effect in history. During this course, you will begin to construct a mental timeline of the major events of human history.
Civilization - Unit 1 also investigates the millions of years which passed from the emergence of the human species until the development of the earliest known civilizations. This unit examines some of the earliest major human civilizations in the Near East including Sumer, Egypt, Phoencia, Assyria, and Persia. Fertile river valleys allowed abundant yields from farming. Plentiful food gave humans the luxury of spare time and energy to develop new technologies including writing and metalwork. The social pyramid and the rule of law were established. Similar patterns of development occurred in the river valleys of ancient India and China.
Space - Throughout history a civilization’s fate has largely been determined by its location. Location gives each civilization certain advantages and disadvantages: either an abundance or lack of resources, either a secure territory or one vulnerable to invasion, either a pleasant climate with a long growing season or a harsh environment with a limited food source, and either proximity to trade routes with foreign peoples or cultural isolation.
Time - It is necessary to understand dating systems to correctly order events to identify cause and effect in history. During this course, you will begin to construct a mental timeline of the major events of human history.
Civilization - Unit 1 also investigates the millions of years which passed from the emergence of the human species until the development of the earliest known civilizations. This unit examines some of the earliest major human civilizations in the Near East including Sumer, Egypt, Phoencia, Assyria, and Persia. Fertile river valleys allowed abundant yields from farming. Plentiful food gave humans the luxury of spare time and energy to develop new technologies including writing and metalwork. The social pyramid and the rule of law were established. Similar patterns of development occurred in the river valleys of ancient India and China.
Unit Objectives
- Compare how different geographic issues of the ancient period influenced settlement, trading networks and the sustainability of various ancient civilizations
- Analyze the governments of ancient civilizations in terms of their development, structure and function within various societies.
- Explain how codifying laws met the needs of ancient societies.
- Analyze the rise and spread of various empires in terms of influence, achievements and lasting impact.
- Analyze the development and growth of major Eastern and Western religions.
- Analyze the relationship between trade routes and the development and decline of major empires.
- Compare the conditions, racial composition, and status of social classes, castes, and slaves in ancient societies and analyze changes in those elements.
- Evaluate the achievements of ancient civilizations in terms of their enduring cultural impact.