1. Learning Targets
How can archaeological evidence be used to understand ancient cultures? What are the four characteristics of a civilization?

2. 5 themes of World History
Cultural Interaction
Political Structures
Economic Structures
Social Structures
Human-Environment Interaction
Spread of:
Religion
Belief systems
Science and technology
Arts
Form of government
Growth of empires
Development of nations
Political revolutions
Global organizations
Expansion of trade
How labor is used
Rise of industry
Economic theories
Gender roles
Family and kinship customs
Racial and ethnic differences and their impact on society
Social class
Economic class
Disease
Population growth or decline
Migration
Patterns of settlement
Natural disasters

3. Unit One Developments During the Middle Ages 1000-1400 A.D. (C.E.)

4. Civilizations Main characteristics of civilizations:
People produce extra food
Some form of government exists
Division of labor: people perform different jobs
System of writing
Cultural diffusion—spread of culture from one area to another

5. Kingdoms of the Nile 3100 B.C.—395 A.D.
Pharaohs—went to war, added territory, encouraged trade, etc.
Egyptians had an advanced calendar to track the Nile floods
Used geometry to rebuild field boundaries and build the pyramids
Preserved dead bodies to achieve immortality

6. Tigris-Euphrates Kingdoms 3000 B.C.—539 B.C.
Southwest Asia—AKA Mesopotamia or the Fertile Crescent
Sumerians created writing system known as cuneiform + were first to use the wheel
Code of Hammurabi (powerful ruler)—early law code known for its harsh punishments
Eventually taken over by the Persians

7. Indian Civilizations
Harappan civilization—advanced city planning and written language
Gupta dynasty—Golden Age of Indian history
Caste system—all people were organized into social classes
Understood the rotation of Earth on its Axis
Inoculation—infecting people with a disease so they wouldn’t get as sick

8. Thinking Questions Write out the question and answer in 3 sentences each
1. What are some things discovered by these ancient civilizations that still exist today? 2. Why do you think these things still exist and how did they spread from one area/culture to another?