1. Sixth Grade History-Social Science World History and Geography: Ancient Civilizations
Development of humankind
Mesopotamia
Egypt
Hebrews
Greece
India
China
Rome
“In the sixth grade curriculum, students learn about those people and events that ushered in the dawn of major Western and non-Western civilizations…..students should come to appreciate the special significance of geographic place in the development of the human story. They should acquire a sense of the everyday life of the people; their problems and accomplishments; their relationship to the developing social, economic, and political structure of their society; the tools and technology they developed; the role of trade, both domestic and international, in their lives; the art they created; the architecture they lived with; the literature produced by their finest poets, narrators, and writers; their explanations for natural phenomena; and the ideas they developed that helped transform their world.”

2. Lucy Australopithecus afarensis
Early bones found in Africa - Olduvai Gorge
Proved that early humans walked upright
Discovered by Donald Johanson
Lucy: The evidence of early hominids is limited to a few bones and artifacts; the discovery of the bones of “Lucy” by Donald Johanson were an amazing find; “Lucy” belongs to a group of hominids called Australopithecus afarensis; her skeleton proves that early hominids walked upright

3. Early Hominids Homo habilis - Handy man – tool maker
Homo erectus – Upright man – discovered how to control fire
Homo sapiens Neanderthalensis – Wise man – found in the Neander Valley in modern Germany – sense of community
Homo sapiens sapiens – Doubly wise man – early modern humans
Each change along the way – from walking upright to creating better tools – is a key step in the development of early modern humans.

4. Hunting and Gathering  Farming
                               
*The transition from hunting and gathering to farming is one of the most important advance people have ever made.
*Tools – advanced from simple stone tools to complex metal ones
Paleolithic Age – Old Stone Age – people got their food by hunting wild animals and gathering nuts, berries, and other plants – nomadic
Neolithic – New Stone Age – people learned to domesticate (tame) animals and cultivate crops – permanent food supply - allowed them to settle down into a more sedentary life style

5. Early Humans Early humans sites are found all over the world
Two theories:
Out of Africa
Multicentric
Early humans: There are many early hominid sites throughout the world; there are two main theories about how early humans populated the planet: one is called the “out of Africa” theory – all human life began in Africa, most likely the Great Rift Valley and spread out from there; the other theory is the MultiCentric Theory – in this theory there were multiple origination sites in Africa and Asia

6. River Valleys Most early civilizations developed around a river
Tigris and Euphrates
Nile
Indus
Huang He
Great River Civilizations: Most early civilizations developed around a large river; Mesopotamia around the Tigris and Euphrates; Egypt around the Nile; India around the Brahmaputra, Indus, and Ganges ; China around the Huang He

7. Agricultural Advancements
Irrigation
Economic Surplus
Division of labor
With the new time, early people were able to create new inventions – plow and writing
As early humans became more adept at farming, especially by learning to control the water source through irrigation, they were able to grow more food than was needed. This meant fewer people were needed to produce the food. These people could then focus their time and energy on other endeavors – division of labor. Some of the things they created were the plow and writing, religion and government.

8. The Code of Hammurabi One of the first codes of law (1792 – 1750 BCE)
Babylonia
Based on the concept of “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
Written on stone pillars (stele) for all to see
The laws applied to all people.
Code of Hamurabi: Hamurabi wrote a code of laws based on the idea of Lex Talionis – “an eye for an eye…”; he had his laws written onto great stone stele that were seen (but probably not read) by all citizens. His code did not treat all people equally in terms of laws and punishments, but it was the first code of law to apply to everyone.

9. Cuneiform An early form of writing Developed in Mesopotamia
Scribes were trained to read and write it
Used mostly for trade
Egyptian – hieroglyphics
India - sanskrit
Cuneiform: One of the earliest forms of writing; developed in Mesopotamia; only scribes were trained to read and write cuneiform; used mainly for trade

10. Egyptian and Mesopotamian Architecture
Egyptian Pyramids
Egyptian Pyramids: These monumental structures were created to entomb the mummified bodies of the pharaohs; they were built by farmers during the non-growing season; most Egyptian architecture was religious in purpose
Mesopotamian Ziggurats

11. Egyptian Leadership Pharaohs controlled Egypt Queen Hatshepsut
Promoter of Egyptian Trade
Ramses II (the Great)
Military Leader and Master Builder
Hatshepsut ruled from 1473 to 1458 BCE; New Kingdom; first female pharaoh; she promoted trade with other countries; one large expedition was to Punt
Ramses: ruled from 1290 to 1224 BCE; New Kingdom; reigned for over 60 years; courageous military leadership; built numerous monuments – many in his own honor

12. Abraham – “Father of the Hebrews”
He was a polytheist who devoted his life to one god and became a monotheist
Led his followers (they will come to be called Hebrews) from Mesopotamia to Canaan
Established the beginnings of the religion called Judaism
Abraham: Founder of Judaism; developed the idea of monotheism – his people had been polytheists; Abraham made a covenant “ sacred agreement” with his god - “Leave your country and your father’s house, and go to a country that I will show you” “I will make you the father of many” ; Abraham showed his devotion to his god when he was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac

13. Moses – Leader and Prophet
He led the Jews out of Egypt back to their homeland.
This event is called the Exodus
On the journey, Moses received the Ten Commandments from his god
Moses: Led the Jews out of Egypt in an event called the Exodus (~1250 BCE); on their journey home, Moses was given the Ten Commandments by his god; these laws still influence our laws today;

14. Christianity Jesus of Nazareth Raised as a Jew
Great teacher and speaker
Sermon on the Mount
Parables
His followers established the religion called Christianity
Birth of Jesus of Nazareth: Born a Jew; he becomes a great teacher; his followers will develop the religion we call Christianity; this religion faced harsh persecution yet gradually spread throughout the Roman Empire

15. Greek Democracy Monarchy Oligarchy/Aristocracy Tyranny Democracy
Pericles – Funeral Oration
Looking at Athens as an example, most city-states in Greece progressed through a series of governmental types:
Monarchy – rule by one – usually a king (could also be a pharaoh, emperor, etc.)
Oligarchy/Aristocracy – rule by the few – the wealthy upper class (aristocracy) demanded more power
Tyranny – one single strong ruler – sometimes selected; sometimes grabbed power with a military – usually ruled during a period of anarchy or chaos – given supreme power
Democracy – rule by the people – as the middle class gained wealth, they also wanted a share of the power – most early democracy gave “power” only to free males
Pericles gave an important speech – his funeral oration – to commemorate the dead from a battle during the Peloponnesian War – it established the concept of citizenship

16. City-States: Sparta vs. Athens
Sparta Athens
Military State Democracy
Agrarian Economy Trade Economy
Fought each other in the Peloponnesian War.
Sparta and Athens:
Two of Greece’s great city-states
They developed along different lines
Sparta was more focused on the military – boys were sent away to the military at the age of 7 – both boys and girls were educated
Athens was more focused on developing the “whole” person – art, athletics, citizenship – focus was on males
Sparta’s government was an oligarchy. Council of Elders made most important decisions.
Athen’s government stayed as a direct democracy – all eligible voters (men: 18 years old and born in Athens) could directly participate in the government
Athens are Sparta fought each other in the Peloponnesian War – Sparta won

17. Greek Architecture
Greek Architecture: …the importance of balance and order in the Greeks’ idea of beauty.
Column Orders:
Doric – oldest style, have no base
Ionic – graceful – “scroll” top
Corinthian – most decorative
Greek architecture is still reflected in our society today. Many important buildings have been inspired by this style. For example, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

18. Greek Mythology Zeus Poseidon Hades Ares Athena Apollo
Greeks explained their world through their mythology
Trojan Horse
Pandora’s box
Homer
Iliad and Odyssey
Greek Mythology: Trojan Horse; the Greeks developed a rich mythology; these stories continue to influence our lives today as seen in such phrases as “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts,” “Opening a Pandora’s box,” and “If looks could kill.”

19. Greek Philosophy “Love of Wisdom” Socrates Plato Aristotle
Encouraged people to question the things they thought they knew.
Plato
Student of Socrates
Aristotle
Student of Plato
Taught Alexander the Great
Socrates: A great Greek philosopher along with Plato and Aristotle

20. Alexander the Great
*Ruler of a vast empire from Macedonia to India in the 300s BCE.
*As he conquered an area, he usually showed respect for the culture and religion of the area
*Spread the ideas of the Greeks throughout his empire - Hellenism
A skilled general, Alexander conquered a vast empire. To unify this huge territory, he spread Greek ideas, used religion, and showed respect for the cultures of the people he conquered.

21. Alexander’s Empire
Map of Alexander’s Empire – extended from Greece to India and through the Middle East and into Egypt

22. India
India’s first settlers farmed in the fertile river valleys – Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra. The mountains surrounding the Indian subcontinent – especially the Himalayas – protected the country.

23. Hinduism Dharma – perform one’s duties and so to live as one should
Samsara – Reincarnation – cycle of birth, death, and rebirth
Karma – the right way to live
Hinduism: India’s first major religion. There are five basic beliefs:
Brahman – the one supreme god everything is a part of
Multiple gods - polytheism
Dharma – to fulfill your “role” in life – related to the caste system
Karma – to do what is right
Samsara - Reincarnation is a belief that our “spirit” returns to earth over and over again in order to gain knowledge and experience; once we have attained enough knowledge, our spirits go to Nirvana; in Nirvana our spirits become one with everything

24. Buddhism Siddhartha Gautama – the Buddha or the “Awakened One”
Discovered that life is suffering – aging, sickness, and death
Moving towards Enlightenment and Nirvana
Buddhism was India’s second great religion. It is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Guatama. Siddhartha became the Buddha by reaching enlightenment.

25. China - Philosophies Confucianism: “Lead by example.”
Moderation in conduct and emotion
Respect of elders
Daoism: “If you must rule, rule as little as possible.”
Legalism: “Set clear laws and harshly punish those who disobey them.”
Confucius taught that peace and order depended upon proper behavior. Those in authority must lead by example. Those below them must obey.
Daoists believed that people should live simply and in harmony with nature. They said the best rulers were those who ruled the least.
Legalists believed that people were driven by their own self-interest. They taught that rulers could create order only through strict laws and harsh punishments.

26. China – Dynasties Shang Dynasty – powerful kings, ancestor worship
Zhou Dynasty – feudal, stabilized China
Qin Dynasty – unified China and expanded the borders, built the Great Wall
Shang
Zhou
Qin (pronounce CHIN)
Han Dynasty – time of peace, wealth, and achievement

27. China – Silk Road
Silk Road – the network of trade routes between China and the West. The Silk Road was opened under the Han and remained a major route of trade for more than 1,000 years.
Trade – Many good traded (silk from China; glass from Rome) – also cultural exchanges including the introduction of Buddhism to China

28. Augustus Caesar First Emperor (37 BCE)
Rome – Government
Etruscan Kings
Republic (509 BCE)
Patricians Plebeians
Julius Caesar (49 BCE)
Augustus Caesar First Emperor (37 BCE)
The Romans overthrew the Etruscans and created a republic (a form of government with elected leaders). Sometimes during times of war, they handed power over to a dictator (given special power for a limited amount of time).
Patricians (upper class) and Plebeians (others) had conflicts. Because of this, Rome continued to become more democratic.
Julius Caesar seizes power after crossing the Rubicon River on Jan. 11, 49 BCE. The ended the Republican form of government in Rome. J.C. became a dictator. He introduced many reforms. Assassinated on March 15, 44 BCE (Ides of March).
Augustus (Octavian) takes over after years of Civil War. He extended Rome’s Empire (Rhine and Danube in the north, the Sahara Desert in the south, and the Atlantic Ocean in the west). His time in office in called the “Pax Romana” the Roman Peace.
A series of many Emperors will rule Rome until the Middle Ages.